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Professional Background:
Ira Lit, Ph.D., is a Professor of Education (Teaching) at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, where he serves as Faculty Director of the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). He previously served as co-lead of Stanford’s initiative on Learning Differences and the Future of Special Education and as faculty sponsor of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE). Professor Lit currently serves as a Commissioner on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Public Service & Policy Leadership:
In 2021–2022, Professor Lit was selected as a Stanford “Scholars in Service” Fellow and served as a Senior Policy Fellow in the Office of United States Senator Cory A. Booker. In this role, he contributed to national policy discussions related to education, teacher preparation, and educational equity.

Teaching, Research & Leadership:
A former public elementary school teacher, Professor Lit’s research and professional work focus on teacher education, elementary education, and advancing educational equity. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director of the “Teachers for a New Era” initiative at the Bank Street College of Education from 2005 to 2007. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE).

Publications:
Professor Lit is the author of two books. His first book, The Bus Kids, explores the experiences of minority students participating in a voluntary school desegregation program. His second book, Transforming Teacher Preparation Across Nations, examines an international reform movement aimed at constructing and implementing exemplary teacher preparation programs across national contexts.