Carmen A. Perez-Hogan

Carmen A. Pérez-Hogan, 86, of Slingerlands, New York, passed away peacefully on January 12, 2026. She was born on July 28, 1939, in Vieques, Puerto Rico, to the late Adrián Pérez and Carmen Pérez.

Carmen immigrated to New York City at the age of seven and attended public schools on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn at a time when bilingual education and ESL programs did not yet exist. Like many immigrant children of her generation, she endured the hardship of repeating second grade while learning English in a “sink or swim” environment. This formative experience shaped her life’s mission: to ensure that children and youth who entered school speaking another language would have access to equitable, high-quality educational opportunities.

After graduating from Bay Ridge High School, Carmen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn. She later obtained a master’s degree in English as a Second Language (ESL) from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Carmen began her career teaching sixth grade and ESL students in Brooklyn’s District 13. She later became the district coordinator of the ESL program. Following the passage of the Bilingual Education Act by the U.S. Congress in 1968, she wrote the first Title VII bilingual education proposal for District 13, securing funding to establish two bilingual schools. She was subsequently awarded a fellowship to pursue doctoral studies in educational administration at New York University.

Her distinguished career continued in higher education when she joined the Bilingual Education Project at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. There, she taught courses, advised students, and wrote proposals that supported the development of master’s and doctoral programs in bilingual education. She also organized the first statewide conference of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education and was elected President of the National Association for Bilingual Education in 1979.

In 1978, Carmen became Chief of the Bureau of Bilingual Education at the New York State Education Department. For 27 years, until her retirement in 2005, she led the State’s Office of Bilingual Education and played a pivotal role in shaping bilingual and ESL policy and practice across New York State. Among her many accomplishments were establishing state certification requirements for bilingual and ESL teachers; founding a Bilingual ESL Teacher Leadership Academy; securing more than $100 million in state aid for English Language Learners; developing two-way bilingual education models; coordinating a statewide network of 13 Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Centers; creating secondary ESL curricula; drafting guidelines for educating English Language Learners with disabilities; producing multilingual academic glossaries in numerous languages; developing ESL and language arts standards and assessments; and creating a highly successful parent leadership model for families of limited-English-proficient students.

Beyond her professional achievements, Carmen enjoyed gardening, entertaining, traveling with her husband, and visiting the casino. She deeply adored her nieces and nephews, as well as her great-nieces and great-nephews, who brought her immense joy.

Carmen was predeceased by her beloved husband of 34 years, Thomas E. Hogan, and her brothers-in-law, Thomas Cascone and Clifford Hogan.

She is survived by her sister, Marie Cascone; her nieces Tina-Marie Cascone, Renee Cascone, Mollie (Clint) Pearson, Kelly (Trent) Mills, Jaime (Andrew) Hogan-Hill, Maureen (Reid) Smith, Colleen (Brandon) Walters, and Kathleen O’Neil; her nephews Thomas (Sherry) Cascone, Joseph (Mykka) Hogan, and Tommie (Dawn) Hogan. Sisters in-law Pam Hogan, and Diane Hogan. A host of great-nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.

Carmen A. Pérez-Hogan leaves behind a profound legacy of advocacy, leadership, and unwavering dedication to educational equity. Her life’s work transformed opportunities for countless children, families, and educators, and her impact will be felt for generations to come.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 10:00am on Saturday January 31, 2026 held at Christ The King Church 20 Sumter Avenue, Albany, NY 12203.