# Edmund Gordon > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edmund_Gordon > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edmund_Gordon.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Gordon > Source revision: 1354061555 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American psychologist and educator (born 1921)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox scientist | honorific prefix = | name = Edmund Gordon | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Edmund Wyatt Gordon | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1921|6|13}} | birth_place = [Goldsboro, North Carolina](/source/Goldsboro%2C_North_Carolina), U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{marriage|Susan Gitt Gordon|1948|2016|end=died}} | children = 4 | relatives = [Jessica Gordon Nembhard](/source/Jessica_Gordon_Nembhard) (daughter) | notable_works = ''The Achievement Gap'' | awards = [American Educational Research Association](/source/American_Educational_Research_Association) Relating Research to Practice Award (2010) | fields = [Educational psychology](/source/Educational_psychology)
[Development psychology](/source/Development_psychology) | workplaces = {{Collapsible list | [Howard University](/source/Howard_University)
[American University](/source/The_American_University)
[Teachers College, Columbia University](/source/Teachers_College%2C_Columbia_University)
[Long Island University](/source/Long_Island_University)
[Albert Einstein College of Medicine](/source/Albert_Einstein_College_of_Medicine)
[Yeshiva University](/source/Yeshiva_University)
[Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University)
[Yale University](/source/Yale_University)
[University of Pittsburgh](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh)
[City University of New York](/source/City_University_of_New_York)
[Mount Holyoke College](/source/Mount_Holyoke_College)
[Bank Street College](/source/Bank_Street_College)
[Brown University](/source/Brown_University)
[City University of New York](/source/City_University_of_New_York)
[Rockland Community College](/source/Rockland_Community_College) }} | thesis_title = Toward meeting the mental health needs of underprivileged minority group children in the Harlem community of New York City | thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/301874897/ | thesis_year = 1958 | notable_students = [Ana Mari Cauce](/source/Ana_Mari_Cauce) | website = | education = {{plainlist| * [Howard University](/source/Howard_University) ([BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science), [BD](/source/Bachelor_of_Divinity)) * [American University](/source/American_University) ([MA](/source/Master_of_Arts)) * [Columbia University](/source/Teachers_College%2C_Columbia_University) ([EdD](/source/EdD)) }} }} '''Edmund Wyatt Gordon''' (born June 13, 1921) is an American psychologist and professor.{{cite book | last = Yeakey | first = Carol Camp | title = Edmund W. Gordon : producing knowledge, pursuing understanding | publisher = Jai Press | location = Stamford, Conn | year = 2000 | isbn = 978-0-7623-0428-8 }} Gordon was recognized as a preeminent scholar of [African-American studies](/source/Black_studies) when he was awarded the 2011 [John Hope Franklin](/source/John_Hope_Franklin) Award from ''Diverse Issues in Higher Education'' magazine at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the [American Council on Education](/source/American_Council_on_Education).{{cite web|url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/14859/|title = Edmund Gordon, Marian Wright Edelman to be Honored with John Hope Franklin Awards|date = March 6, 2011}}{{cite web |url=http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/cdf-in-the-news/press-releases/2011/marian-wright-edelman.html |title=Marian Wright Edelman receives Dr. John Hope Franklin Award |access-date=2011-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707104735/http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/cdf-in-the-news/press-releases/2011/marian-wright-edelman.html |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }} He cites Herbert G. Birch, [W. E. B. Du Bois](/source/W._E._B._Du_Bois), and [Alain LeRoy Locke](/source/Alain_LeRoy_Locke) as major influencers. ==Background== Gordon was born in 1921 in the segregated town of [Goldsboro, North Carolina](/source/Goldsboro%2C_North_Carolina).{{cite book|last=Jones-Wilson|first=Faustine Childress|title=Encyclopedia of African-American Education|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=031328931X|page=189}} His father emigrated from Jamaica and began to practice medicine when he married Gordon's mother, an elementary school teacher. While the town was heavily segregated and African Americans weren't allowed to shop alongside white Americans, the Gordon family was allowed to shop in a department store on Wednesday afternoons because of the strong reputation of Gordon's father.