Dr. Iesha Jackson

Dr. Iesha Jackson is an assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). She received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching, with an emphasis in Urban and Multicultural Education, from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research calls attention to the need for equity-based reforms in education practices and policies across the secondary through post-secondary spectrum. Her work centers on examining methods to improve educational outcomes for students of color in urban schools. In order to address this, her research is situated in four main areas: student voice, culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, teacher education, and equity-based, macro-level education policies.

Iesha’s most recent publications appear in the Journal of Teacher Education and Teachers College Record both highly selective, peer-reviewed journals in her field. These publications shed light on the experiences of pre- and in-service educators of color as they develop skills to more effectively teach marginalized student populations. In addition to journal articles, in 2018 Dr. Jackson was featured in several Las Vegas news outlets for her leadership of UNLV’s Rebel Academy, a summer program in which alternative route to licensure (ARL) graduate students complete their practicum with middle school students. Presently, Iesha is conducting research for two different projects: (1) Exploring factors that contribute to ARL students’ growth, development, and retention; and (2) Examining the impact of a school-community-university partnership to support the holistic development of Black girls who have been pushed out of schools due to exclusionary discipline policies.