University of Pittsburgh
January 29, 2009

Pitt Learning Policy Center to Present a Lecture Feb. 12 by Michael Cohen, a Nationally Recognized Leader in Education Policy and Reform

The talk, titled "Improving Postsecondary Education: Lessons From the American Diploma Project Network," is part of LPC's colloquium series
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PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh's Learning Policy Center (LPC) will present a lecture by Michael Cohen, president of Achieve Inc., from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Feb. 12 in 5604 Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St., Oakland. The lecture, "Improving Postsecondary Education: Lessons From the American Diploma Project Network," is part of LPC's 2008-09 colloquium series, Excellence and Equity in an Era of Accountability.

Since 2003, Cohen has served as president of Achieve, a nonprofit education reform organization. Under Cohen's leadership, Achieve created the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network in 2005 to better prepare students for college and the working world. Cohen's lecture will provide an overview of the ADP policy agenda and focus on the design and implementation challenges of those policies. In 2006, "Education Week" ranked Achieve 7th among the most influential education policy organizations in the nation."Education Week" also recognized Achieve's report, "Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma That Counts," among the most influential research studies of the past decade. The report used statistical analysis of employment data and research to discover that high schools were not preparing students for the academic demands of colleges and employers.

Prior to his work with Achieve, Cohen held several senior education positions in the Clinton Administration, among them, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, special assistant to the president for education policy at the White House, and senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. He also led the administration's effort in Goals 2000, the first substantial federal initiative to support state-led, standards-based education reform.

The LPC's colloquium series aims to facilitate an informed discussion among researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and university students, faculty, and staff around current national and local education policy issues. The lectures are free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. To RSVP, visit www.learningpolicycenter.org or contact Julia Kaufman at lpc@pitt.edu.

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