Richard O. Welsh

Richard O. Welsh is an Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Dr. Welsh’s research focuses on understanding and transforming inequality in K-12 education, and his scholarship interests include urban education, the economics of education, school discipline, student mobility, the politics of education and research-practice partnerships. He employs a combination of quantitative and mixed methods and leverages frameworks from economics, political science, and sociology to better understand the mechanisms of inequality such as suspensions and the policies, practices, and processes intended to enhance educational equity such as coalitions and their influence in educational policymaking. Dr. Welsh is the founding director of The School Discipline Lab.