Benjamin Boer

Senior Director of Data Benjamin Boer is the project lead for ILDS 2.0, providing support on policy issues that include school finance, assessment, accountability, and the use of data.

As the former deputy director of Advance Illinois, Ben provided analytic and modeling support for numerous K–12 funding proposals. This culminated in a partnership with various state advocacy organizations to develop and refine the evidence-based funding legislation, which became law in August 2017. He also partnered closely with EdSystems on the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act.

Ben is a PhD candidate in educational policy studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His area of study is the use of data in schools. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science from Brown University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two daughters.