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. His research focuses on understanding and transforming inequality in K–12 education, with scholarship interests in urban education, the economics of education, school discipline, student mobility, the politics of education, and research-practice partnerships. He employs quantitative and mixed methods, drawing from economics, political science, and sociology to examine mechanisms of inequality such as suspensions and the policies, practices, and coalitions influencing educational policymaking. Welsh is the founding director of The School Discipline Lab. He previously served as assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at New York University and assistant professor of educational administration and policy at the University of Georgia, where he was district-wide professor in residence for Clarke County School District. Welsh earned a BA in economics and an MA in Latin American studies from Stanford University, an MA in economics from the University of Southern California, and a PhD in urban education policy from the University of Southern California.

updated 2025