Dr. Welton is on sabbatical leave for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Anjalé D. Welton is a scholar whose research examines how educational leaders dialogue about and address race and racism within school communities. Her work also highlights the role of student and community voice, leadership, and activism in driving educational reform and transformation.
Dr. Welton brings extensive professional experience to her scholarship, having coordinated a leadership and empowerment program for urban youth, facilitated an urban education teacher preparation program, and taught in large urban school districts. Deeply committed to bridging research and practice, she regularly provides professional development for educational leaders on issues of race and equity.
Her co-authored book with Sarah Diem (University of Missouri), Anti-racist Educational Leadership and Policy: Addressing Racism in Public Education, challenges school leaders to critically examine the racial implications of the policies they design and implement. The book has received widespread national recognition, including the Taylor and Francis “Outstanding New Textbook” Award in Behavioral Sciences and Education (2020) and the AESA Critic’s Choice Book Award (2021). Her scholarly and community impact has also been recognized with the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) Linda C. Tillman Social and Racial Justice Award (2024).
Education
- PhD Educational Policy and Planning, University of Texas at Austin
- MA Special Education, George Washington University
- MA Higher Education Administration, University of Maryland-College Park
- BA Psychology, Southern Methodist University
Select Publications
- Diem, S., Iverson, D., Welton, A. D., & Walters, S. W. (2024). A path towards racial justice in education: Anti-racist policy decision-making in school districts. Educational Policy. https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048241271329
- Iverson, D., Welton, A. D., Diem, S., & Walters, S. W. (2024). How whiteness fuels anti-Blackness: Black leaders’ experiences in an urban high school. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2024.2348793
- Welton, A.D., Diem, S., & Lent, S.D. (2023). Let’s face it, the racial politics are always there: A critical race approach to policy implementation in the wake of anti-CRT rhetoric. Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 31(109). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7694
- Welton, A.D., Mansfield, K.C., & Salisbury, J.D. (2022). The politics of student voice: The power and potential of students as policy actors. Educational Policy, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F08959048211059718
- Welton, A., & Harris, T. (2022). Youth of color social movements for racial justice: The politics of interrogating the school-to-prison pipeline. Educational Policy, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048211059728
- Diem, S., & Welton, A. (2020). Anti-racist Educational Leadership and Policy: Addressing Racism in Public Education. Routledge.
- Welton, A., & Mansfield, K. (2020). More than Just an Academic Exercise: Conjoining Critical Policy Analysis and Community-Engaged Research as an Embodiment of Political Action. Educational Studies, 56(6), 619-635. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2020.1837834
- Welton, A., Diem, S., & Carpenter, B. W. (2019). Negotiating the politics of anti-racist leadership: The challenges of leading under the predominance of whiteness, Special Issue. Urban Education, 54(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085918783830
- Welton, A., Owens, D., & Zamani-Gallaher, E. (2018). Anti-racist change: A conceptual framework for educational institutions to take systemic action. Teachers College Record, 120(14). Online Publication/Abstract.
- Welton, A., & Freelon, R. (2018). Community organizing as educational leadership: Lessons from Chicago on the politics of racial justice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 13(1), 79-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775117744193
- Welton, A., & Zamani-Gallaher, E. M. (2018). Facilitating Institutional Change for Racial Equity in the Educational Pipeline. Teachers College Record, 120(14). Online Publication/Abstract.
- Welton, A., & Diem, S. (2016). Who will be “My Brother’s Keeper?” The Problematic nature of using a Colorblind approach to address racial inequities. Teachers College Record. Online Publication/Abstract.
- Welton, A., & Williams, M. (2015). Accountability strain, college-readiness drain: Sociopolitical tensions involved in maintaining a college-going culture in a high “minority,” high poverty Texas high school. The High School Journal, 98(2), 181-204.