UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership Expands Portfolio of Work with New Tri-Directors
The Center for Urban Education Leadership, part of the UIC College of Education, will expand its portfolio of work in three areas:
- Leadership preparation and professional development.
- Organizational leadership in PreK-12 schools and community organizations.
- Leadership in higher education.
Within each of these areas, the Center activities will focus on professional learning and programs, policy, research, evaluation and consulting.
The Center is one of two IBHE-approved UIC centers (https://research.uic.edu/centers-and-institutes/Centers) in the College of Education. As the work of the Center evolves, it will become a collaborative space for faculty to work together in these key areas.
“Leadership is more important than ever and is essential for transforming education. I’ve chosen three strong leaders who will build on the strong history of the Center for Urban Education Leadership and pursue innovative directions to expand its reach and impact in Chicago and around the country,” said Dean Kathryn Chval.
The new Tri-Directors for the Center for Urban Education Leadership are Decoteau Irby, Courtney Luedke and Jason Salisbury, faculty in the College of Education.
Decoteau J. Irby
Decoteau J. Irby is an associate professor in the University of Illinois Chicago’s Department of Educational Policy Studies, where he teaches primarily in the Urban Education Leadership EdD program. He is a co-director for UIC’s Center for Urban Education Leadership where he oversees the unit’s PreK-12 school and community-based organizational leadership research portfolio. He is founding director of Brothers Teaching, a UIC-led initiative that works to increase the number of certified male teachers of color who work in Illinois schools. His research explores how equity-focused school leadership can be used as a lever to improve Black children and youth's academic achievement and socio-emotional well-being across a range of K-12 educational settings. His previously published books include Stuck Improving: Racial and Equity and School Leadership (Harvard Education Press) and the award-winning co-edited book Dignity-Affirming Education: Cultivating the Somebodiness of Students and Educators (Teachers College Press). He is UIC’s 2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Award recipient, in recognition of his leadership and advocacy to make UIC a welcoming and inclusive place to work and learn.
Courtney Luedke
Courtney Luedke received a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, an MA in Sociology both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Courtney Luedke’s research focuses on transforming Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPCOC) students’ experiences through anti-racist practices within higher education. Within this broader context Courtney is an expert in providing leadership development across several areas including: humanizing approaches that lead to inclusion in the classroom, supporting first-generation college students, supporting Latin* students in higher education, programming for high school counselors and higher education professionals on supporting undocumented students college access and transitions, and other related areas that center on creating environments for students to engage and persist through higher education.
Jason Salisbury
Jason Salisbury received his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, an MS in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a BS in Special Education from Michigan State University. Jason Salisbury’s research centers of developing understandings of race-conscious leadership in K-12 settings. Specifically, he focuses on the work of youth of color as transformative leaders in K-12 spaces, the ways that building-level leaders support instructional improvement related to culturally relevant practices, and understanding the ways in which white district and school leaders engage in race-conscious school improvement. Beyond his research, Jason has expertise designing and delivering professional learning for large districts related to race-conscious school and district improvement, implementing youth leadership initiatives for districts and schools, and conducting assessments of district capacities to undertake race-conscious improvement efforts. Prior to joining UIC, Jason was a faculty member at Iowa State University and a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools, Madison Area Metropolitan School District, and in rural Wisconsin.