The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the

education school In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences en ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the

EdD Edd, or EDD may refer to: Fictional characters * Dolorous Edd, a character from ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' and its adaptation, ''Game of Thrones'' * Edd (''Ed, Edd n Eddy''), a character of the ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' cartoon * Edd the Duck, a puppet ...

degree and the first Harvard school to award degrees to women. HGSE enrolls more than 800 students in its one-year master of education (Ed.M.) and three-year doctor of education leadership (Ed.L.D.) programs. The Harvard Graduate School of Education is currently ranked as the #2 education school in the nation by '' U.S. News & World Report''. It is associated with the Harvard Education Publishing Group whose imprint is the Harvard Education Press and publishes the ''

Harvard Educational Review The ''Harvard Educational Review'' is an academic journal of opinion and research dealing with education, associated with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and published by the Harvard Education Publishing Group. The journal was established ...

''.

History

This school was established in 1920. 29 years prior to its establishment, Harvard President

Charles W. Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transfo ...

appointed Paul Henry Hanus to begin the formal study of education as a discipline at Harvard. However, at that time the focus was not on establishing education as an academic discipline at Harvard. Instead, the concern was on proper college preparation for students attending secondary education in public schools. As a result, education became a formal division within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1906 before the rebirth of the division into a separate Harvard faculty in 1920. In the next year, HGSE became the first school to grant a

doctor of education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

(Ed.D.) degree which provided rigorous research training that equipped graduates with the knowledge and skills to have a broad impact in the worlds of policy and practice. The faculty has grown ever since. In 1949, the Laboratory of Human Development (now the Human Development and Psychology Program) was established to examine the psychological development of children in their families and communities. Two years later, the

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Teaching degree was offered by HGSE, followed by the Administrative Career Program. The school is by Dean Bridget Terry Long,

Project Zero

Nelson Goodman Henry Nelson Goodman (7 August 1906 – 25 November 1998) was an American philosopher, known for his work on counterfactuals, mereology, the problem of induction, irrealism, and aesthetics. Life and career Goodman was born in Somerville, M ...

founded Project Zero in 1967 to explore a basic research project in artistic cognition and artistic education. This project developed into a bigger scope ever since included being directed by

Howard Gardner Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is curr ...

. Numerous research findings are converted into practice through modules, from thinking routines to learning rubrics that can be freely accessed.

Usable Knowledge

Originally developed by faculty members Kurt Fischer and Joe Blatt, the aim of Usable Knowledge is to be a resource for educators who hope to put HGSE research learnings into practice.

Academics

HGSE offers a master of education degree (EdM) with five programs and two doctoral degree programs, a doctor of philosophy in education (PhD) and a doctor of education leadership (EdLD). (The PhD program replaced the EdD program, which enrolled its final cohort of students in fall 2013.) In addition, in 2022, the school launched an online, two-year, part-time master's degree in education leadership.

Master's in Education

HGSE offers five full-time, one-year, on-campus

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

programs: * Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship * Education Policy and Analysis * Human Development and Education * Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology * Teaching and Teacher Leadership Students in the master's degree programs can also declare optional concentrations and pursue teacher, principal, or superintendent licensure pathways.

Buildings

HGSE took possession of Longfellow Hall from Radcliffe College in 1962. The learning activities, along with the library and office were moved to Longfellow's basement. Larsen Hall was dedicated in 1963, completed in 1965, operating as the new classroom and research center of HGSE. The

Monroe C. Gutman Library The Monroe C. Gutman Library is the primary library for and one of four main buildings comprising the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). It is named for its principal benefactor, investment banker and Harvard College 1905 alumnus Monroe ...

is the school's primary library and one of its four main buildings.

Notable people

Current faculty members

* Catherine E. Snow, Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education *

Felipe Barrera-Osorio Felipe Barrera-Osorio is a Colombian economist and Associate Professor of Public Policy, Education and Economics at Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Barrera-Osorio's work on the economics of education ...

, Associate Professor of Education and Economics *

Fernando Reimers Fernando M. Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice in International Education and Director othe Global Education Innovation Initiativeat the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is interested in advancing understanding of th ...

, Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice *

, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education * Jerome Murphy, Harold Howe II Professor of Education * John B. Willett, Charles William Eliot Professor of Education *

Julie Reuben Julie A. Reuben (born August 2, 1960) is a historian interested in the role of education in American society and culture. Her teaching and research address broad questions about the purposes of education; the relation between educational instituti ...

, Professor of Education *

Richard Murnane Richard John Murnane (born 1945) is an economist and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has made important contributions to our understanding of education p ...

, Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society *

Richard Weissbourd Richard Weissbourd (born 1957) is an American child and family psychologist on the faculty of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, where he operates the Human Development and Psychology Program, and Kennedy School of Government. His research ...

, Senior Lecturer of Education * Thomas Kane, Professor of Education

Past faculty members

* Carol Gilligan *

Patricia Graham Patricia Albjerg Graham is a historian of American education. She began her teaching career in Deep Creek, Virginia, and went on to become a lecturer at Indiana University, professor of history and education at Barnard College and TC, Columbia ...

, professor of education *

Robert Kegan Robert Kegan (born August 24, 1946) is an American developmental psychologist. He is a licensed psychologist and practicing therapist, lectures to professional and lay audiences, and consults in the area of professional development and organi ...

William and Miriam Meehan Professor in Adult Learning and Professional Development *

Lawrence Kohlberg Lawrence Kohlberg (; October 25, 1927 – January 19, 1987) was an American psychologist best known for his theory of stages of moral development. He served as a professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Chicago and at the Gra ...

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot (born August 22, 1944) is an American sociologist who examines the culture of schools, the patterns and structures of classroom life, socialization within families and communities, and the relationships between culture an ...

, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education, renamed to the Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor of Education since her retirement * Gerald S. Lesser, psychologist who played a major role in developing the educational programming included in ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

''.Fox, Margalit
"Gerald S. Lesser, Shaper of ‘Sesame Street,’ Dies at 84"
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', October 4, 2010. Accessed October 4, 2010. * Kathleen McCartney, former dean; Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Education; current president of Smith College * James E. Ryan, former dean; Charles William Eliot Professor of Education; current president of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

Israel Scheffler Israel Scheffler (November 25, 1923 – February 16, 2014) was an American philosopher of science and of education. Career Scheffler held B.A. and M.A. degrees in psychology from Brooklyn College, an M.H.L. and a D.H.L.(hon.) from the Jewish ...

Charles V. Willie Charles Vert Willie (October 8, 1927 – January 11, 2022) was an American sociologist who was the Charles William Eliot Professor of Education, Emeritus at Harvard University. His areas of research included desegregation, higher education, publi ...

, Charles William Eliot Professor of Education, Emeritus

Alumni

Andrew McCollum Andrew McCollum (born September 4, 1983) is an American angel investor and businessman. McCollum is a co-founder of Facebook and current CEO of Philo. Education He attended Harvard University with co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and others on the f ...

, co-founder of

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

; angel investor * James McGreevey, former New Jersey state governor *

Martha Minow Martha Louise Minow (born December 6, 1954) is an American legal scholar and the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University. She served as the Dean of Harvard Law School between 2009 and 2017 and has taught at the Law School sin ...

, dean, Harvard Law School * Dianne Morales (born 1967), non-profit executive and political candidate *

Anne Sweeney Anne Marie Sweeney (born November 4, 1957) is an American businesswoman. She was formerly the co-chair of Disney Media, President of the Disney–ABC Television Group, and the President of Disney Channel from 1996 to 2014. In March 2014, she an ...

, president,

Disney-ABC Television Group This is a list of assets currently or formerly owned by the Walt Disney Company, unless otherwise indicated. Corporate Walt Disney Studios Live-action production Animated production Disney Studio Services Disney Theatrica ...

* Carl Gershman, president of the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

Deborah Bial Deborah Bial (born 1965) is an education strategist, the founder and president of the Posse Foundation and a trustee of Brandeis University. Bial is known for the concept of her foundation, which is to send groups of around ten students to collab ...

, founder and president of the Posse Foundation *

Denise Juneau Denise Juneau (born April 5, 1967) is an American attorney, educator, and politician from the U.S. state of Montana who served as the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2009 to 2017. She is a Democrat and the first female Native ...

, superintendent of

Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of 2018, 113 schools are operated by ...

; former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction *

Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorn ...

, former United States Senator from North Carolina and wife of Bob Dole *

Geoffrey Canada Geoffrey Canada (born January 13, 1952) is an American educator, social activist and author. Since 1990, Canada has been president of the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, New York, an organization that states its goal is to increase high scho ...

, founder,

Harlem Children's Zone The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is a nonprofit organization for poverty-stricken children and families living in Harlem, providing free support in the form of parenting workshops, a preschool program, three charter schools, and child-oriented ...

* Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent of Portland Public Schools *

Jason Kamras Jason Kamras (born December 12, 1973) was selected as the 2005 National Teacher of the Year and was an adviser on education policy to the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign . He now serves as Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools (RPS). ...

, 2005 National Teacher of the Year and superintendent of

Richmond Public Schools Richmond Public Schools is a public school district located in the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It is occasionally described locally as Richmond City Public Schools to emphasize its connection to the independent city rather than the ...

