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Lee Shulman Obituary
Born in Chicago in 1938 to Jewish immigrant parents, Shulman grew up with a deep appreciation for both academic learning and the life lessons imparted by his family's small delicatessen. He earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Chicago and went on to have a remarkable career. Dr. Shulman established the Institute for Research on Teaching at Michigan State University and later became a professor at Stanford University, where he helped create the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
In 1996, Dr. Shulman became the 8th president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he led efforts to study professional education in fields such as law, medicine, and nursing alongside teaching. He was a trusted advisor to the Mandel Foundation in Jerusalem and dedicated much of his life to improving Jewish education. Dr. Shulman's academic influence was recognized with numerous awards, including being named president of the American Educational Research Foundation, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and receiving the prestigious Graymeyer Award in Education.
Dr. Shulman is survived by his children, Allen (nee Debby Dresner), Dina, and Dan (nee Lisa Weingarten), as well as five grandchildren, Joey (nee Leila Gorstein), Jordy, Becky, Sarah, Sam (nee Julie Touger) and his great-granddaughter, Norah. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy, a fellow collaborator and partner in his work.
A graveside memorial service was held in Palo Alto, California, and donations in his honor may be made to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society or the Camp Ramah Tikvah Program in Ojai, California. His legacy of intellectual leadership, compassion, and dedication will continue to inspire generations of educators.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Dr Yaniv G.
January 8, 2025
Prof. Lee Shulman was a guiding light for countless educators and teachers in Israel.
His profound wisdom and groundbreaking contributions shaped my professional growth in meaningful ways.
His insights will forever remain a lasting and inspiring legacy
Baruch Dayan HaEmet -
Dr. Yaniv G., Israel
Kelly Vaughn
January 8, 2025
I sent this note to Lee right after I was appointed Dean, which sums up his legacy to me at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:
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Hi Lee,
I worked at Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching during your tenure in 2005-2008 as a research assistant to the advisors Liping Ma and Laura Jones. Of the times I worked as research assistant, my favorite time was working at your institution under your presidency. You brought humanity, authentic collaboration, spellbinding stories, and food (very generous with the food!) that resonated with me to this day.
As I embark on a new tenure of educational leadership, I wanted to say thank you. If you are ever available to talk, I would love to just sit down with you and once again learn from your experience, your stories, and incredible insight and wisdom.
With blessing, Kelly
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I was hoping for one more conversation with Lee, but am grateful for the time and influence he had on all of us at CFAT.
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Richard Gale
January 6, 2025
So sad to hear of Lee's passing, and so honored to have known him. Lee was a remarkable teacher, scholar, and mentor who engaged with our educational enterprise from a place of deep experience, dedication, and compassion. He was fond of quoting Sir Isaac Newton´s statement "if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" as a way of spurring on the curiosity, inquiry, and learning of those around him. Thanks to Lee, the world is filled with committed and caring scholars who daily strive "to seek a newer world" because they stand on his shoulders, and see visions of the possible.
Richard Gale
Pat Hutchings
January 6, 2025
I worked with Lee at the Carnegie Foundation for a dozen years and saw first-hand his amazing ability to rethink what education might look like and how it might be improved.
Like many others, I valued his intellectual and personal generosity, his sense of humor, his broad ranging interests, his energy, and his amazing capacity for telling just the right story at just the right time.
Pat Hutchings
Kathleen M. Quinlan, PhD Class of 1996 Stanford University School of Educat
January 4, 2025
To Lee's family, I offer my deepest condolences. I was one of the many doctoral students touched by him at Stanford University. I recall my first phone call with him in 1991 when he accepted me to study under him as an advisor and ensured I was able to visit campus before choosing where to study my PhD. I was so fortunate he saw my potential and offered me rich opportunities to develop it, such as researching peer review of teaching in higher education through a national project with the (then) American Association for Higher Education. I remember how he kicked off that project's summer faculty institute by illustrating the imbalance in esteem of research and teaching in academia with a delightfully told joke about "elephant and mouse soup". I had the great pleasure of seeing him again several years ago when - already near 80 - he gave a characteristically stimulating, charismatic and entertaining invited talk for Division I of the American Educational Research Association conference. I treasure that last smile and hug from him. Thank you, Lee. Rest in peace. Kathleen M. Quinlan, PhD '96 Stanford University
Institute of Curriculum and Instruction, East China Normal University, Shan
January 3, 2025
We deeply mourn the passing of Professor Lee S. Shulman, a visionary educator and cherished friend. Since 2013, he developed a close bond with the Institute of Curriculum and Instruction at East China Normal University, visiting Shanghai multiple times to share his profound insights on teaching and teacher education. His contributions were transformative-he supported the publication of The Wisdom of Practice, co-edited the Curriculum Reform and School Innovation in China series, and championed sharing China´s educational wisdom with the world.
