Rachel Elizabeth Williams

Rachel Elizabeth Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Policy Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education. Her research sits at the intersection of Black studies, critical geography, and education policy, focusing on race, place, and political economy in the U.S. metropolitan South.

• PhD in Education, University of California, Berkeley (2022)
• MPP in Education Policy, Vanderbilt University (2015)
• BA in Psychology, Dillard University (2013)

Her work analyzes: 1) charter schools and state takeover impacts on democratic governance in majority-Black contexts; 2) education-capital relationships in metropolitan spatial organization; and 3) Black intra-racial politics within racial capitalism frameworks. Supported by prestigious fellowships including the Ford Foundation and National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation.

Scientific awards include:

• 2024 AERA Division L Outstanding Dissertation Award
• 2021 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
• 2021 AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship
• 2020 AERA & UCEA David L. Clark Scholar

Her publications examine racial erasure in charter governance, subprime education policy frameworks, and historical-spatial dimensions of Black schooling. Current research explores the material-semiotic relationships between education, capital, and metropolitan landscapes.