# Q&A with Liz Cohen, Pilot Cohort SDP Fellow Alumna August 22, 2024 - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) *This Q&A is part of an SDP Blog series profiling members of the 2023 – 2025 SDP Alumni Advisory Board. All posts from this series may be found* [*here*](/news/alumni-advisory-board)*.* ![Liz Cohen](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/sdp/files/lc.png) [Liz Cohen](/people/liz-cohen) is an alumna of the Strategic Data Project (SDP) Fellowship’s pilot cohort (2008-2010), where she was an SDP Fellow with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Currently, Liz is the Policy Director at [FutureEd](https://www.future-ed.org/), an independent, solution-oriented think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Prior to her current role, Liz worked as an analyst and advisor for foundations, districts, and nonprofit organizations in the K-12 education space for two decades, including at the DCPS Office of Data and Accountability and the Office of the State Superintendent in the District of Columbia. She has also worked at the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness, 50CAN, the Urban Institute, and Whiteboard Advisors. Liz holds an MPP from Georgetown University. **What was the most memorable or impactful experience from your time as an SDP Fellow?** The in-person trainings and workshops were very impactful. Fellows were pushed to think deeply about ideas and research in ways that might never come up during a typical workday. These trainings always helped me feel more connected to the bigger picture of improving education, and it would inspire me to come up with new ideas of my own. **What skills did you gain from your time as an SDP Fellow that you find helpful in your current role?** I gained confidence to engage with academic research and make this research applicable to my work in a variety of contexts. The network of SDP Fellows and alumni continues to be an inspiration, and a place I know I can turn if I need support, connections, or feedback. We often talk about how academic research has such a long timeframe compared with what districts and schools want, but one thing I've learned is that sometimes we want to take a little bit of time to really think about what we're trying to achieve, what we already know, and what we need to get where we're going. **Tell us about your current job!** As Policy Director at FutureEd, I get to read, think, talk to people, and write! That's most of what I do, although the specific topic I'm exploring shifts. My own portfolio right now is focused on tutoring, chronic absenteeism, and implementation of private school choice programs (ESAs). But as the Policy Director, I must pay attention to all the topics we work on, which this year has also included gifted education, remedial college courses, the future of assessments, the role of AI in education, and more. **What does a typical workday look like for you?** A typical day consists of reading interesting articles. I always read [The74](https://www.the74million.org/) and I think the Wall Street Journal has a killer education team, including [Matt Barnum](https://www.wsj.com/news/author/matt-barnum) and [Sara Randazzo](https://www.wsj.com/news/author/sara-randazzo?page=3). If [Alec MacGillis](https://www.propublica.org/people/alec-macgillis) has written anything, I'm first in line to read it, and [Laura Meckler](https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/laura-meckler/) at the Washington Post is super thoughtful. I look at social media to see who has posted new research or case studies. If I'm lucky, I might carve out 30 minutes to read a book. I have a (bad?) habit of reading many books at the same time. So right now, I'm part-way through: [Educational Goods](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo27256234.html) (Brighouse, Ladd, Loeb, and Swift, 2018); [The Big Test](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374527518/thebigtest) (Lemann, 1999); [Politics, Markets & America's Schools](https://www.brookings.edu/books/politics-markets-and-americas-schools/) (Chubb and Moe, 1990); and [10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/10-to-25/David-Yeager/9781668023884) (Yeager, forthcoming 2024). I usually have a call or two, either with a district, state, or school leader who I'm trying to connect with for a research project or I just think is doing something interesting I want to learn about. And I probably have a call or two to plan a meeting, event, brainstorm a new project, report to a funder, etc. I almost always spend part of the day writing. Either I'm working on a specific project, or I jot down thoughts about whatever I've been writing. Writing begets writing, so words on paper (or in my case, laptop) are also a good thing. **What is the most rewarding part of your job?** The most rewarding aspect of my role is being constantly reminded of just how many people are out there doing incredible work for kids—and then I get to help spotlight some of that work and try to come up with ways to spread and scale that work. **What advice would you give to current or prospective SDP Fellows?** Nothing will get you farther in your career than your networks, and the SDP network is one of the best ones for sure. The work I did at the LEA and SEA levels was the most impactful work I will probably do in my career, and I wish everyone who cares about data, kids, schools, outcomes etc. would spend time really in the field. **What is something that you would tell your younger self about your career?** Change is harder than you want it to be, and it takes a lot longer. If you think something is really the right thing, stick with it even when louder voices say you're wrong. **What is something you enjoy in your free time?** Coaching my son's 2nd grade soccer team. Writing my first book (on tutoring!). See also:- [ Alumni Advisory Board ](/news/alumni-advisory-board) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)