The Critical Friends support the Cognition Institute management team in strategic planning and guidance on what needs to be done to fulfil its vision mission and goals. The following people are part of the Cognition Institute Critical Friends;
Paul Goren, Lewis-Sebring director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute
Paul Goren served as senior vice president of The Spencer Foundation from 2001-2010 and as executive director of the Spencer Forum focusing on the dissemination of research to the policy and practice communities. Previously, Goren was the director of Child and Youth Development at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. A former middle-school teacher, Goren worked as executive director (assistant superintendent) for Policy and Strategic Services in the Minneapolis Public Schools from 1995-98 and as a policy analyst and educational researcher in the San Diego City Schools in the mid-1980s. He worked in and subsequently directed the education policy studies division of the National Governors' Association (NGA) in Washington, DC between 1991 and 1995.
Goren has written on professional development and public engagement for the NGA, served as chief accountability officer in the Minneapolis Schools where he helped develop capacity for data driven-decision making, and led the Spencer Foundation’s efforts to disseminate studies and findings to multiple audiences. Along with numerous presentations at philanthropic, practitioner, policy, and research forums, he served on the National Academy of Science task force on How People Learn. His writing includes commentaries for the National Society for the Study of Education yearbook on Developing the Teacher Workforce, and for Education Week on the relationship of foundations and philanthropy to school districts. Goren received the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in public policy through NZ Fulbright to study Maori education policy.
Goren serves on the board of TERC, a science and mathematics curriculum developer, and is on the executive committee of the Board of Y.O.U., a social service and support agency for students in the Evanston, IL public schools. He also serves on the Boards of the Donors Forum of Illinois and the national Grantmakers for Education organization.
Goren holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University, a master of public affairs degree from the LBJ School at the University of Texas, and a B.A. from Williams College.
Robyn Baker, NZCER
Robyn has been the director of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) since 2000. During this time she has built a coherent, dynamic research and development programme and has led NZCER’s thinking on future directions for research and innovative research based products and services. With a background in secondary school science teaching, teacher education and research, she has a depth of experience as well as a broad knowledge and strategic overview of the New Zealand education sector. She is a board member of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is Chair of the Education Committee for the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Mark Anderson, IBM New Zealand
Mark has over twenty-eight years of professional consulting experience. His most recent experience has been consulting with New Zealand Government, Education and Health Sector organisations. Prior to 2001 his experience included IBM international business management, customer relationship management, business intelligence solutions, telecommunications engineering and systems engineering. Including experience in business strategy, global product/solution management, knowledge management consulting, services business development and relationship management
Terry Bates, Cognition Education Limited
Terry Bates’ holds post-graduate degrees in Arts and Commerce from the University of Auckland. His career in education spans thirty years. In the early part of his career he worked as a teacher and middle manager in secondary schools. He was working for the PPTA at the critical transition of Tomorrows Schools and shortly thereafter moved to the Education Review Office where he worked as a senior review officer. Terry was a member of the ERO team that wrote the Review Office report on South Auckland schooling that led to a major programme of schooling improvement intervention in the area. As foundation principal he led the establishment of Southern Cross Campus in Mangere and then moved to the Ministry of Education managing the Otara schools’ work-streams in the SEMO project. He was then appointed as the Ministry’s regional manager for Auckland and Northland. Currently Terry is Deputy Chief Executive for Cognition Education.
