Postdoctoral Research Associate
Jonathon Acosta is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. A trained sociologist, his research uses mixed methods to study migrant incorporation in postindustrial cities across the American northeast. His current work looks at the economic and geographic mobility of first and second generation migrants living in the panethnic postindustrial city. Specifically, he looks at how migrant students are able to navigate weak institutions (namely urban public schools) for their benefit. Acosta hopes to use his work to explore how migrants can leverage schools for their incorporation into the American mainstream. His work has been published in the Sociology of Development.
Before beginning his doctoral research, Acosta was a K-12 middle school math teacher and administrator. He was a 2011 Teach for America corps member in Miami where he was selected as his school's Rookie Teacher of the Year. He was later the founding 8th grade math teacher at Blackstone Valley Prep Middle School and eventually the Dean of Culture for which he was recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. He served on the Central Falls City Council from 2016-2020.
Acosta holds a Ph.D. in sociology, an MA in sociology, an MA in urban education policy, and a BA in political science and ethnic studies from Brown University. In his spare time, he is a State Senator for Rhode Island District 16 representing Central Falls and Pawtucket.
