Alumni
- Charles Alston (1931), artist
- Hafizullah Amin, President of Afghanistan
- Nahas Gideon Angula (MA, EdM), Prime Minister of Namibia
- Mary Antin (1902), author of the immigrant experience
- Michael Apple, professor of Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin
- William Ayers, elementary education theorist, founder of Weather Underground, and professor at University of Illinois, Chicago
- John Seiler Brubacher, educational philosopher; professor at Yale
- Betty Castor, politician and President of the University of South Florida
- Chiang Menglin President, Peking University, Minister of Education, Republic of China
- Shirley Chisholm, first African American woman elected to Congress, and former US Presidential candidate
- Norman Cousins, editor, peace activist
- Ella Cara Deloria (1915), Yankton Sioux ethnologist
- Albert Ellis, cognitive behavioral therapist
- Clarence Gaines (M.A. 1950), Hall of Fame basketball coach, Winston-Salem State University
- Gordon Gee (Ed.D. 1972), President of Ohio State University
- Andy Holt (Ph.D. 1937), president of University of Tennessee
- Seymour Itzkoff, Professor Emeritus of Education and Child Study, Smith College
- George Ivany (M.A. 1962), President of the University of Saskatchewan
- Thomas Kean (M.A. 1963), former Governor of New Jersey
- Lee Huan, former Minister of Education and Premier of the Republic of China
- Mosei Lin (Ph.D. 1929), Taiwanese academic and educator; first Taiwanese to receive a Ph.D. degree
- H. S. S. Lawrence (M.A. 1950, Ed.D. 1950), Indian educationist
- Rollo May, existential psychologist
- Chester Earl Merrow, educator, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
- Richard P. Mills, former Commissioner of Education for both Vermont and New York States
- Georgia O'Keeffe, American artist
- Matthew L. Pittinsky (Ph.D), Co-founder and Chairman, Blackboard, Incorporated
- Thomas S. Popkewitz (M.A. 1964), professor of Curriculum Theory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Neil Postman (M.A. 1955, Ed.D. 1958), cultural critic
- Robert Bruce Raup (Ph.D. 1926), Professor Emeritus, Philosophy of Education, and critic of the American Education system.
- Carl Rogers (M.A. 1928, Ph.D. 1931), psychologist
- Martha E. Rogers (M.A. in public health nursing 1945), nursing theorist, creator of Science of unitary human beings
- Nilo L. Rosas, former president of Philippine Normal University
- Adolph Rupp, Hall of Fame basketball coach, University of Kentucky
- Angela Santomera, Co-creator of Blue's Clues
- William Schuman (B.S. 1935, M.A. 1937), former president of the Juilliard School of Music
- James Monroe Smith, president of Louisiana State University, 1930-1939
- Bobby Susser, children's songwriter
- Tao Xingzhi, Chinese educator and political activist
- Edward Thorndike, psychologist
- Robert L. Thorndike (M.A. 1932, Ph.D. 1935), psychologist
- Ruth Westheimer (Ed.D. 1970), sex therapist
- John Davis Williams, Chancellor of the University of Mississippi (1946 to 1968)
- Zhang Boling (1917), Founder and president, National Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- Westerhoff, John (1975), Educator, Theologian, Priest, Professor at Duke University
Read more about this topic: Teachers College, Columbia University