TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Robert D. Brazil 1939-2025 Pioneering Administrator, Educator, Author T he Chicago (IL) Alumni mourns the passing of Dr. Robert
“ BRAZIL BECAME A LEADING PROPONENT OF THE SOCRATIC METHOD OF TEACHING ”
of Justice at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, researching and reporting on inequities in public education. Honors and recognition to Brazil: • Outstanding Principal in District Two • Outstanding Secondary Principal in Chicago by the Citizens’ Schools Committee • The Whitman Foun- dation Awardee for Outstanding Principal in Chicago • The “Those Who Excel Award” [1992] from State of Illinois Superin- tendent of Schools Brazil’s advocacy was also reflected in his efforts to increase the number of Afri- can Americans who earned PhDs from his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; He spearheaded a program at the university which resulted in an exponential increase in African Amer- icans who earned doctoral degrees at that institution. Additionally, Brazil
D. Brazil (Iota 1958) who entered the Chapter Invisible on May 11, 2025. Brazil’s educational work focused on restructuring schools and improving classroom-level education, including implementing classical and contemporary curricula, coaching, socratic questioning, and collabora- tive learning Robert Dean Brazil was born in Memphis, TN on March 19, 1939 to Mattie and Frye Brazil. The Brazil family moved to the South Side of Chicago during his childhood, settling in the neighborhood of Bronzeville. After graduating high school, Brazil earned a B.A. degree in physical education from Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University). He subsequently earned advanced degrees includ- ing a master’s degree from DePaul University and a PhD from The University
of Illinois at Urbana-Cham- paign. He pursued additional graduate studies at Northwestern Univer- sity, St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Oxford University in England. Brazil had a long and distinguished career in secondary education. He served as principal at Parkside Elementary School and Francis Parker High School (now Paul Robeson High School). In 1977, then Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Hannon appointed Brazil as principal of Roger Sullivan High School in Rogers Park attracted national news coverage for the unprece- dented move of making an African American educator the head of a predominantly
white high school in the notoriously segregated City of Chicago. During his 16-year tenure at Sullivan High School, Brazil became a leading proponent of the Socra- tic method of teaching, reflecting his reputation for being a staunch advocate for improving educational opportunities for young people throughout the com- munity. Later, he founded The Paideia Institute of Hyde Park and used the Socratic method to enrich Sullivan’s curriculum. Sullivan’s students excelled in these studies, making the school a standout in the Chicago Public School system. Brazil spent several summers working for the United States Department
88 THE JOURNAL ♦ SUMMER 2025
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