Tangela Blakely Reavis
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Associate Program Director for the Doctorate in Educational Leadership Program
|
Professional Overview
Dr. Tangela Blakely Reavis (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Dr. Reavis’ research sits at the intersections of P-12 and higher education by exploring the social and racial inequities in students’ pathways into, through, and out of postsecondary education. Her research agenda includes two major foci: 1) the organizational context of schools and how various stakeholders within them (e.g. administrators, teachers, parents) shape access to or reproduce barriers in students’ pathways into higher education; and 2) how structures of power and oppression such as racism, classism, gender, policy (and its intersections) influence the experiences and outcomes of Black and other marginalized students as they seek college opportunity and success. Her work draws on critical frameworks and methodologies including critical race theory, sociological theories of reproduction, and Black feminism.
Dr. Reavis is currently the principal investigator of a Spencer Foundation-funded project which is examining the college-going pathways and outcomes of Black students, amid the pervasive racial and social inequities caused by the global pandemic. Two other projects include her investigation of free college policy and whether such interventions are designed to address equity beyond price; and lastly, her on-going work with the Black Women’s Alumnae Project which explores the role of intersectionality regarding Black women and college success.
Dr. Reavis’ research has been published in leading education journals and policy outlets including Teachers College Record, American Education Research Journal, The Journal of Student Financial Aid, Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings, and Journal of Higher Education.
Dr. Reavis is a scholar-practitioner with nearly two decades of experience in education research, student affairs, consulting, and non-profit management. As a first-generation college student, she is passionate about addressing issues of inequity in higher education and also building a strong community of support for students. Dr. Reavis earned her Master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Higher Education concentration). She is also a proud HBCU alumna, where she received a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College.