Tangela Blakely Reavis

Dr. Tangela Blakely Reavis studies the relationship between social inequality and educational opportunity across the intersections of K–12 schooling and higher education. Her research examines Black students’ pathways into, through, and beyond postsecondary education, with particular attention to how race, policy, and organizational contexts shape college access, choice, and success. Her work seeks to examine and disrupt the systemic barriers that historically marginalized communities face as they pursue access to higher education and other educational opportunities.

Drawing on critical and asset-based frameworks—including the theory of racialized organizations, community cultural wealth, and Black feminist thought—her work examines how institutional routines, leadership practices, and policy decisions structure opportunity within education systems. Her research takes a both/and approach, examining both students’ lived experiences and the organizational contexts that shape educational opportunity.

Methodologically, she employs critical qualitative methods, including interviews, narrative inquiry, and oral history, to examine students’ lived experiences and institutional contexts. Her projects include research on Black students’ college-going trajectories and the Black Women’s Alumnae Project, a critical oral history study exploring Black women’s educational experiences and postsecondary outcomes.

Her projects have also examined the equity implications of college affordability and “free college” policy initiatives, including research on promise programs and how policy design and implementation shape college-going behavior and educational opportunity.

In her work with educational leaders, Dr. Reavis supports the development of equity-driven leadership practices rooted in critical reflection, community context, and advocacy. She works with leaders to interrogate injustice and work to reimagine educational institutions as sites of transformation.