Educational Background

Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology at Howard University.

Bachelor of Divinity degree in Social Ethics from Howard's Graduate School of Divinity.

Master of Arts degree in Social Psychology from the American University

Doctor of Education degree in Child Development and Guidance from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Masters of Arts degree (honorary) from Yale University, the Doctor of Humane Letters degree (honorary) from Yeshiva University, from Brown University, from Bank Street College and the Doctor of Science degree (honorary) from Mount Holyoke College. Teachers College Medal for Distinguished service to Education by Columbia University (1993), Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Howard University (1998).

Scholarly Interests
Professor Gordon is concerned with issues associated with increasing the number of high academic achieving students who come from African American, Latino, and Native American families. He is widely known for his research on diverse human characteristics and pedagogy, and the education of low status populations. He is interested in the career development of Black men who have overcome enormous odds against success to become high achievers. Recent research interests include the advancement of his concepts of "affirmative development of academic ability" and "supplementary education" both which focus on improving the quality of academic achievement in diverse learners. His current study group on the Correlates of High Academic Achievement is investigating, through several projects, personal, ecological, and institutional factors that are associated high levels of academic achievement in a variety of ethnic minority students.