Peter W. Cookson Jr. (born November 17, 1942) is an American sociologist, academic, and author. He is the author of twenty books on education reform, inequality, and new models of learning. His books have been widely reviewed in such publications as

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read ...

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

, and Kirkus Reviews.

Early life and education

Peter Cookson graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

where he received a B.A. in American History, M.A. in European Intellectual History, and Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education. He also received a post-graduate certificate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the

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

and an M.A. in Religion from

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

Career

A strong proponent of

education reform Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, th ...

, his articles have appeared frequently in ''

Education Week ''Education Week'' is an independent news organization that has covered K–12 education since 1981. It is owned by Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), a nonprofit organization, and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland in Greater Washingto ...

'' and ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', among others. He received a special citation in the category of best blog for Education Sector's "The Quick and the Ed" from the National Education Writers Association for education reporting in 2012. Since the 1980s, Cookson has been a college and university professor and administrator, most notably at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties a ...

, where he founded the Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation and TC Innovations. He was Managing Director of Education Sector, an independent education policy think tank, and is currently Principal Researcher and Director of The Equity Project at

American Institutes for Research The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan behavioral and social science research, evaluation and technical assistance organization based in Arlington, Virginia. One of the world's largest social science research organ ...

(AIR), and teaches sociology at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. As a specialist in

American education Education in the United States is provided in public and private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems and sup ...

and equity in education, Cookson has been interviewed often, most recently on Bloomberg Radio's education network.Bloomberg EDU radio interview with Jane Stoddard Williams, May 10, 201

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References

External links

Education SectorBlog, ''The Quick & the Ed''Website for ''Sacred Trust: A Children's Education Bill of Rights''Peter W. Cookson Jr. on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cookson, Peter W. Jr. Living people American education writers American sociologists Georgetown University faculty New York University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Yale Divinity School alumni 1942 births Teachers College, Columbia University faculty