About Brian J. Davis

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Brian J. Davis is the Chair of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and was one of the founding directors of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. He is a graduate of Stanton High School and a lifelong advocate for public education. 

Davis is a former prosecutor and civil litigator, is currently a U.S. District Circuit Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida. For almost 20 years, he served on the civil, family, juvenile, and probate benches in Duval and Nassau counties as a state Circuit Court Judge. He is a native of Jacksonville and a graduate of its public schools, Princeton University and the University of Florida Law School. Judge Davis has actively volunteered with Leadership Jacksonville, NCCJ, the Urban League, the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Jacksonville Community Council, Hubbard House, the Help Center, the PACE Center for Girls, the Jaguars Foundation, and OneJax. He serves on the boards of the Boy Scouts of America and the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. He and his wife, Tanya, worship at Ebenezer United Methodist Church. They are the grandparents of four, the offspring of two children, Brian and Cicely.

The Brian J. Davis Fellowship for School Climate and Culture is generously supported by Delores Barr Weaver.

The Importance of School Climate and Culture

Great principals set a positive, affirming tone for their school climate and culture. They establish a school vision and expectations for student and staff behavior, and develop effective, evidence-based methods for handling discipline problems when they occur. Effective principals make school a safe, welcoming place to be, encouraging student and staff attendance. Relationships are at the core of a great school climate and culture, and great principals make relationships with students, teachers and families a priority, creating a ripple effect across the school community.

The Brian J. Davis Fellowship for School Climate and Culture supports Title I elementary school principals to work on a climate and culture project of their choosing. The fellowship includes grant funding, coaching and other professional development opportunities to help principals increase their positive impact in schools.

“By promoting a positive climate, schools can allow greater equality in educational opportunities, decrease socioeconomic inequalities, and enable more social mobility.”

-- Ron Avi Astor, Marjorie Crump Endowed Professor of Social Welfare at UCLA Luskin

 

Meet the Inaugural Fellow

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Marva Mckinney is the principal at Cedar Hills Elementary and the 2019-2020 Brian J. Davis Fellow for Climate and Culture. She is working to develop a supportive environment at her school, one where students feel safe, they have a relationship with a trusted teachers and are held to high standards for learning. As part of this work, she is developing strategies to reduce disparities in discipline by race and ethnicity at her diverse school.

DID YOU KNOW?

 

93%

of public schools in Duval County earned an "A," "B," or "C" in 2021-2022.