October 7, 2025
WestEd mourns the passing of David Berliner whose research, scholarship, and advocacy in support of public education inspired generations of scholars and researchers and deeply influenced education policy and practice.
In addition to being an enormously influential and prolific researcher and writer, David was active with numerous education organizations and served with distinction on WestEd’s Board of Directors from June of 1999 through May of 2013. He generously shared his scholarship with the Board and the WestEd community.
Early in his career David worked at Far West Laboratory, which later became WestEd. He often contributed to WestEd’s research topics and approaches and mentored some staff who developed into our senior researchers. He believed deeply in the importance of providing the best educational opportunities for students and that every child could succeed given the opportunity. David was passionate about the transformational power of teachers, advocating strongly to ensure that their voices and strengths informed improvements in educational systems.
He is deeply missed and we are eternally grateful for his crucial contributions to education research, scholarship, policy, and practice.