Jack Kirkland is a nationally known scholar who lectures, consults, and writes on the African-American family. He has a keen interest in issues of multicultural classroom environments. As a result, he has designed and led numerous workshops in African-American culture for public school teachers across the country. He has lectured on multiculturalism and economic development across the world. Internationally known, he has given numerous presentation on almost every continent on a variety of subjects including multicultural education and economic development.
He has worked with public, non-profit, and for-profit organizations, and he has served as consultant to mayors of several cities. Originally did research under the leadership of Stanford University and the Department of Education for the formulation of what is now "charter schools". He provided consultation for five years with the Department of Indian Affairs, Washington DC for American Indian Nations in the Southwest. A former director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, elected to the Board of Education in University City, MO. In 2010, he was appointed to the Executive Board of the St. Louis County Economic Council.
A popular teacher, he brings issues of community work, group relations, international social development, racism, social planning, and urban environments alive in the classroom. Among his awards, voted most outstanding teacher of the year for Washington University in St. Louis 1975, voted most outstanding teacher at the Brown School in 1988 and 1995, Distinguished Faculty Alumni Award in 2010, listed in the National History Makers in Chicago 2008, and listed in several Who's Who including the Who's Who in Black America.
He is the recipient of the 1996 National Service Award from the National Association of Homes and Services for Children and a 1997 Spirit of Crazy Horse award from the Black Hills Seminars on Reclaiming Youth at Risk for his contributions in bringing together people of diverse cultural backgrounds to work on behalf of children and youth at risk.