Jo Ann Izu

Jo Ann Izu is a senior research associate in the Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities initiative at WestEd. She is a technical assistance provider for the California Center for School Climate. She was previously the data and evaluation coordinator for Safe Passages, an Urban Health Initiative site focused on Oakland children and youth, and has directed evaluations of charter schools, school-linked service initiatives, and state restructuring efforts. She has also led multiple projects on behalf of thr San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF), including efforts to build the capacity of out-of-school programs to foster social and emotional competencies, assess programmatic shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and conduct an equity assessment to inform DCYF’s racial equity action plan. Her work focuses on research, evaluation, and technical support for schools, districts, public agencies, and community partners to improve social and emotional health, school climate, and violence prevention, as well as substance use prevention. Izu has also provided technical assistance to schools and community-based organizations on evaluation, data use, and youth inclusion in decision-making. She serves on the board of the St. John’s Educational Threshold Center in San Francisco. Izu earned her PhD in the sociology of education from Stanford University.

updated 2025