Jeffery Copeland, Ph. D.
Central 1971
Students at every level in the U.S. since the 1970s have benefited from the writing, editing or teaching expertise of Jeffrey Copeland, Ph.D.
A respected education author and professor at the University of Northern Iowa, he is department head and a professor of English education in the Department of English Language and Literature. During his career, he has prepared more than 2,000 language arts teachers and taught thousands of other students.
In 2006, Copeland saw publication of his nonfiction book, “Inman’s War: A Soldier’s Story of Life in a Colored Battalion in WWII,” which was nominated for five national awards. He was interviewed on National Public Radio and has traveled to Europe for publicity events. The book tells the story of an African-American couple from St. Louis during WWII, their struggle to remain a couple in spite of a school board policy requiring all female teachers to remain unmarried, and the African-American experience in the military during that period. The book is being adapted for film.
Copeland has written more than 20 other books, most of which are textbooks for use in grades K- 12, as well as the college level. He also has written many articles and two book chapters, primarily on language arts education.
In 2000, Copeland was recognized as Administrator of the Year by the Association of Educational Office Personnel. Sigma Tau Delta, a UNI chapter of the National English Honor Society, named him English Professor of the Year in both 1994 and 1995.
Copeland is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Council of Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, the Assembly on Literature of Adolescents and the Iowa Council of Teachers of English.
Before arriving at Northern Iowa State to teach in 1995, Copeland was an instructor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he also was assistant director of the Missouri Writing Project. He also was an English teacher in the Ottumwa Community School District in Iowa, an instructor at Arkansas State University and a reading/writing specialist for the Douglas Elementary School in Columbia, Mo.
With fond memories of his years in Parkway, Copeland says, “My education at Parkway Central was a true Renaissance education. This knowledge base allowed me to leave high school feeling I was prepared to take on anything the world presented.”
Copeland received his B.S. degree in education in 1975 at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He later earned his M.S. in English in 1976 at Arkansas State University, and his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction (English education) in 1981 at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His areas of specialization are elementary and secondary English education, general curriculum and instruction, reading education/ children’s literature and elementary and secondary school supervision.