Lora Cohen-Vogel

Lora Cohen-Vogel is the Frank A. Daniel Jr. Distinguished Professor at the UNC School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on domestic education policy, particularly improving outcomes for underserved students through engaged partnerships with school districts. She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. in Psychology from Colgate University.

Her research emphasizes policy development and implementation, with a focus on early childhood education, school leadership, and equitable scaling of effective practices. Current projects include a $5.7M U.S. Department of Education initiative with Pitt County Schools, a $4.5M IES-funded Early Learning Network Project, and collaborations with ncIMPACT and myFutureNC. She co-authored the influential 2022 NASEM Report on the Future of Educational Research, which was adopted into federal law.

Cohen-Vogel’s work bridges academia and practice, serving as Vice President of the American Educational Research Association and President of the Politics of Education Association. Her funded research exceeds $30M across multiple initiatives, addressing pre-K to elementary education, principal leadership, and systemic inequities. She actively advises policymakers and leads efforts to transform educational research into actionable strategies for equity and improvement.