By Laurel White
Kevin Lawrence Henry Jr., an assistant professor in the UW–Madison School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, recently received a national honor for early career scholars from the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).
Henry received the Jack A. Culbertson Award at the UCEA’s annual conference in Minneapolis in November. The UCEA is a consortium of higher education institutions dedicated to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders for the benefit of schools and children. The award, named for the organization’s first full-time executive director, honors early career scholars who have made significant contributions to the field of educational leadership.
Henry acknowledges he is immensely grateful for the recognition and cites his community as the foundation of his early career success.
“While my work often bears witness to and investigates racial inequity, the systems that preserve it, and the harm that comes from it, it does so only in pursuit of a transformative vision of education and the collective healing our communities deserve,” he said. “This award is not possible without the people in my life who have loved me and supported me, both in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and out of the university.”
“I’m thankful to everyone who has prayed for me and cared for me, encouraged me and mentored me, and those who participated in my research studies because they wanted the story of Black education in New Orleans to be told,” he added.
Henry’s research has included deep looks into the educational landscape in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, focusing on charter schools in particular. He also examines the persistence of anti-Blackness in education, privatization and educational markets, the politics of education, and culturally relevant and restorative justice approaches in education. His work is guided by Black studies, critical race theory, feminist theories, and queer of color critique.
In a recent publication, Henry and his co-authors shed light and gave historical context to the heated political debate over teaching critical race theory in the United States.
Rich Halverson, professor and Kellner Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, nominated Henry for the UCEA honor and calls him “an emerging star in the world of education leadership.”
“His mastery of interdisciplinary literatures endows his work with intellectual rigor and theoretical breadth that place him among the leading scholars of our field, regardless of rank,” Halverson wrote in his nomination letter.
Halverson also commended Henry for his innovative approach to scholarship, his leadership in centering equity and social justice in professional and academic programs at UW–Madison, and his commitment to high-quality mentorship.
Anjalé Welton, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Rupple-Bascom Professor of Education, says Henry is deeply skilled at explaining how complex theoretical ideas like critical race theory can be applied to educators’ and policymakers’ practice.
“His innovative theory-driven policy scholarship is needed in a time when both university and K-12 scholars continue to be under attack for researching and teaching about issues of race and racism in public education,” Welton said.
Henry also received the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA)’s educational policy and politics division earlier this year. That award also honors a scholar whose early career shows a high level of productivity and excellence.