Beyond his visits to Shanghai, Professor Shulman welcomed faculties and students from the Institute to Stanford University, generously sharing his time, expertise, and encouragement. These exchanges left a lasting impression, showcasing his deep commitment to fostering international collaboration and nurturing future educators.
Professor Shulman was more than a scholar; he was an inspiration and a true friend. His wisdom, warmth, and sense of humor enriched every interaction, leaving us with memories that will be cherished forever. To his family, we extend our heartfelt condolences. His legacy will live on in the hearts of those he touched and in the work he inspired, continuing to guide us toward a better future for education.
From faculties and students at the Institute of Curriculum and Instruction, East China Normal University, Shanghai
Joe Young
January 3, 2025
I remember meeting Lee at Ramah, probably 1954, my first year there, but I got to know him much better when he taught Hebrew High School in Highland Park, Illinois just a few doors down from the class I was taking, and also was the leader of the LTF group there. I recall working with Lee to prepare to host an LTF Kinus in Highland Park over the 1957-58 winter break. Later on, as we went into somewhat overlapping areas of study, I looked forward to hearing what Lee was doing when I was able to attend the yearly AERA meeting, an organization he attended regularly and of which he had a stint as president. Lee was a real mentsch and he will be missed by me and by all of those who knew him through the years.
Azimehsadat Khakbaz
January 3, 2025
I am a researcher from Iran. About 13 years ago when I started to do my PhD in field of PCK, he connected me to the international world by his words in a Skype chat.
Elliot Dorff
January 2, 2025
Lee was my junior counselor (Gabe Margolis was our counselor) in Tzrif Daled at Ramah Wisconsin in 1955 when I was twelve. I remember that over several weeks that summer he told us, in very dramatic tones, a scary story at bedtime, a story which I later discovered was, in the original, a short story called "The Most Dangerous Game." Short!
In the 1990s, I was privileged to work with him at the Carnegie Institute on his project on professional education, to which I contributed an essay on rabbinic education. Several years later, when I introduced him to our rabbinical students at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies with all the truly remarkable things he had done in his career, he got up and said, "No, the most important thing that I have done in my life is that I taught Elliot Dorff how to make bed corners!"
William Gross
January 2, 2025
I met Lee in 1955 at Camp Ramah. I became his junior counselor for a cabin of special young men. I saw how he truly led them in the most positive way, serving as my mentor as well. We developed a close and warm friendship that continued for 70 years, despite the distance between our countries of residence. His wife, Judy, grew up together with my own wife, Lisa, adding to the feeling of special friendship stretching over so many decades. Luckily, they came to Israel quite often. Our meetings were always filled with joyful memories and an atmosphere derived from the most wonderful humor that we shared. He was a truly fine man.
Bob Berger
January 1, 2025
Lee was my cabin counselor at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin over the summer of 1957. He was a terrific counselor, with a wonderful, cheerful, friendly personality and an instinct for leading and advising adolescent boys. He also introduced all of us to the music of jazz drummer Shelly Manne, of whom he was then a serious fan. He remained a long-distance friend throughout all the years, with no airs despite his remarkable achievements and well-deserved honors. A wonderful person who had a positive influence on all who came in contact with him.
Joel Gorfinkel
January 1, 2025
I remember Lee from 1949 or 50 when I was a camper at Ramah. I remember him as a kind amiable person. Since I was only 10 then I wasn't able to yet grasp his intellectual depth even tho he was already 12 years old. .
Dr. Joel Gorfinkel
Aine Hyland
January 1, 2025
Sincere condolences from colleagues in Ireland, and especially University College Cork on the death of Dr. Lee Shulman. I was privileged to work with Lee when he led the CASTL project in the Carnegie Foundation on the Stanford campus between 2000 and 2006. His leadership was inspirational and his commitment to the scholarship of teaching helped to transform teaching and learning in universities worldwide. We remember him with deepest admiration and affection. (Áine Hyland, Emeritus Professor and Vice-President, University College Cork).
Ellen Mandinach
January 1, 2025
My dissertation proposal hearing was the first event at Stanford. Lee became a mentor and friend. Such an amazing scholar and human being. He will be missed.
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