David K. Cohen (August 16, 1934 – September 23, 2020) was an American

educational theorist Education sciences, also known as education studies or education theory, and traditionally called ''pedagogy'', seek to describe, understand, and prescribe education including education policy. Subfields include comparative education, educationa ...

. Between 1964 and 1966, Cohen was a consultant to the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

. He then served as director of the Race and Education Project, an initiative of the

United States Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility f ...

. Cohen joined the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...

in 1968 as a lecturer. The next year, he was named an associate professor, and promoted to full professor in 1971. Cohen retired from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1986. During his time at Harvard, Cohen served concurrently as president of the Huron Institute. He taught at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

between 1986 and 1993, as the John Hannah Chair within the Department of Education. Cohen subsequently moved to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he was named the John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Education and jointly held a professorship in public policy at the

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy The Ford School of Public Policy (formally the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy) is the public policy school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was founded in 1914 to train public administration experts. In 1999, the ...

. Cohen was a member of the first board of directors convened by the

Albert Shanker Institute The Albert Shanker Institute (ASI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes: excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. Its mission is to ...

, and remained in that position for twenty years. He was elected a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 2013.

References

1934 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American educational theorists Michigan State University faculty University of Michigan faculty Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences {{US-edu-bio-stub