Jennifer Nelson

Jennifer Nelson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a joint appointment in the School of Labor and Employment Relations. Her interdisciplinary work bridges educational leadership, organizational sociology, and social inequality research, focusing on how school structures shape educators' experiences.

• PhD in Sociology, Emory University
• BA in Sociology, Columbia University
• IES Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University
• Former high school teacher in public urban school

Nelson's research examines work and organizations through a sociological lens, with particular attention to structures of social inequality by race, class, and gender. As an organizational ethnographer, she investigates how school structures and practices shape teachers' behavior, attitudes, and social interactions. Her work explores teacher networks, interracial relations, job satisfaction, and turnover, with a focus on how principal practices influence teachers' access to workplace resources and support. Nelson also studies urban teachers' job reward bundles as predictors of turnover, early childhood teachers' identity strategies, organizational justice in predicting teacher trust, and determinants of state-level adoption of alternative teacher certification laws. Currently, she is conducting research on principal compensation and evaluation, as well as teacher-principal social interactions.

Her scholarly work demonstrates consistent focus on educational leadership, organizational sociology, and social inequality in schools. The majority of her publications appear in top-tier journals across education and sociology disciplines, reflecting interdisciplinary scholarship that bridges theory and practice. Her research methods primarily employ qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, with increasing incorporation of survey data and statistical analysis in recent work.

• Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar in Professional Capital and Community Award (2020)
• AERA Division A Outstanding Dissertation Award (2019)

Nelson actively contributes to the academic community through editorial work for the journal "Work and Occupations" and teaches graduate courses including EPOL 557: Education and Stratification, EPOL 544: Organizational Theory for Educational Leaders, and EPOL 547: District Change for Equity and Social Justice. Her research is supported by collaborations with colleagues across institutions, particularly with scholars at Vanderbilt University, and addresses critical questions about how school organizations can better support educators and promote equity.