Tractenberg ’60 Heads New Nonprofit on Diversity and Equality in Education

After retiring from 46 years of teaching at Rutgers Law School, Paul Tractenberg ’60 has established a new nonprofit, the Center for Diversity and Equality in Education (CDEE), to continue pursuing major education reform projects.

Tractenberg, who studied history at Wesleyan and earned a JD from the University of Michigan, has devoted his professional life to improving the educational opportunities of low-income urban students and others with educational challenges.

The biggest reform project that CDEE is focusing on is the court-ordered integration effort of the Morris School District in New Jersey, which was the subject of a recent New York Times article, “As Other Districts Grapple With Segregation, This One Makes Integration Work,” outlining the success of the initiative.

Throughout his tenure at Rutgers and now as president of CDEE, Tractenberg has studied the major legal and policy issues involving public education, and has used the law to improve it. He is the author of numerous books, articles, and papers on education law and related subjects; a frequent lecturer; and consultant and adviser to many national, regional, and state organizations and agencies.