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Dr. Osnat Zaken is a distinguished educator, researcher, and leader with extensive expertise in education finance, administration, and assessment. With a career spanning both K–12 and higher education, her work has significantly influenced the development of data-informed policies and practices aimed at improving educational equity and institutional effectiveness.
Since 2005, Dr. Zaken has served in progressively advancing leadership roles at Touro University’s Graduate School of Education in New York City. Recently promoted to Full Professor, she currently serves as Professor and Director of Analytics & Data Management/Assessment. In this role, she leads institutional accreditation and assessment efforts, oversees state and federal reporting, and promotes data-driven decision-making across academic programs. Her work is central to supporting continuous program improvement through robust data systems and analytics and maintaining compliance with evolving regulatory standards.
In addition to her administrative leadership, Dr. Zaken is an accomplished faculty member in Education and Special Education. She actively teaches; mentors graduate students, supports program development, and engages in applied research. Her prior experience in the New York City Department of Education as a classroom teacher and later as Assistant Principal provided foundational expertise in instructional leadership, budgeting, grant oversight, school safety, and personnel management.
Dr. Zaken's scholarly portfolio includes numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and national and international conference presentations. Her research focuses on education finance, state budgeting, resource equity, and the implications of fiscal policy on student outcomes. She contributes to the field through active membership in professional organizations and serves on editorial boards, conference planning committees, and as a peer reviewer for academic journals and accreditation bodies.
Her professional achievements have been recognized with multiple honors, including the prestigious Economics and Finance of Education Special Interest Group (EFE SIG) Award and designation as a Distinguished Research and Practice Fellow by the National Education Finance Academy (NEFA). She also serves as an accreditation lead reviewer for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and was recently appointed Associate Editor of the International Division of the Journal of Education Finance and Law.
Through her multidisciplinary expertise, Dr. Zaken brings a unique and powerful voice to conversations around educational equity, policy, and practice, advancing the mission of equitable, high-quality education for all learners. Her unwavering commitment to excellence in education, advocacy for data-informed leadership, and dedication to preparing the next generation of educators continue to drive innovation and meaningful change across the educational landscape.
Education
Dr. Zaken earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration and Supervision, with a specialization in Education Finance, from St. John's University in Queens, New York. Her dissertation, Experts’ Views on Revenue Options to Implement the Campaign for Fiscal Equity Court Decision, underscored her deep engagement with education policy and fiscal equity, earning her Summa Cum Laude distinction. She also holds a Master of Arts in Economics and Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Speech Education from Brooklyn College, City University of New York.
