David Cohen

David K. Cohen was a distinguished scholar in education policy and practice. At the University of Michigan, Cohen was the John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education and a professor of public policy in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. His research focused on the relationships between education policy and classroom practice in K–12 education and on efforts to improve schooling. He co-directed a major national study of instructional improvement in high-poverty elementary schools and was an expert on teacher professional development, school reform, and the impact of federal regulation on education. Before joining the University of Michigan, Cohen taught at Harvard University and Michigan State University. Earlier in his career, he served as a consultant to the general counsel of the NAACP on schools and race and as director of the Race and Education Project for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Cohen authored numerous influential books and publications on education reform and policy and was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Cohen received his PhD from the University of Rochester.

updated 2020