Jon Hale

Jon Hale is Professor in both Curriculum and Instruction and Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign's College of Education. He serves as Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education, leading critical research on educational history, civil rights, and educational equity. His work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary educational justice movements.

Hale's research focuses on the history of Black education, school desegregation, student activism, and the civil rights movement. His scholarship examines how historically Black schools operated as sites of resistance and community building during Jim Crow, and how educational spaces have been central to the long struggle for racial justice. His work reveals the complex relationships between educational policy, racial politics, and community activism across multiple historical periods.

Hale's publication record shows a consistent focus on the intersection of education and civil rights. His recent work examines Freedom Schools, historically Black high schools, student discipline practices, and teacher activism. His scholarship demonstrates how educational institutions have been both sites of oppression and spaces of resistance in the African American experience. His research spans from Reconstruction through the present, revealing historical patterns that continue to shape contemporary educational debates.

• AESA Critics' Choice Book Award (2018)
• AERA Division F New Scholar's Book Award (2017)

Hale teaches across multiple programs in the College of Education, including undergraduate and graduate courses on educational history, social justice, diversity, and educational policy. His courses such as EPOL 380: Education and Social Justice and EPOL 401: History of American Education reflect his commitment to connecting historical understanding with contemporary educational challenges. As Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education, he leads initiatives that bridge academic research with community engagement around educational justice issues.

The Forum on the Future of Public Education, which Hale directs, serves as a hub for critical scholarship on educational policy and practice. The forum connects historical analysis with contemporary educational challenges, particularly around issues of race, equity, and social justice. Under Hale's leadership, the forum has become a significant center for research that challenges dominant narratives about American education while offering alternative visions for more just educational futures.