Jeffrey Young

Jeffrey M. Young is a Professor of Practice in Education Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. He serves as Director of TC's Programs in Education Leadership and is Co-Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program (UELP), an Ed.D. program for mid-career professionals. Dr. Young is also a core faculty member of the Cahn Fellows, a TC professional development program for exemplary school principals in six cities across the country.

Before joining the faculty at TC, Dr. Young served as Superintendent of Schools in Cambridge, MA from 2009 through 2016, following terms as Superintendent in Newton, Lexington and Lynnfield, MA. He began his career in education as an English teacher, Department Chair, and Curriculum Coordinator in Brookline, MA. Dr. Young was a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Boston University School of Education and has delivered talks at various institutions of higher learning as well as at the International Education Conference in Beijing, China. Among his distinctions, he has been recognized by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents with the President’s Award; Brandeis University with the Levitan Award for Leadership; and the Cambridge NAACP with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for his work “to provide an effective, innovative education to ALL of Cambridge’s children regardless of race or class.” Dr. Young received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, a Masters Degree in Education from Tufts University, and a Doctorate in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Young struggles with the complexity of being a Boston Red Sox fan while residing in New York City.

Educational Background

• Ed.D., Administration, Planning and Social Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• M.A., Education, Tufts University
• B.A., English and American Literature, Brandeis University

Scholarly Interests

Leadership; education policy and governance; K-12 education; social justice and academic excellence in public schools