It is with enormous sadness that the family and friends of Dr. Iris Rotberg, Research Associate Professor of Education Policy, announce her passing on January 1, 2025. Iris was a cherished member of the GSEHD faculty, whose contributions to her scholarly field, dedication to her students, and commitment to the struggle of inequality will be deeply missed.
Iris joined the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) at GW in 1996, and remained a popular dissertation advisor through the age of 91. Her research focused on school reform, science education, testing and accountability, school choice, international education, federal policy in financing education, and the development of methods for evaluating educational programs in a public policy setting.
She had a long and illustrious career even before she came to GW, including positions at the National Science Foundation, RAND, the Technology Policy Task Force of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the National Institute of Education. She also held research positions with the Office of Economic Opportunity, the President's Commission on Income Maintenance Programs, the Human Resources Research Office, and The Johns Hopkins University, where she conducted research on psycholinguistics and learning.
In addition to her distinguished professional and academic career, Iris was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother. You can learn more about Iris in her heartfelt obituary. A recording of her funeral service is also available online.
In remembering her, Dr. Yas Nakib, Associate Professor of Education Policy, said:
Teaching students with a mission to ensure they do not fall for the hype of fashionable policies or quick fixes, Iris cherished her faculty role! To her, working with students was the highlight of her life mission to instill rigor of argument and salience of policies. Despite her declining health in the last year, she would not quit. That would not be Iris!
Iris could not stand researchers and policymakers who scapegoat income inequality with “strawman” tactics. She was never impartial to express and publish her views on the downsides of international assessments, charter schools, and school accountability.
She loved GSEHD, engaging with faculty, and having long friendships. Of all her favorite GW activities, interacting with international students and learning about their experiences and backgrounds was her thing.
Iris gave so much and was loved by many! Her memory is our solace.
Dr. Joshua Glazer, Associate Professor of Education Policy, added:
Iris was a wonderful colleague, teacher, writer, and friend. She never left any doubt about where she stood on issues regarding education policy, GW, or politics, and I learned pretty quick that if you planned on disagreeing with her, you best be prepared.
She brought the same passion to her work with students with whom she was very demanding but also extraordinarily caring. She would move heaven and earth for people she cared about. Her passing is a terrible loss on so many levels, but perhaps we can find some comfort in knowing that hers was a life well lived.
As Dean Feuer wrote in her funeral announcement, “Iris was a remarkable woman, in so many ways — a distinguished and revered colleague, a generous friend, a committed contributor to the repair of the world. May the memory be for a blessing.”
GSEHD will dedicate a future seminar in Iris’ honor, with details to be shared as they become available.