The Center for Educating Urban Educational Leaders (CDUEL) is dedicated to conducting rigorous research and developing exemplary school leaders to produce high quality schooling experience for urban children across America.

CDUEL was founded in October 2006 with the support of the generous gift of $2.25 million from Peter Bennett ’63. Since its inception, CDUEL has persistently been working toward its commitment to improve urban schools and close the achievement gap between low-income urban students and their middle class peers by selecting, educating, and placing passionate competent urban school leaders.

In 2008, CDUEL was invited to help lead the $3 million federal grant, Philadelphia High School Leadership Project (PHSLP). Working with the School District of Philadelphia, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and Temple University, CDUEL established one of the nation’s first urban leadership training programs designed specifically to recruit and educate 60 aspiring principals for Philadelphia’s lowest achieving high schools over the course of five years from 2008 to 2013.

In 2010, CDUEL was awarded another $3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to establish the Allentown Principal Leadership Initiative (APLI).  Collaborating with the Allentown School District, Temple University, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and Lehigh’s Dexter F. Baker Institute, CDUEL will prepare and develop aspiring and practicing school leaders over the next five years to help turnaround Allentown, the fourth largest urban school district in Pennsylvania.

In tandem, CDUEL is also directing the community school initiatives in the Broughal Middle School. Under the shared leadership of the Broughal administration, CDUEL, and several community and business partners, the community school initiatives have brought together a considerable amount of community resources focusing on academics, health and social services, and community engagement and development. These initiatives will, in the long term, not only lead to improved student learning, but also stronger families and vibrant communities.

Last but not least, CDUEL held its inaugural Educational Round in May 2011. Adapted from the highly successful format used for many years by Steve Siedel at Harvard’s Project Zero, Lehigh Educational Rounds are an open forum for educators and for those interested in education in our country. It provides an opportunity for the sharing of multiple perspectives in a risk-free environment on instructional practice and other important issues that have an impact on the core of schooling in both the public and private sectors.