{{cite web |url=http://insidetheacademy.asu.edu/edmund-gordon-2 |title=Reflections on Edmund Gordon | Inside the Academy |access-date=2012-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107062716/http://insidetheacademy.asu.edu/edmund-gordon-2 |archive-date=2013-01-07 |url-status=dead }} Gordon's scholarship has focused on the development of students who were [African-American](/source/African_Americans), [ethnic minorities](/source/Minority_group), and of low [socioeconomic status](/source/socioeconomic_status) who triumphed over significant odds to become better achievers. He is widely known for his research on diverse human characteristics and [pedagogy](/source/pedagogy). His research includes the advancement of the concepts of "[the Achievement Gap](/source/Achievement_gaps_in_the_United_States)",{{cite web|url=https://www.kettering.org/file/2903|title=Dr. Edmund Gordon on the Causes of the Achievement Gap|work=Kettering Foundation|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209195719/https://www.kettering.org/file/2903|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/49346/|title = Dr. Edmund W. Gordon Battles to Eradicate Achievement Gap|date = November 7, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://thedailytexan.com/2020/02/20/psychologist-edmund-w-gordon-speaks-about-academic-achievement-gap/|title = Psychologist Edmund W. Gordon speaks about academic achievement gap|work=The Daily Texan|first=Sanjna|last=Reddy|date=February 20, 2020|access-date=July 21, 2025}} "Affirmative development of academic ability", and "Supplementary Education", all which focus on improving the quality of academic achievement in diverse learners. His publications consist of more than 200 articles and 18 books and monographs.{{cite web|url = https://education.asu.edu/inside-the-academy-of-education/honorees/edmund-gordon|title = Edmund Gordon|work = Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College|date = November 27, 2018|access-date = February 5, 2021|archive-date = February 13, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210213193802/https://education.asu.edu/inside-the-academy-of-education/honorees/edmund-gordon|url-status = live}} In a ''[New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'' article about Gordon's personal life and professional contributions, Gordon cites [Alain LeRoy Locke](/source/Alain_LeRoy_Locke), Herbert G. Birch, and [W. E. B. Du Bois](/source/W._E._B._Du_Bois) as the mentors that influenced him throughout his studies. Gordon was struggling to succeed at [Howard University](/source/Howard_University) when Locke helped to encourage him and keep him on track. Gordon has stated that Locke set him on the course of serious scholarship. Next, he discussed his interaction with Birch, a research psychologist at City College. Birch encouraged Gordon to go to the library and read. Finally, Gordon describes his mentorship with W. E. B. Du Bois, a world-renowned author, activist, and co-founder of the NAACP. Du Bois suggested that Gordon study the percentage of minority students that succeed despite serious challenges.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/08/nyregion/studying-race-privilege-and-intellectual-levels.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fT%2fTests%20and%20Testing/|title=Studying Race, Privilege and Intellectual Levels|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 8, 2003|last1=Gross|first1=Jane|archive-date=March 5, 2016|access-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305071846/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/08/nyregion/studying-race-privilege-and-intellectual-levels.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/T/Tests%20and%20Testing/|url-status=live}} ==Professional life== Edmund Gordon was working at [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) with colleagues who were involved in John F. Kennedy's beginnings of social change. Soon afterwards, Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon Johnson became president. Gordon was given the job of evaluating the Head Start program. He stated that getting this job had as much to do with his doctoral studies as it did affirmative action. Gordon has stated that, while he believes Head Start has been a success from a government standpoint, the program could have been much more than it is today. He and his colleagues viewed the project as not only a child development project, but also a project to influence and improve the lives of families and communities. The latter part of Gordon's dreams for Head Start have not come about, but he still believes the overall program has been a success.{{cite journal |url=https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/11/head-start |title=The man who gave Head Start a start |journal=[Monitor on Psychology](/source/Monitor_on_Psychology) |date=November 2011 |volume=42 |issue=10 |publisher=[American Psychological Association](/source/American_Psychological_Association) (APA) |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |access-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212182711/https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/11/head-start |url-status=live }} Gordon received his bachelor's degree in [Zoology](/source/Zoology) and Social Ethics in Divinity from [Howard University](/source/Howard_University), a [Master of Arts](/source/Master_of_Arts) degree in [Social Psychology](/source/Social_psychology) from [American University](/source/American_University), and the [Doctor of Education](/source/Doctor_of_Education) degree in child development and guidance from [Teachers College, Columbia University](/source/Teachers_College%2C_Columbia_University). He was also awarded the [Masters of Arts](/source/Master_of_Arts) degree (honorary) from [Yale University](/source/Yale_University) and the [Doctor of Humane Letters](/source/Doctor_of_Humane_Letters) degree (honorary) from [Yeshiva University](/source/Yeshiva_University) and [Brown University](/source/Brown_University).