AERA Past President William Cooley Dies at 94
AERA Past President William Cooley Dies at 94
 
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July 2024

AERA Past President (1982–1983) William W. Cooley died on July 14 at the age of 94 (1930–2024). He was a professor emeritus at the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Cooley was an innovator in educational evaluation and quantitative methods, and a leading expert on state educational policy, with a strong focus on how to improve schools and address inequities brought about by school financing models.

Cooley authored or coauthored five books, including Multivariate Data Analysis, Decision-Oriented Educational Research, and Evaluation Research in Education: Theory, Principles, and Practice; more than 20 book chapters; and more than 100 journal articles.

Prior to his academic career, Cooley spent three years teaching high school chemistry and physics, and through that experience began thinking about how schools might operate better. He completed his Ed.D. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1958 and served on the faculty for seven years, teaching computer applications and statistical methods.

He moved to the University of Pittsburgh to take the position of director of Project TALENT, a leading national longitudinal study of high school students. He later directed the high-profile Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at Pitt for eight years, followed by another 11 years as director of evaluation research at LRDC. He also served at Pitt as the director of the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Studies (PEPS) as well as continuing in his role as a professor in the School of Education. Through PEPS, he published over 20 white papers designed to inform policymakers and practitioners. He retired from the university in 1998.

In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of AERA Fellows. Cooley’s Presidential Address, titled “Improving the Performance of an Educational System,” examined how decision-oriented inquiry could make research directly relevant to practitioners and stimulate scholars engaged in a wide range of forms of research.   

“We mourn the passing of AERA Past President Cooley, whose vision, leadership, and scholarly rigor inspired innovation and high-quality work in education research. Just knowing of his leadership of Project TALENT and his impact at the LRDC is quite remarkable,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “His service to the field cannot be overstated.”

Cooley earned his bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University and master’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

Highlights asked several education research leaders for brief comments on Cooley and his legacy. Their responses follow.   

“Bill Cooley’s contributions to our field were many, rigorous, and lasting. His work on longitudinal studies of educational effects has influenced us all. AERA has lost a wonderful scholar.”—1985–86 AERA President David C. Berliner, Regents’ Professor of Education Emeritus, Arizona State University

“Bill Cooley will long be remembered for his numerous contributions to statistical methods for education research as well as his leadership of project Talent, the largest national longitudinal study of high school students ever assembled, and his ground-breaking leadership of LRDC.”—George Bohrnstedt, Senior Vice President and Institute Fellow, American Institutes for Research

“I was saddened to learn of Bill passing away. My mind flashed to the heyday of LRDC and Bill’s leadership of the federally sponsored center. His work in the multivariate analysis of education data made these statistical techniques widely available to the research community. Bill was special and will be missed. A giant has passed on.”—1987-1988 AERA President Richard J. Shavelson, professor emeritus, Stanford University