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Andrew
Brake
Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School Social Work Faculty Lead
Social Work
College of Arts and Sciences
(773) 442-5531
Expertise
Social work in schools; youth development, leadership, and mentorship; school transition; high school reform.
Courses Taught
SWK 200: Intro. to Social Work
SWK 207: Social Welfare Policy I
SWK 250: Issues in Social Service Delivery
SWK 303: Human Behavior in the Social Environment I
SWK 304: Social Work Practice I
SWK 305: Social Work Practice II
SWK 309: Research & Quantitative Application in Social Work
SWK 321: Social Work Practice in Schools
SWK 421: Critical Social Work in Schools: Policy, Practice & Research
SWK 433: Advanced Practice with Children, Youth, and Families
Research Interests
Relationship-building practices in schools; School social work leadership and capacity-building; School, agency, and community partnerships
Education

Ph.D., University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration

MSW, University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration

M.A., Sociology, New School for Social Research

B.A., Sociology, DePaul University

Selected Publications

Curtis, C., Jointer, T. Brake, A. & Bonton, A. (2021). Advancing anti-racist policies and practices in schools. In Cox, T., Alvarez, M. & Fitzgerald, T. D. The Art of Being Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice. Oxford University Press.

Kim, J & Brake, A. (2021). Early incarceration, marriage, and the risk of poverty across the life course: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Journal of Policy, Practice and Research, 1-18.

Brake, A. & Livingston, L. (2021). Tackling oppression in schools: Orienting skills for school social workers. In Kelly, M. S., Massat, C. R., & Constable, R. T. (Eds.), School Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research. (9th edition). Oxford University Press.

Brake, A. (2019). Right from the Start: Critical Classroom Practices for Building Teacher–Student Trust in the First 10 Weeks of Ninth Grade. The Urban Review, 1-22.

Brake, A., & Kelly, M. S. (2019). Camaraderie, Collaboration, and Capacity Building: A Qualitative Examination of School Social Workers in a Year Long Professional Learning Community. The Qualitative Report, 24(4), 667-692.

Brake, A. & Roth, B. (2016). Contemporary federal policy and school social work: Implications for practice and opportunities for leadership. In Villareal Sosa, L., Cox, T. & Alvarez, M. (Eds.), School Social Work: National Perspectives on Practice in School. Oxford University Press.

Roth, B. J., Sichling, F., & Brake, A. (2015). Recentering our tendencies: Immigrant youth development and the importance of context in social work research. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1-12.

Selected Exhibitions
Sichling, F. & Brake, A.  (April, 2024). Conducting ethical research during a global pandemic: A model for virtual respondent recruitment and data collection. Poster presentation of the 13th annual meeting of the European Conference for Social Work Research. Vilnius, Lithuania.
 
Brake, A. & Sichling, F. (April, 2023). Virtual Lockers and Remote Relationships: Amplified Uncertainty Transitioning to High School in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Paper presentation at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, IL.
 
Lindsay, R., Jointer, T. & Brake, A. (March, 2023). It’s Still Up to All of Us: Continuing the Conversation in Leading Equitable Suicide Prevention in Schools. Presentation at the annual meeting of the School Social Work Association of America National Conference, Broomfield, CO. 
 
Jointer, T., Brake, A. & Curtis, C. (April, 2022). Advancing Anti-Racist Policies and Practices in Schools. Presentation at the annual meeting of the School Social Work Association of America National Conference, Wheeling, IL. 
 
Background

Andrew Brake is an Associate Professor in the Social Work Department. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Brake has lived in Chicago nearly 30 years. He received his Ph.D. and MSW from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Sociology from the New School for Social Research in New York City. At NEIU, Dr. Brake leads the School Social Work Specialization in the MSW Program. He has also developed the Introduction to Social Work curriculum in the BSW Program and has taught a variety of courses in both programs. He has over 20 years of experience working with youth serving agencies and public high schools. His research, teaching and community work aims to enhance the trust-building practices of educators and partners in schools and to develop school social workers’ leadership capacities for advancing polices, practices and partnerships rooted in justice, equity and care for youth in Chicago and beyond. 

Room LWH 3080
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

(773) 442-5531
Office Hours
TBA
Main Campus
Curriculum Vitae