September 20, 2022

UW-Madison PhD students CJ Greer and Deonte Iverson were recently named 2022-24 University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Jackson Scholars.

This two-year program provides formal networking, mentoring, and professional development for graduate students of color who intend to become professors of educational leadership. Both Greer and Iverson are highly regarded doctoral students in the Department of Education’s Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Division.

“It is a great honor to be part of a network of support for developing the next generation of scholars,” says Greer. “Tenured She is very humbled to have the support of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and her UCEA as she progresses toward her goal of becoming a track professor. , I look forward to the fellowship.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to be named a member of the UCEA Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Network,” says Iverson. “I believe being a member of this network is a rare opportunity that will propel me on my journey to become a faculty member in her tenure track.”

Greer is a third-year doctoral student studying how the relationship between K-12 schools and community-based educational spaces can develop black youth holistically. His current research explores the narratives of racially minorized communities by censoring critical race theory and other social justice frameworks in schools (equity, ethnic studies, multiculturalism, etc.). are investigating attempts to erase the .

Greer’s research focuses on K-12 education and out-of-school contexts such as community-based educational spaces, after-school programs, and youth nonprofits.

Greer will be mentored by Robert Cooper, associate professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“UCEA’s commitment to supporting doctoral students of color has a direct impact on my pathway to college. You get it,” says Greer. “Additionally, being in a community with other graduate students will help you build a professional network of future colleagues.”

Iverson is a fourth-year doctoral student and previously holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from UW–Whitewater. His career goal, he says, is to become a tenured track faculty member in either special education or educational leadership and policy analysis at a higher education institution.

Iverson’s research is currently examining BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Colored) students in special education and their experiences in the behavioral intervention process, with particular attention to student voice and agency. He uses disability/ability critical race theory and cultural-historical activity theory as guiding frameworks for positioning his work. His other research interests include imbalances in special education, disabled/disabled students in colleges, and the impact of laws and state/district level policies on students of color. His work ultimately focuses on expanding the field of special education beyond the lens of disability and idiosyncratic notions of identity.

Iverson will be mentored by David DeMathews, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Not everyone has an opportunity like this, so I will make the most of this opportunity and put it in the academy, the field of educational leadership and special education, and the great responsibility that will pay out to future academics.” I feel it,” Iverson says.

For more than 50 years, Barbara L. Jackson (1928-2012), for whom the program is named, has set an example as a leader, scholar, and mentor in the field of educational administration. As her pioneer, she has influenced people, institutions, academic and applied research.