Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor of Raza studies at San Francisco State University, has been named the 2019 Brock International Prize in Education Laureate for his significant contributions to the field of education, particularly surrounding his work as a practitioner-researcher in urban education.

Jeff is the founder of the Community Responsive Education Group, which works directly with schools around the country and internationally to develop more equitable school environments.  He is also a founder of The Roses in Concrete Community School (RIC) – a lab school designed to provide a viable alternative model for urban education, one that prioritizes culturally affirming and trauma responsive school relationships as the pathway to building healthy and sustainable communities.

Jeff was selected from among nine prestigious nominees for this year’s Prize by a panel of nine jurors from around the country who convened in Tulsa in October to determine this year’s Laureate.  The jurors were tasked with selecting the nominee whose ideas and work had contributed most significantly to the science and art of education, had resulted in or had the potential to make the most critical impact on the practice or understanding of the field of education, and was specific and had the potential to provide long-term benefit to humanity through change and improvement in education at any level.

“We are honored to have Jeff Duncan-Andrade as our 2019 Laureate,” said Brock Prize founder, John A. Brock.  “The Prize is about educational ideas that make a difference, and his work in creating and helping others create positive, equitable learning environments is significant in transforming educational outcomes for all children. We look forward to making his ideas known to the broader education community and to the world.”

Kelly Wilson, the Dean of High Tech High Graduate School of Education, nominated Duncan-Andrade for this award and represented his nomination to her fellow jurors.

“Jeff Duncan-Andrade has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the art of critical pedagogy and centrality of hope in serving our nation’s most vulnerable youth,” said Wilson. “As a committed father, teacher, school founder, and practitioner-researcher working in East Oakland for over 25 years, Jeff’s proximity to pain and the needs of urban youth situate him uniquely to understand the nuances of designing community responsive education.”

Duncan-Andrade will be formally honored at the annual Brock Prize Symposium in spring of 2019, at which he will be the featured speaker.  In addition to the monetary award of $40,000, Duncan-Andrade will receive a vellum certificate denoting the honor and a sculpture of legendary Native American educator Sequoyah.

“It is difficult to capture in words or sentiment how humbled and honored I am to be the 2019 Brock Prize Laureate,” said Duncan-Andrade of his selection for the Prize.  “This is an award that honors my big homies who have worked so hard to blow open doors and blaze pathways that made it possible for me to push the field in ways that they never really could.  This is an award that acknowledges that our communities deserve something fundamentally different from our public schools. The selection committee has made a statement here that our field is going to move in a radically different direction and we are going to make that move right now.”

For more information about the Brock International Prize in Education or the 2019 Brock Prize Symposium, go to www.brockprize.org, or contact Brock Prize Executive Director, Dr. Ed Harris, at ed.harris@okstate.edu.