David Liben

David Liben is a nationally recognized reading and literacy expert and co-author of Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension: Fueling the Reading Brain With Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Rich Language. He and his wife and co-author, Meredith Liben, have spent decades working in education as teachers, researchers, and school leaders, including founding two innovative public schools in New York City: New York Prep, a junior high school in East Harlem, and the Family Academy, where he served as principal and lead curriculum designer. He previously served as Senior Content Specialist for Literacy and English Language Arts at Student Achievement Partners and has been deeply involved in work related to the Common Core State Standards, including synthesizing research behind the ELA standards and contributing to the determination of text complexity levels.

Liben has taught elementary, middle, and high school students in public and private schools, as well as community college and teacher preparation courses in New York City and Vermont, and continues to work closely with schools on curriculum and professional development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in school administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension, he co-authored *Know Better,