Sharon Lynn Kagan, Ed.D.
Sharon Lynn Kagan is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Professor Adjunct at Yale University’s Child Study Center. Recognized internationally and nationally for her accomplishments related to the care and education of young children, Kagan is a prolific public speaker, author of 300 articles and 14 books, a member of over 30 national boards or panels. Kagan’s academic background is enriched with experience as a Head Start teacher, Director, public school administrator, and Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Early Childhood Education. Her policy work has been honed by experiences in the US Senate and in work with 90 national governments around the world, including consultancies in Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States and throughout central and western Europe.
Recipient of international and national honorary doctoral degrees, Dr. Kagan is Past President of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and a Past President of Family Support America. She has served as Chair of the National Education Goals Panel Technical Planning Group for Goal One; a member of the Clinton Education Transition Team; a Distinguished Fellow for the Education Commission of the States; and a member of numerous National Academy of Sciences, foundation, and administration panels. She was made a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 2010, elected to membership in the National Academy of Education in 2012, and awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2016 (Tajikistan). She is the only woman in the history of American Education to receive its three most prestigious awards: the 2004 Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the 2005 James Bryant Conant Award for Lifetime Service to Education from the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education.