Faculty Research Profiles: Kern Alexander

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Professor of Excellence

Educational Organization & Leadership
336 Education Building
1310 S. 6th St. MC 708

Research Biography

My research interests focus on the following areas:
- Economics and Finance of Education
- Education Law
- Higher Education Administration
- International and Comparative Education Policy

Degrees

  • Diploma, Educational Studies (with distinction) Two dissertations, Oxford University, Pembroke College, 1977
  • Ed.D., Educational Administration, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1965
  • B.A., English and History, Centre College of Kentucky, 1961

Key Professional Appointments

  • Professor, Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001--
  • President, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, 1994-2001
  • University Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 1988-1994
  • President, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1985-1988
  • Education Policy and Budget Coordinator, State of Florida, Office of the Governor, Governor D. Robert Graham, 1982-1985
  • Professor, Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Florida, 1968-1985
  • Director, Institute for Educational Finance, University of Florida, 1972-1982
  • Associate Director, then Director, National Educational Finance Project, 1968-1974
  • Chief, Financial Practices Section, Washington D.C., Office of Construction, US Office of Education, 1967-1968

Activities & Honors

  • Hicks Executive-In-Residence, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio and Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools Honoree, Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools, 2007-2008
  • Chair, Human Subjects Review Committee, 2007-2008
  • Board of Advisors, Teachers College, Columbia University, National Access Network, 2006- present
  • Expert Testimony, Education Finance Litigation, State of Missouri, 2006-2007
  • Distinguished Service Award, Kentucky School Superintendents' Association, 2006
  • Committee Member, Faculty Senate Committee, 2004- present
  • Consultant, Husch & Eppenberger Law Firm, State of Missouri, 2004-2007
  • Consultant, Council for Better Education, Inc., Kentucky, 2004-2006
  • Consultant, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs Law Firm, Kentucky Court Case, Young v. Williams, 2004-2006
  • Consultant, Miami-Dade Public School System, 2004
  • Co-ordinator, The Edwin J. O’Leary Endowment in Financial Management, O'Leary Endowment, 2002- present
  • Distinguished Alumnus Award, School of Education, Indiana University, 1999
  • Editor, University of Illinois Press, Journal of Education Finance, 1995- present
  • Standing advisor and consultant, Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of school funding, 1991- present
  • Member, Board of Directors, American Education Finance Association, 1974- present

Selected Publications

  • Alexander, Kern (with D. Alexander.) (2008). American Public School Law, Seventh Edition, 21 Chapters. Wadsworth/West, Cengage, 1100 pages
  • Alexander, K., & Salmon, R. (2007). Warranting failure: The 'System' that breeds poverty and starves public schools. Journal of Education Finance, 33(2), 203-220.
  • Alexander, K., & Alexander, D. (2003). The law of school, students and teachers. St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West.

     

  • Alexander, K. (2006). Public funding of religious schools; Justice Clarence Thomas' 'Bigotry Thesis' and James G. Blaine. Forum on Public Policy, 2(4), 1-21.
  • Alexander, K., & Wall, A. (2006). Adequate funding of education programs for at-risk children: An econometric application of research-based cost differentials, Journal of Education Finance, 31(3), 297-319.