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Jason Gaulden

Education Fellow

For media inquiries, please contact cinamon@csinstituteus.org

Jason Gaulden has spent his professional career working at the intersection of the business and nonprofit sectors. He is a partner at Oak Rose Group, a strategy consulting firm specializing in education, workforce development, and economic mobility. He draws upon 25 years of professional experience in varying roles: executive leadership, philanthropy, communications, grassroots advocacy, research and writing, fund development, and nonprofit board development.

From 2015 to 2020, he worked with America Succeeds, a national network of business leaders focused on modernizing the nation’s education system. He co-authored the report The Age of Agility: Education Pathways for the Future of Work. The initiative empowers business leaders, educators, and policymakers to better prepare students for the new workforce and economy.

As a teenager and young adult, Jason had an unusually diverse set of professional experiences, being elected to the NAACP national board of directors at the age of 18, becoming a grassroots advocate and executive director of Hillside Neighborhood Association at age 19, and becoming youth director at the Pikes Peak Region Urban League at age 21.

Jason served as the program officer for education at Daniels Fund from 2005 to 2009, and before that, a Senior Fellow at El Pomar Foundation from 2001 to 2005. Jason is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

 
Expert's Work
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Ballot Issues
Better Choices, Better Outcomes: How Charter Schools Elevate Student Performance and Family Options

Colorado charter school students obtained a postsecondary credential at a rate of 41.8% compared to non-charter’s 32.8% for the 2016 cohort.

Education
Higher Education Launch Pad

DSST Montview High School’s postsecondary credential attainment was three times the Denver Public Schools average.

Education
Diagnosing Colorado’s Skills and Attainment Gap

By 2031, 73% of Colorado’s jobs will require at least some postsecondary education, and currently 70.7% of Colorado adults currently qualify.[i] That number includes imported talent—people who attain higher

February 13, 2024 Erik GammJason Gaulden
Education
Colorado Education Data and Trends

This report summarizes CDE financial data and shows key trends in how education funding and spending has changed over time.

October 16, 2023 Erik GammJason Gaulden
Education
Perspective: A blueprint for better schools
Denver Gazette

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, DSST serves nearly 7,200 students across eight middle and eight high schools.

June 02, 2024 Jason Gaulden
Education
PERSPECTIVE: Preparing Coloradans for the jobs of the future
The Gazette

In Colorado, there are reasons aplenty for concern and celebration when it comes to education-to-workforce pathways.

March 31, 2024 Jason Gaulden
Education
We've got a Skills Gap in Colorado
KOA Colorado

Common Sense Institute did a study on it and how to fix it.

February 15, 2024 Jason Gaulden
Education
Little to Show for More School Spending
The Gazette

These are among the key findings in the 2023 “Dollars & Data” report Jason Gaulden recently wrote for CSI, for which he is the education fellow.

October 29, 2023 Jason Gaulden
Education
SPECIAL EPISODE: Eggs & The Economy - February 13, 2024

In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, February 13, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This editi

February 16, 2024 Jason Gaulden