Our Principal

Principal Jim Kennedy, Ed.D, joined UCLA Lab School in July 2007. He holds the Carol L. Collins Principal's Chair. Jim has a record of innovative work in public schools throughout the Los Angeles area that spans nearly 20 years.

Before joining UCLA Lab School, he served as principal of Magnolia Avenue School in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he strengthened programs by building connections between the school and the community, supporting teacher collaboration, and analyzing instructional practices, particularly in the area of learning two languages.

Prior to heading Magnolia, Jim was principal of Vintage Magnet School in North Hills, a math/science/technology magnet school with a highly diverse student population. He also worked as a school district administrator in the field of elementary mathematics, and he was a bilingual classroom teacher in grades 1-5.

At the university level, Jim has taught elementary math methods and research methods courses to teachers and aspiring administrators at California State University, Northridge.

Jim earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received a master's in education (school administration) and a doctorate in education (education leadership) from UCLA. He holds a multiple-subject teaching credential and a professional administrative services credential and is certified in bilingual cross-cultural language acquisition and development.

Jim also is a proud UCLA Lab School dad. His son, Alex, is 7.