Edmund W. Gordon, professor emeritus at both Columbia University and Yale University, has been named one of three recipients of the 2024 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. Presented by the McGraw Family Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, the award recognizes Dr. Gordon’s lifetime achievements in Pre-K-12 education.
For nearly 70 years, Dr. Gordon has dedicated his career to advancing educational opportunities for low-income and underrepresented students. He was a key member in establishing the federal Head Start program, and served as the program’s inaugural director of research and evaluation. While serving as a professor at Columbia University in the 1970s, he established the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. In honor of his 100th birthday in 2021, the institute was renamed the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Advanced Study.
Currently, Dr. Gordon holds the titles of Richard March Hoe Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and John M. Musser Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Yale University. Throughout his career, he has held academic appointments at several institutions, including Howard University, Yeshiva University, the City University of New York, and Harvard University.
Dr. Gordon received a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a bachelor of divinity degree in social ethics from Howard University. He holds a master’s degree in social psychology from American University and a doctorate in child development and guidance from Columbia University.