Joanne V. Creighton Joanne Vanish Creighton (born 1942) is an American academic who served as the 17th President of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, from 1996-2010. On August 10, 2011, the Haverford College Board of Managers named her interim ...

, former president of Mount Holyoke College *

Jodi Picoult Jodi Lynn Picoult () is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 ...

, American author *

Joseph Lekuton Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton (born 1968 or 1969) is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and was elected to represent the Laisamis Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the 2007 Kenyan parliamentary ele ...

, Kenyan politician * Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator; first woman to receive an Ed.D. from HGSE * Michael Johnston, Colorado state senator, co-founder of New Leaders for New Schools *

Neal Baer Neal Baer (born 1955) is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ''Designated Survivor'', '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. Biography Education Baer w ...

, executive producer, '' Law and Order: SVU''; former executive producer and writer, '' ER'' *

Nínive Clements Calegari Nínive Clements Calegari is an educator in the United States. Following ten years of classroom experience in public schools, she became an author and founded a national literacy program, 826 National. She also founded The Teacher Salary Project. C ...

, CEO of

826 National 826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6–18, improve their expository and creative writing skills at eight locations across the United States. The chapters include 826 Valencia in San Francisco, 826NYC ...

and founding executive director of

826 Valencia 826 Valencia is a non-profit organization in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, United States, dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. It was ...

Robyn Ochs Robyn Ochs (born 1958) is an American bisexual activist, professional speaker, and workshop leader. Her primary fields of interest are gender, sexuality, identity, and coalition building. She is the editor of the ''Bisexual Resource Guide'' (publ ...

, bisexual and LGBT rights activist, speaker *

Rhea Paul Rhea Paul is an American clinical language scientist known for her work in the field of speech-language pathology. She was Founding Chair in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology in the College of Health Professions at Sacred Heart Univers ...

, speech and language disorder researcher *

Timothy Lannon Timothy Ryan Lannon, S.J. was the 24th president of Creighton University from July 1, 2011 to January 20, 2015. He was previously the president of Saint Joseph's University. Biography Early life Timothy Ryan Lannon, S.J., is a native of Mason ...

, president of

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

* Theodore R. Sizer, dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education (1964-1972); headmaster,

Phillips Andover Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

(1972-1981); founder of the

Coalition of Essential Schools The Coalition of Essential Schools is a US organization created to further a type of whole-school reform originally envisioned by founder Ted Sizer in his book, ''Horace's Compromise.'' The group began in 1984 with twelve schools and grew to 600 ...

Annenberg Institute for School Reform The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University is an Educational research, education research and reform institute at Brown University. Its mission is to "understand the causes and consequences of educational inequality and to reduc ...

at Brown University, and

Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School The Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School (usually referred to as the Parker Charter School by the public, or simply Parker by students) is a public charter school in Devens, Massachusetts, United States that serves students in grades 7 t ...

; author of numerous books on public education reform *

Clint Smith Clinton James "Snuffy" Smith (December 12, 1913 – May 19, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and head coach best known for his time spent in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player with the New York Rangers and the Chic ...

, writer and educator * Sandra Sucher, business executive; professor, Harvard Business School *

William E. Trueheart William E. Trueheart (born July 10, 1942) is an American academic administrator and nonprofit CEO who served as president of Bryant University from 1989 to 1996. He was the first African American to lead a 4-year private college in New England. F ...

, president of Bryant University, nonprofit CEO *

Joan Wexler Joan Gottesman Wexler (born 1946) is an American attorney who is a former dean and president of Brooklyn Law School. She is also a former president of the Federal Bar Council. Education Wexler attended Cornell University, (B.S., 1968), Harvard ...

, dean and president of

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

Peggy R. Williams Peggy Ryan Williams was the president of Ithaca College from 1997 until 2008. Williams assumed the presidency of Ithaca College on July 1, 1997. She is the College's seventh president and its first female president. Williams came to Ithaca from Lyn ...

, former president of

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

Frank H. Wu Frank H. Wu () is president of Queens College, City University of New York. He is an American law professor and author who served as the William L. Prosser Distinguished Professor at UC Hastings. He previously served as Chancellor & Dean, rece ...

, president of

Queens College, City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body ...

* Zahia Marzouk, an Egyptian social worker and feminist who founded Egypt's first family planning association

References

External links

Official Web Site

{{coord, 42.37542, N, 71.12177, W, source:placeopedia, display=title 1920 establishments in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1920

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

Schools of education in Massachusetts Universities and colleges in Cambridge, Massachusetts University subdivisions in Massachusetts