The Center for Urban Education at Cleveland State University (CSU) was founded in 2010. It initially served as the research and development arm of the Campus International School (CIS), an innovative public school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) that was also established in 2010 in partnership with CSU. In the years since its inception, in addition to its continued collaboration with CIS, the Center has grown to include research and development collaborations with other schools, districts, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations in Greater Cleveland, Ohio, and beyond. 

The Center engages in collaborative evaluation research with stakeholders internal and external to CSU; conducts original research related to urban education in conjunction with affiliates at CSU and other research institutions; and facilitates educational programs, professional development, and technical assistance for the CSU and outside communities. The Center is a founding member of the Cleveland Alliance for Education Research, a research-practice partnership among CSU, CMSD, and the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and represents CSU as a partner institution in the Ohio Education Research Center (OERC). The Center has generated over seven million dollars in grant funding to CSU from federal (e.g., Institute of Education Sciences, National Endowment for the Arts, National Institute of Justice), state, and foundation (e.g., Hewlett Foundation, Spencer Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation) sources.  

The Center is located on CSU campus in Julka Hall rooms 379, 390, and 394.