Jefna M. Cohen
Associate Editor
Jefna M. Cohen is associate editor at Learning Forward. She contributes to strategy and content for The Learning Professional journal, the Learning Forward blog, books, and other publications. She also facilitates relationships with the Learning Forward community of authors and members and our online audience. Cohen is a longtime educator with a unique blend of expertise in both education and writing. Her experience includes nearly twenty years of teaching in elementary school classrooms in Portland, Oregon, spanning a variety of settings, including Title I, private, and public charter schools. Cohen is also a copywriter and avid fiction creator. She holds a master of education from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree from Lewis & Clark College.
All Articles
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The Learning Professional announces 2025 themes
With only the October and December journals left to publish this year, the Learning Forward publications team sets its sights on the 2025 issues of The Learning Professional. Informed by Learning Forward members, The Learning Professional writers and contributors, and the evolving needs of the field, we’ve selected the six […] -
Literacy success story highlights the power of professional learning
Principal Syeda Carter has a literacy success story to tell. It’s a tale of determination, learning, and overcoming obstacles that leads to achieving one of the most important goals of education: ensuring every child can read. At the root of this story is Carter’s participation in the Learning Forward Academy, […] -
What we learned about teacher wellness from our journal authors
Learning Forward celebrates the work of teachers all year long, but during Teacher Appreciation Week, we turn up the volume. This year we’re offering a free bundle of wellness-centered articles to show our appreciation for teachers everywhere. These short articles were written by expert contributors for the 2023 “Focus on […] -
The Learning Professional's most-read articles in 2023
‘Tis the season for list-making and reflection! With the close of this past year, we reflect on your interests as readers of The Learning Professional. In 2023, the trending themes were continuous improvement and educator turnover. Nearly half of the most popular 2023 articles originate from the April issue on […] -
Learning Forward Academy: 30 years of educator learning and growth
For three decades, the Learning Forward Academy has supported education leaders working to improve their schools and systems through a multiyear deep dive into professional learning. Since its inception, the academy has inspired and enhanced the professional learning work of more than 1,600 educators, and they serve as a testament […] -
Q & A: Unraveling the myths of dyslexia
Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, teacher, and advocate for children and literacy. She is the director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners and Social Justice at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. Her most recent book is Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World. […] -
Professional learning helps principal address achievement gap
Rodney Walker, a member of Learning Forward’s Academy Class of 2022 and principal of Brooklyn Park Elementary School in Baltimore, Maryland, was named 2023 National Distinguished Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals. As a part of Walker’s efforts to advance schoolwide excellence, […] -
Writers wanted for The Learning Professional in 2024
We are pleased to announce the themes for the upcoming year of Learning Forward’s journal, The Learning Professional. Narrowing down the collection of topics to six is always a challenge, but we did it with help from our readers and authors, through following thought leaders, and by constantly gathering ideas […] -
The school board’s role in a professional learning system
School boards are an important but often unacknowledged part of professional learning systems, although they allocate two essential resources: funding and time. To learn more about this role and how learning professionals can collaborate with school boards, we spoke with Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, who was recently named the new executive director […] -
Don’t make time, rethink time
How do you overcome the challenges to finding time for meaningful professional learning? We asked seven experts in the field, and these practitioners offer powerful strategies for making better use of educator time. An example from Illinois centers student data in school systems as an essential component of a school’s […]
