University of Kentucky College of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig, Ph.D., is an award-winning leader, teacher and researcher and dynamic voice for equity in education in the U.S. and around the world.
Vasquez Heilig came to UK in 2019 from California State University, Sacramento, where he was a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program.
In addition to educational accomplishments, Julian Vasquez Heilig has held a variety of practitioner, research, and leadership positions in organizations from Boston to Beijing. These experiences have provided formative professional perspectives to bridge research, theory, and practice.
His current research includes quantitatively, qualitatively examining how high-stakes testing, accountability-based reforms, and market reforms impact urban minority students. Julian’s research interests also include issues of access, diversity, and equity in higher education.
The sum of his scholarship is nearly 60 articles, reports and chapters. Of these, 30 are published and in-press peer-reviewed research. His work has appeared in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals such as Harvard Educational Review, American Journal of Education, Teachers College Record, Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Journal of Educational Administration. He has also published in five law reviews such as the Stanford Law and Policy Review and the Journal of Law and Education. Additionally, he has co-authored seven book chapters and four peer reviewed handbook articles
His work has been cited by the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, USAToday, Education Week, Huffington Post and other print and electronic media outlets. He has also appeared on local and national radio and TV including PBS, NBC, NBC Latino, NPR, Univision, Al Jazeera and MSNBC.
He has also conveyed invited testimony in state and national legislative bodies, spoken at more than 25 universities, and given prestigious addresses such as the Brodie Lecture and the Cambridge Forum.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Education Administration and Policy Analysis and a Masters in Sociology from Stanford University. He also holds a Masters of Higher Education and a Bachelor’s of History and Psychology from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
He blogs at Cloaking Inequity, consistently rated one of the top 50 education websites in the world by Teach100. Follow him on Twitter @ProfessorJVH.