Jared E. Knowles

Social scientist · public-sector data · founder of Civilytics Consulting · [email protected]

A brief highlight reel. I apply quantitative social science to public-policy problems — building data systems, predictive models, and the tools that make them usable. For the fuller picture, see my R packages and talks , or get in touch .

Now #

2016–present

Founder & President, Civilytics Consulting . Applied research and data infrastructure for public-sector clients — predictive analytics, equity-focused dashboards, and analyst training. Recent work includes Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) analyses of school-based arrests and enrollment-forecasting systems for state higher-ed and K–12 agencies.

2016–2023

Faculty for Statistical Computing, Strategic Data Project, Harvard University. Designed and taught courses on predictive analytics, data visualization, and data governance for education and public-sector data staff.

Before #

2010–2016

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction — Senior Research Analyst, then Policy Research Advisor. Built and deployed the Wisconsin Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS), still in statewide use, and led the agency’s move from proprietary tools to R.

Education #

2015

Ph.D., Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

2009

M.A., Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

2008

B.A., Politics & Government and German Studies, Pacific University.

Selected publications #

2021

Geller, W., Cratty, D., & Knowles, J. E. Education Data Done Right II: Building on Each Others’ Work. Leanpub.

2016

Carlson, D., & Knowles, J. E. The Effect of English Language Learner Reclassification on Student ACT Scores, High School Graduation, and Postsecondary Enrollment. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(3), 559–586.

2015

Knowles, J. E. Of Needles and Haystacks: Building an Accurate Statewide Dropout Early Warning System in Wisconsin. Journal of Educational Data Mining, 7(3), 18–67.

Recognition #

AERA Research Grant (2022–2024) · IES Pre-Doctoral Training Fellowship (2009–2015) · Lloyd D. Gladfelter Award for Government Innovation (2015).

Tools #

R (Shiny, Stan), Python, SQL/PostGIS — geospatial analysis, predictive modeling, causal inference, and Bayesian modeling and forecasting.

This is the short version. A full résumé is available on request .