Mindset Knowledge Forum Technical Panel

Geoffrey Cohen is Professor of Psychology and the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business at Stanford University. Dr. Cohen’s research examines processes related to identity maintenance and their implications for social problems. One primary aim of his research is the development of theory-driven, rigorously tested intervention strategies that further our understanding of the processes underpinning social problems and that offer solutions to alleviate them. One reason for his interest in intervention is his belief that a useful way to understand psychological processes and social systems is to try to change them. Dr. Cohen is also interested in how and when seemingly brief interventions, attuned to underlying psychological processes, produce large and long-lasting psychological and behavioral change. Much of his research is focused on the effects of group identity on achievement, with a focus on under-performance and racial and gender achievement gaps. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, and The Guardian.

Robert Crosnoe is Chair and Professor of Sociology, and the Rapoport Centennial Professor & Department Chair at the University of Texas at Austin. His main area of research is the life course and human development; specifically, the connections among children’s and adolescents’ health, psychosocial development, and educational trajectories and how these connections contribute to population-level inequalities (e.g., race, social class, immigration). His research has been supported by several current or past grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as well as from the William T. Grant Scholars Program and the Foundation for Child Development Changing Faces of American Children Scholars Program. Dr. Crosnoe is also a member of several research groups, including the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, the Collaborative on the Analysis of Pathways from Childhood to Adulthood, and the Institute of Medicine Study Group on Young Adult Health and Safety. Dr. Crosnoe’s research has been featured in The New York Times, CBS News, CNN, Time, Education Week, and Inside Higher Ed.

Carol Dweck is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading researchers on motivation and mindsets. Her work focuses on why people succeed and how it is possible to foster their success. In the context of education, Dr. Dweck has sought to understand why some students give up in the face of failure, while others thrive. Over the past three decades, her research has shown that the way students think about intelligence and their ability affects their motivation and achievement in school. Moreover, this work has demonstrated that it is possible to change students’ mindsets in ways that have a lasting impact on their academic trajectories. She has lectured on the importance of mindsets all over the world and won numerous awards for her scholarship. Dr. Dweck has over 100 publications, including several books and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, and she has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, 20/20, and National Public Radio.

Bridget Terry Long is Academic Dean and the Saris Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is an economist who specializes in the study of education, in particular the transition from high school to higher education and beyond.  Her work focuses on college student access and choice and the factors that influence students’ postsecondary and labor market outcomes. Current projects examine the roles of information and assistance in college savings, the completion of aid applications, and college enrollment. Her other work examines the effects of financial aid programs, the impact of postsecondary remediation, and the role of faculty, class size, and support programs on student outcomes.  She has served as an advisor to many organizations, including the College Board, Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, Ohio Board of Regents, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and I Have a Dream Foundation, and American Council on Education. Her research has been featured in The Atlantic, Inside Higher Ed, The New York Times, Washington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, and US News & World Report.