Tondra Loder-Jackson

Dr. Tondra Loder-Jackson is a Professor of Educational Foundations at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Education and Human Sciences. She holds secondary appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences’ History Department and African American Studies Program, and serves as a Faculty Fellow at the UAB Institute for Human Rights. Her primary research focuses on African American education in the U.S. South, urban education reform, and educator activism in historical and contemporary contexts. She established and directed the UAB Center for Urban Education and launched the African American Education Historiography research guide. Her co-edited volume Schooling the Movement (2023) received a prestigious book award. She is a Birmingham-Southern College Distinguished Alumna and has endowed the Schoolhouse Activist Award for student scholarships.

Dr. Loder-Jackson earned a PhD in Human Development from Northwestern University, an MS in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Chicago, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in urban education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work bridges education, history, and sociology, with over 20 years of experience in academia and nonprofit advocacy.

Her research emphasizes educator roles in civil rights activism, urban teacher retention, and intergenerational leadership. Key publications include studies on Black women educators’ activism, systemic inequities in post-civil rights Birmingham schools, and the intersection of race, gender, and generational identity in educational leadership.

Dr. Loder-Jackson’s awards reflect her scholarly impact and community engagement. She advises on urban education initiatives and collaborates with institutions like the Scholars Strategy Network. Her interdisciplinary approach addresses issues of equity, access, and historical memory in education.