Thomas Capretta

 Thomas Capretta joins YCR with over a decade of experience in K–12 education, including roles as a teacher, policy administrator, and researcher. His current research examines authority and resistance in education, with a focus on how families, students, and educators navigate and transform education systems. Currently a family engagement researcher and project coordinator at the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University, Capretta manages statewide initiatives that support partnerships between families, schools, and communities. In this role, his work addresses issues of absenteeism and attendance, student voice, and translational research connecting scholarship to policy and practice.
 
Before joining YCR, Capretta served at the Ohio Department of Education, supporting schools and districts in meeting the needs of students in foster care and other populations facing systemic inequities, while advancing family and community engagement strategies across the state. A Cleveland native, Capretta began his career teaching 4th and 5th grade math and science. He holds a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs and a BA in religious studies and applied ethics from Seton Hall University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies at Ohio State, specializing in the philosophy and history of education with a focus on ethics and political philosophy. Capretta lives in Columbus, OH with his partner and their three cats, Boots, Maude, and Jasper.