Yvette Jackson, EdD, is internationally recognized for her work in assessing and capitalizing on the learning potential of disenfranchised students. As a student of the renowned cognitive psychologist Reuven Feuerstein, she studies cognitive development and the impact of neurobiology, culture, and mediation on intellectual development, learning, and achievement. Her research is reflected in her books Pedagogy of Confidence, Inspiring High Intellectual Performance in Urban Schools, and Aim High, Achieve More: How to Transform Urban Schools through Fearless Leadership, coauthored by Veronica McDermott. Formerly the director of gifted programs and executive director for instruction and curriculum development for New York City public schools, she currently serves as the chief executive officer of the National Urban Alliance, and adjunct professor at Teachers College at Columbia University. She has been a visiting presenter for Harvard and Stanford Universities, the Feuerstein Institute in Israel, the Conference of Associação Nacional para o Estudo e Intervenção na Sobredotação (ANEIS) in Portugal, and Thinking Schools International in the United Kingdom.
