Geoffrey Canada — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

President of the Harlem Children's Zone since 1990, an organization focused on increasing high school and college graduation rates for at-risk children in a 97-block area of Harlem.
Transformed the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families into the Harlem Children's Zone, described as "one of the biggest social experiments of our time."
Advocates for educational reform, recommending early intervention and wide-ranging strategies.
Serves as chairman of the Children's Defense Fund's board of directors and was a board member of The After-School Corporation.
Holds a BA in psychology and sociology from Bowdoin College (1974) and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Biography

Geoffrey Canada is an American educator, social activist, and author, born on January 13, 1952, in the South Bronx. He was raised by his mother after his parents' marriage ended in 1956. He attended Wyandanch Memorial High School and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology from Bowdoin College in 1974, followed by a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.