Eric J. Cooper

Dr. Eric J. Cooper is an educator, advocate, and reformer with a career focused on educational equity. Cooper is the president and founder of the National Urban Alliance, a nonprofit professional development organization established at Teachers College in partnership with the College Board. The organization provides student-focused professional development, advocacy, and organizational guidance to support student achievement, particularly for students of color.

Cooper’s career includes leadership roles at major educational institutions. Before leading the National Urban Alliance, he served as vice president for inservice training and telecommunications for the Simon & Schuster Education Group. He has also worked as associate director of research and program development for the College Board, administrative assistant in the Office of Curriculum for Boston Public Schools, and director of a treatment center for emotionally disturbed students. His experience extends to teaching, research, counseling, and serving as a Washington Fellow. Cooper holds a doctorate from Columbia University, a Master of Arts from Teachers College at Columbia University, and an undergraduate degree from the City University of New York.

Cooper has produced television documentaries and training programs focused on improving literacy skills among students, supported by a $400,000 award from the MacArthur Foundation. He played a key role in securing funding for school reform initiatives, including a $16 million federal grant with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a $14 million Federal Striving Readers Grant with Newark Public Schools, and a $250,000 grant from the artist Prince for the PBS documentary Listen to the Children. Cooper has spoken at the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival alongside national leaders.

As an author, Cooper has contributed to the field of literacy and urban education with works including "Teaching All the Children: Strategies for Developing Literacy in an Urban Setting," "Educating Black Children: America's Challenge," "It Begins with Belief: Social Demography is Not Destiny," and "Addressing Urban School Reform: Issues and Alliances." He wrote the foreword to "Equitable Literacy Instruction for Students in Poverty," a publication that brings together research and strategies for supporting literacy development among students living in poverty. Cooper is co-founder of the Urban Partnership for Literacy with the International Reading Association and collaborates with the Council of Great City Schools.

Cooper has received recognition for his contributions to education, including the Martin Luther King Jr. award from the Israeli Consulate of New York City, the Jewish National Fund, and the Jewish Federation of Stamford. He was the first educator and the first person in Connecticut to receive this award from Israel. Cooper has been nominated for Secretary of Education by a coalition of education leaders. His op-eds have appeared in Education Week, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been interviewed for NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates, and featured on CNN, NPR, and BBC.