Faculty and Staff

Jody Cohen, Ph.D.

Jody’s background is in the area of literacy: She holds a Ph.D. in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and an M.A. in Writing from Brown University. Before coming to Bryn Mawr/Haverford, Jody co-founded the Philadelphia-based action research organization, Research for Action, where she worked with students, parents, and educators to gather and analyze data with the goal of designing and implementing school change. Jody has continued her interest in school reform, particularly in urban settings, at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, where she is a Senior Lecturer in the Education Program. Her courses include Schools in American Cities, Multicultural Education, Literacies and Education, and Critical Issues in Education.

Also at Bryn Mawr, Jody regularly teaches entering freshwomen in the Emily Balch Seminar Program, where her courses focus on urban life and diversity. She is on the Steering Committee of both the Balch Program and the Praxis Program, which promotes community-based learning at the College. Jody has served since 2002 as a Mentor with the Posse Program, a nationally-based program that supports young leaders with full-tuition scholarships as part of a mission to “redefine college access, merit, diversity and leadership” (http://www.possefoundation.org/).

Her research interests focus on the perspectives and roles of students and teachers in schooling and school change, particularly in urban settings, and on how college students deal with issues of diversity in the classroom. She engages students at the secondary and college levels as co-researchers of education and co-authors. She has also collaborated with colleagues and students to conduct research on several initiatives at the College.