Janel Anderson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Administration

Dr. Anderson's (she/her) work investigates the way teachers’ working conditions, education policy and evolving community expectations impact teacher effectiveness. After working as a high school teacher and educational leader for 20 years, Dr. Anderson...

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Janel Anderson

Contact Information

Education & Curriculum Vitae

Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison

M.A., Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse

B.A., History, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Dr. Anderson's (she/her) work investigates the way teachers’ working conditions, education policy and evolving community expectations impact teacher effectiveness. After working as a high school teacher and educational leader for 20 years, Dr. Anderson completed her Ph.D. in order to investigate the relationship between school structures and teachers' ability to provide the care and support students need. Her work is designed to improve teacher retention and student outcomes through reforms that nourish strong non-oppressive schools while helping recruit and retain remarkable teachers. Her areas of scholarly interest and expertise include: The intersection of student outcomes and teacher working conditions, the new work of care in American schools, teacher retention, and systemic inequities in American schools.

Chapters

  • Anderson, J., Lauren, P. M., Ripp, S., & Carmen, P. (2023). Establishing Linkages-Outreach: The Institute for Regional and International Studies National Resource Center’s Outreach. In E. S. Ahn (Ed.), Wisconsin in the world: Internationalization at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Information Age Publishing, Inc.
  • Anderson, J. (Forthcoming). Ethic of Care. In K. Henry & S. Powell (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Justice in Education (Race and Ethnicity, Vol. 1). Bloomsbury Publishing.

Articles

  • Anderson, J. (2021, April). Where are the Teachers? [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, March). What Should We Tell Young Teachers About This Job? [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, March). Real Teacher Stories of a Pandemic [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, April). Why Do We Keep Asking Teachers to Be Heroes? [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, May). The Toughest Simple Solution [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, June). Turning the Mirror on Ourselves [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2021, February). Boom! Here Comes the Data: Book Review—Data Culture and the Organization of Teache’s Work [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • Anderson, J. (2020, March 30). Understanding Teacher Loss [Blog]. Real Teacher Stories.
  • McQuillan, M., Anderson, J., & Gandy-Fastovich, L. (n.d.). “Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing.”: Administrators’ Sensemaking of Gender Identity Laws and the Implications of Understanding State Policies. American Educational Research Journal.
  • Anderson, J., Caregiving Labor and Teachers’ Work: A Review of the Literature. Review of Educational Research. 

Professional Papers or Posters Presented

National & International

  • Anderson, J. (2023, November). Teach Like a Mother; The Gendered Nature of Teacher Care. A Call to Action: Imagining a Hard Reset in Educational Leadership. University Council for Educational Administration, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Anderson, J. (2023, June). Care Ethics, Social Reproduction and the Intensification of Teachers’ Work. Thinking Social Reproduction at Multiple Scales. Global Carework Summit, Costa Rica University, San Jose, Costa Rica.
  • Anderson, J. (2023, April). The Impact of Care Labor on Teachers Professional Lives. Paper Session. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
  • Anderson, J. (2023, April). Oppressive Double Binds and Teachers’ Professional Lives: Case Studies in Care, Intensification and Social Reproduction. Symposium. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
  • Anderson, J. (2022, November). Professional Life of Teachers Survey. Graduate Student Paper Session. University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Annual Convention, Seattle, WA.
  • Anderson, J. (2022, April). Teaching in the Shadow of “Divisive Concepts”: The Impact of Anti-Equity Legislation on Teachers’ Work. Symposium. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
  • Anderson, J. (2021, October). Mapping Care Theory’s Impact on Teachers’ Work. Conference Paper. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Research on Women in Education (RWE) Conference, Virtual.
  • Anderson, J. (2021, March). Researching What Teachers Need, Rather Than What Teachers Should Do. (Conference Paper). American Educational Research Association (AERA) Campus Leadership Programming & LEADS Graduate Student Leadership Series.
  • Anderson, J. (2018, July). Teaching Current Affairs in Middle East Studies. Keynote. The Institute for Middle East Studies, George Washington University.
  • Anderson, J. (2012, April). When Silence Speaks: A Case Study Investigating the Effects of Restricting Teachers' Classroom Speech. The Challenges of Being A Good Citizen and A Good Teacher: Lessons from the Wisconsin Protests. Symposium. American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC. 

Grants Funded

  • Hartzman International Travel Award, Global Education Committee, UW- Madison, $1,600 award. (2023)
  • Latin American, Caribbean, & Iberan Studies (LACIS ) Conference Travel Award
    for K-12 Outreach, $1,500 award. (2019, 2023)

Research Interests

  • Teachers’ Care Labor
  • Systemic Oppression & Injustice in K12 Education
  • Academic Freedom and Teacher Agency in K12 Schools
  • The relationship between teachers’ working conditions and student outcomes