{{cite web |url=http://www.gse.uci.edu/csu-uci-edd/forms/Gordon_bio.pdf |title=University of California - Edmund W. Gordon Biography |access-date=2012-01-20 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120120054457/http://www.gse.uci.edu/csu-uci-edd/forms/Gordon_bio.pdf |archive-date=2012-01-20 |url-status=dead }} From July 2000 until August 2001, Gordon was Vice President of Academic Affairs and Interim Dean at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology Emeritus at [Yale University](/source/Yale_University), the Richard March Hoe Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and founding director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education{{cite web |url=https://iume.tc.columbia.edu/ |title=Home |website=iume.tc.columbia.edu}} and the Institute for Research on African Diaspora in the Americas and Caribbean (IRADAC){{cite web|url=https://www.gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Centers-and-Institutes/Institute-for-Research-on-the-African-Diaspora-in-the-Americas-the-Caribbean-(IRADAC)#:~:text=The%20Institute%20for%20Research%20on,well%20as%20the%20academic%20community.|title=Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC)|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128162720/https://gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Centers-and-Institutes/Institute-for-Research-on-the-African-Diaspora-in-the-Americas-the-Caribbean-(IRADAC)#:~:text=The%20Institute%20for%20Research%20on,well%20as%20the%20academic%20community.|url-status=live}} at the [City College of New York](/source/City_College_of_New_York).{{cite web |url=http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/CCNY-Hosts-Tenth-Annual-LSAMP-Conference.cfm |title=The City College of New York :: CCNY Hosts Tenth Annual LSAMP Conference |access-date=November 4, 2011 |archive-date=May 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503021620/http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/CCNY-Hosts-Tenth-Annual-LSAMP-Conference.cfm |url-status=dead }} In 2006, Gordon was appointed Senior Scholar in Residence at [SUNY](/source/SUNY) [Rockland Community College](/source/Rockland_Community_College), an appointment that was renewed in 2010.{{cite web|url = https://patch.com/new-york/newcity/rcc-re-appoints-scholar-in-residence|title = RCC Re-Appoints Scholar-In-Residence|date = June 30, 2010|access-date = February 5, 2021|archive-date = February 17, 2025|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250217152323/https://patch.com/new-york/newcity/rcc-re-appoints-scholar-in-residence|url-status = live}} In 2003, [Educational Testing Service](/source/Educational_Testing_Service) endowed a chair in Gordon's honor.{{cite web|url=https://www.ets.org/research/chairs|title=Research Chairs: ETS R&D|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115153243/https://www.ets.org/research/chairs|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2004/march/ets-creates-edmund-w-gordon-chair-for-policy-evaluation-and/|title=ETS Creates Edmund W. Gordon Chair for Policy Evaluation and Research|website=Teachers College - Columbia University|accessdate=January 3, 2024}} Gordon was elected member of the [National Academy of Education](/source/National_Academy_of_Education) in 1968. In 2005, Columbia University named its campus in [Harlem](/source/Harlem), NY, the Edmund W. Gordon Campus of [Teachers College, Columbia University](/source/Teachers_College%2C_Columbia_University).{{Cite news|url=https://naeducation.org/our-members/edmund-gordon/|title = Edmund Gordon - National Academy of Education|newspaper = National Academy of Education}} On June 28, 2010, Gordon was the recipient of the 2010 [American Educational Research Association](/source/American_Educational_Research_Association) (AERA) "Relating Research to Practice Award".{{cite web|url=https://www.aera.net/About-AERA/Awards/Relating-Research-to-Practice-Award|title=Relating Research to Practice Award|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119214250/https://www.aera.net/About-AERA/Awards/Relating-Research-to-Practice-Award|url-status=live}} THe served as chairperson of the Gordon Commission with [Educational Testing Service](/source/Educational_Testing_Service) from 2011 through the publication of its [https://www.ets.org/research/policy_research_reports/gordon_commission?WT.ac=research_policyresearchreports_gordoncommission_180223 reports] in 2013.{{cite web|url=https://fabbs.org/our_scientists/edmund-w-gordon-edd/|title = Edmund W. Gordon, EdD – FABBS| date=August 30, 2016 }} On December 15, 2014, The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System approved the honorific naming of the newly renovated and expanded Geography Building as the Susan G. and Edmund W. Gordon & Charles W. and Frances B. White Building, now referred to as the [https://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/gwb.html Gordon-White Building].[https://www.utsystem.edu/sites/utsfiles/offices/board-of-regents/board-meetings/board-minutes/12-2014meeting1129.pdf Meeting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092857/http://www.utsystem.edu/sites/utsfiles/offices/board-of-regents/board-meetings/board-minutes/12-2014meeting1129.pdf |date=March 4, 2016 }} utsystem.edu In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the [American Academy of Arts and Sciences](/source/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences).{{cite web|url=https://news.yale.edu/2017/04/11/five-professors-elected-american-academy-arts-and-sciences|title=Five professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences|website=Yale News|date=April 11, 2017|access-date=2017-04-18|archive-date=October 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017203520/https://news.yale.edu/2017/04/11/five-professors-elected-american-academy-arts-and-sciences|url-status=live}} In 2019, Gordon hosted the ''Human Variance and Assessment for Learning: Implications for Diverse Learners of STEM'' national conference at [Teachers College, Columbia University](/source/Teachers_College%2C_Columbia_University), convening scholars, policymakers, school principals, and students together to discuss selected models of measurement for the implementation of new ways of generating and utilizing data from assessments.