The Urbana Board of Education approved the appointments of Ms. Chasity Beckless as the Director of Equity and School Improvement and Ms. Jessica Bradford as the Director of Curriculum and Student Learning, effective July 1, 2024.
Beckless is an accomplished educator with a strong background in educational leadership, a passion for equity and a commitment to ensuring all students have the opportunities to thrive in their educational journey.
She is currently a principal at an elementary school in Evanston. In this role, in partnership with stakeholders, she significantly decreased the achievement gap for Black and Latino students based on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. She also served as a mentor to assistant principals and intern principals.
Previously, Beckless served as an equity leader during the 2016 “Urbana Leading for Equity initiative” and as an Equity Programming Assistant Principal in a neighboring district.
Beckless has an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Masters in Administration and Leadership.
Ms. Bradford is currently the Principal at Barkstall Elementary School. During her time as principal, she focused on teacher development and created a culture that built positive student to teacher relationships.
Bradford began her career in education in 2003 when she joined the R.E.A.D.Y. Program as a special education teacher working with students at the middle and high school level in reading and math. She’s also served as a special education teacher at Urbana High School and an elementary and middle school assistant principal.
Bradford holds a Bachelor Degree in Special Education, a Masters of Science in Education and a Masters Specialist of Educational Leadership.
The Urbana School District welcomes these two leaders back to the Urbana Community