New Professor Seeks to Improve Legal Literacy Among Today's Educators

University Relations

Kevin Brady

Kevin Brady, associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Arkansas, has spent nearly two decades attempting to improve the legal knowledge of educators and school leaders.

Brady received his master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in education policy and his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since then, he has been an assistant professor at the City University of New York and as an associate professor at North Carolina State University. He joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions this past summer.

Brady's primary research has been focused on how so many educators are unfamiliar with legal issues involving schools. He has also found that legal illiteracy impacts everyone, particularly students, and the implications are usually negative.

Eventually, Brady wants to develop a comprehensive, statewide center at the University of Arkansas where educators can either access online or actually come to campus to receive up-to-date legal information involving K-12 school environments. The center would offer reliable and timely legal information to educators.

Brady feels that having extensive legal information available to educators will significantly help them to become more effective in the classroom.

Brady is connected with some of the leading organizations focusing on educational law and policy issues in the country and has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Education Law Association.