{{Cite web|url=https://cadrek12.org/projects/human-variance-and-assessment-learning-implications-diverse-learners-stem-national|title=Human Variance and Assessment for Learning Implications for Diverse Learners of STEM: A National Conference | CADRE|website=cadrek12.org|accessdate=January 3, 2024}} Archives have been established to catalogue Gordon's publishing and community engagement at the [Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture](/source/Schomburg_Center_for_Research_in_Black_Culture){{cite web |url=https://archives.nypl.org/scm/21016 |title=Edmund W. Gordon papers |publisher=[The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts](/source/The_New_York_Public_Library_Archives_%26_Manuscripts) |date=1999-02-22 |accessdate=2022-08-09}} in 1990 and at the [University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin) in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.lib.utexas.edu/events/134|title=Life, Leadership, and Learning: From the Archive of Edmund W. Gordon | University of Texas Libraries | the University of Texas at Austin|access-date=February 5, 2021|archive-date=March 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306181155/https://www.lib.utexas.edu/events/134|url-status=live}} In April 2021, Gordon was named Honorary President of the [American Educational Research Association](/source/American_Educational_Research_Association) (AERA), the first person to receive this recognition in the organization's history.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aera.net/Newsroom/AERA-Highlights-E-newsletter/AERA-Highlights-April-2021/Preeminent-Scholar-Edmund-Gordon-Named-AERA-Honorary-President|title=Preeminent Scholar Edmund Gordon Named AERA Honorary President|website=www.aera.net|access-date=January 3, 2024|archive-date=October 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004192048/https://www.aera.net/Newsroom/AERA-Highlights-E-newsletter/AERA-Highlights-April-2021/Preeminent-Scholar-Edmund-Gordon-Named-AERA-Honorary-President|url-status=live}} On May 6, 2024, Rockland Community College board passed a motion 6-0 to renamed the Ellipse as Dr. Edmund W. Gordon Room{{Cite web |url=https://sunyrockland.edu/about/board-of-trustees/bot-resolutions/bot-resolutions-2024/ |title=Approval to Name the Ellipse in Honor of Dr. Edmund W. Gordon |access-date=April 14, 2025 |archive-date=May 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516112944/https://sunyrockland.edu/about/board-of-trustees/bot-resolutions/bot-resolutions-2024/ |url-status=live }} ==Personal life== Gordon purchased the homesite of W. E. B. Du Bois's childhood house in 1967. It was turned into a landmark in 1987 when the Du Bois foundation handed it over to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts Amherst was designated as custodian.{{Cite web |title=W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite – Du Bois National Historic Site |url=https://www.duboisnhs.org/w-e-b-du-bois-homesite/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |language=en-US}} Gordon was married to Susan Gitt, a pediatrician, from 1948 until her death in 2016. Together they had four children (including [Jessica Gordon Nembhard](/source/Jessica_Gordon_Nembhard){{cite web |last1=Tucker |first1=Eric |title=Celebrating Edmund W. Gordon |url=https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/06/13/celebrating-edmund-w-gordon/ |website=Getting Smart |date=13 June 2021}}), nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In 2000, they co-founded The CEJJES Institute in [Pomona, New York](/source/Pomona%2C_New_York), on route [NY 45](/source/New_York_State_Route_45) in [Rockland County](/source/Rockland_County%2C_New_York), New York, to serve the [African diaspora](/source/African_diaspora). Gordon [turned 100](/source/centenarian) in 2021.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/06/13/edmund-gordon-education-100-years-old/ |title=At 100 years old, Edmund Gordon thinks the key to schooling starts at home |date=2021-06-13|access-date=2025-07-21 |first=Laura|last=Meckler |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}} ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == *[https://archives.nypl.org/scm/21016 Edmund W. Gordon papers, 1957-1990] Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library. *[https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utlac/00478/lac-00478.html Edmund W. Gordon papers] Benson Latin American Collection, UT Austin. {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Edmund W.}} Category:1921 births Category:20th-century American psychologists Category:21st-century American psychologists Category:African-American centenarians Category:African-American psychologists Category:American men centenarians Category:American University alumni Category:Columbia University faculty Category:Living people Category:People from Goldsboro, North Carolina Category:Rockland Community College faculty Category:Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Category:Yale University faculty --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edmund Gordon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Gordon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Gordon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.