Dr. Edmund Wyatt Gordon
Celebrating One of America's Foremost Scholars
Dr. Gordon (born June 13, 1921) is a phychologist and educator; a preeminent scholar ofAfrican-American studies. He is an American University (AU)alum of the School of Public Affairs (MA, '50), and current Scholar-in-Residence at AU's School of Education (SOE)where, in 2021, hismomentous body of work resulted in himbecoming the eponym of the signature event of the school's annual Summer Institute on Education, Equity, and Justice (SIEEJ), the Dr. Edmund Gordon Distinguished Lecture Series.National scholars participate in SIEEJ and deliverkeynote addresses acknowledgingGordon's impact and legacy in the field of education.SOE Dean Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, creator of SIEEJ, calls Dr. Gordon an "icon, a trailblazer, and an American hero."
Dr. Gordon's early work (heturned 100 in June of 2021)included being tapped by President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve as an architect of the federal Head Start program, one of the most successful and effective of the federal government’s experiments on poverty. He is one of just a few scholars to occupy endowed professorships at two Ivy League universities and has held appointments at several prestigious institutions, including Howard, Yeshiva, Columbia, City University of New York, and Yale.In 2021, at least a dozen educational institutions across the country, including the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, NYU, Morehouse College, and University of Texas at Austin are celebrating Dr. Gordon’s contributions to the field with lectures and events. (Crockett)
Also in 2021,Gordon was named Honorary President of theAmerican Educational Research Association(AERA) -the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning -the first person to receive this recognition in the organization's history. ()
He received AU’s Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award in 2019. During the awards ceremony, Dr. Gordon reflected on his time at AU, saying “My privilege of being both admitted to American [University] 78 years ago and all of the other things that I have benefited from are rare in our society.” He went on to discuss his belief in the importance of universal access to education and the appropriate use of measurement science in education, saying “If we’re going to invest…in measuring people’s abilities, we ought to invest at least as much or more in developing those abilities.” (Crockett)
SIEEJ Director Dr. Antonio Ellis said, "Dr. Gordonhas transformed the fields of education research, practice, and policy through his pioneering scholarship on gaps in education opportunities and support for children of color and low-income students. As an emerging scholar, I look to Dr. Gordon and his extensive body of work for inspiration, guidance, and hope for the future. I am honored to share space with him in the academy and education community."
