J. David Cooper (Ed.D., Indiana University) is a retired professor from Ball State University. Prior to teaching at the college level, he taught at elementary and secondary schools in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Cooper has served as a consultant to the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

, numerous state departments of education, and school systems throughout the country. Active in the International Reading Association, he has spoken in all 50 states and eight countries. Dr. Cooper has authored or coauthored more than 20 books on the teaching of reading. He has served as an editor of Indiana Reading Quarterly and as a reviewer for such leading journals as The Reading Teacher, Journal of Reading, and National Reading Conference Yearbook. Currently, Dr. Cooper consults on literacy instruction with numerous school districts throughout the United States.