Susan H. Fuhrman

Professional Background
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Professional Background

Educational Background

Dr. Fuhrman earned a B.A. in History, with highest honors, from Northwestern University in 1965; an M.A. in History from Northwestern University in 1966; and a Ph.D. in Political Economy from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1977. She wrote her dissertation at Teachers College on "The Classification of Roll Call Votes in New Jersey."

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Fuhrman's research interests include state policy design, accountability, deregulation, and intergovernmental relationships. She has also conducted research on state education reform, state-local relationships, state differential treatment of districts, federalism in education, incentives and systemic reform, and legislatures and education policy. She leads and conducts research through the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), which receives significant support from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation and private funding sources.

Selected Publications

Fuhrman, S., Cohen, D., & Mosher, F. (Eds.) (2007). The State of Education Policy Research. Routledge.

Fuhrman, S., & Lazerson, M. (Eds.) (2005). American institutions of democracy. The Institutions of American Democracy series. New York: Oxford University Press.

Fuhrman, S. (2004). "Less than meets the eye: Standards, testing and fear of federal control." In N. Epstein (Ed.), Who's in charge of the schools? The tangled web of education power and policy. Denver andWashington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Elmore, R. & Fuhrman, S. (Eds.). (2004). Redesigning accountability. New York: Teachers College Press.

Fuhrman, S. (2003). "Riding waves, trading horses. The twenty-year effort to reform education." In D.T. Gordon (Ed.), A nation reformed? American education 20 years after A Nation At Risk (pp. 7-22).Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Fuhrman, S. (2003). Redesigning accountability systems in education. CPRE Policy Briefs. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education.

Fuhrman, S. (Ed.). (2001). From the Capitol to the classroom: Standards-based reform in the States, One hundredth yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago: University of ChicagoPress.

Carr, M. & Fuhrman, S. (1999). "The politics of school finance." In Making Money Matter: Equity and Adequacy in Education Finance. National Academy of Sciences Press.

Fuhrman, S. & O'Day, J. (Eds.). (1996). Rewards and reform: Creating educational incentives that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

biographical information

Dr. Susan H. Fuhrman is the President of Teachers College, Columbia University, founding Director and Chair of the Management Committee of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), and President-elect of the National Academy of Education. In January 2009, she was named co-chair of a new Roundtable on Education Systems and Accountability (RESA), established at the request of the U.S. Department of Education by the National Research Council’s Board on Testing and Assessment.

Dr. Fuhrman previously served as Dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, as well as the school’s George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and a Ph.D. in political science and education from Columbia University, New York. She has written widely on education policy and finance; among her edited books are The State of Education Policy Research (with David K. Cohen and Fritz Mosher, 2007); The Public Schools (The Institutions of American Democracy Series, with Marvin Lazerson, 2005); Redesigning Accountability Systems for Education (with Richard Elmore, 2004); From the Capitol to the Classroom: Standards-Based Reform in the States (2001); and Rewards and Reform: Creating Educational Incentives that Work (with Jennifer O’Day, 1996). Her many professional involvements include membership on the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In October 2008, she became President-elect of the National Academy of Education. She is also a former Vice President of the American Educational Research Association, and a non-executive Director of Pearson plc, the international education and publishing company. Her research interests include accountability in education, intergovernmental relationships, and standards-based reform.

In 2007, Crain’s New York Business named Dr. Fuhrman one of the 100 most influential women in business in New York City.

In March 2008, Dr. Fuhrman was one of five women honored by New York City Comptroller William Thompson at an event co-sponsored by the Women’s City Club of New York and the League of Women Voters as part of Women’s History Month. Dr. Fuhrman was recognized for her expertise in her field; the respect accorded her by her peers and colleagues; her commitment to serving others; and her demonstrated commitment to making New York City a more vibrant, inclusive and healthy place to live.

Dr. Fuhrman has also received the 2008 Distinguished Leaders in Education Award from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

In fall 2008, Dr. Fuhrman became NAE President-elect, and will begin her four-year term as President of the organization in fall 2009. She was first elected an NAE member in 2002, and became Secretary-Treasurer in 2005. Founded in 1965, NAEd advances the highest quality education research and its use in policy formation and practice.

active professional organizations

Dr. Susan H. Fuhrman is the President of Teachers College, Columbia University, founding Director and Chair of the Management Committee of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), and President of the National Academy of Education. She is a former Vice President of the American Educational Research Association as well as a former Trustee Board member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and a current non-executive Director of Pearson plc, the international education and publishing company.

honors and awards

Dr. Fuhrman has received the Ronald F. Campbell Award for a Distinguished Career of Scholarship and Action from the Politics of Education Association. She is a memberof the National Academy of Education, and was elected its Secretary-Treasurer in 2005.