Elizabeth B. Kozleski

Elizabeth B. Kozleski is the chair of the Special Education Department at the University of Kansas. Her work theorizing systems change for equity, inclusive education, and professional learning for urban schools regularly appears in national and international publications. She works with colleagues to advance systems transformation in schools, districts, teacher education, and state education agencies. She was awarded the UNESCO Chair in Inclusive International Research in 2005, received the 2011 TED-Merrill award for her leadership in special education teacher education, and was honored by the University of Northern Colorado with the 2013 Century of Scholars award. Her research interests include analyzing models of systems change in urban and large school systems, examining how teachers learn in practice in complex and diverse school settings, researching multicultural educational practices in the classroom to improve student learning, and examining the impact of professional learning schools on student and teacher learning. She recently coauthored Inclusive Education: Examining Equity on Five Continents (2011, Harvard Education Press). She has been the principal investigator of four technical assistance centers (NCCRESt, NIUSI, NIUSI-LeadScape, Region IX Equity Assistance Center) focused on reform and equity issues, statewide improvement grants, a number of personnel preparation projects, and research grants from private foundations as well as the U.S. Department of Education. Kozleski has been an advisor to the Council for Exceptional Children, the Teacher Education Division, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the Colorado Partnership for Educational Renewal, the National Center for Educational Outcomes, the American Institutes for Research, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, National Institutes for Health, TASH, and a variety of state and local education agencies.