Kelly Schlabach
About Kelly
Schlabach (she/they) is a current PhD Candidate in the Learning, Leadership and Educational Policy program at the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Higher Education Racial Justice and Decolonization. Schlabach works as a Graduate Assistant in the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights and in the Department of Educational Leadership. At UConn, they have supported the coordination of the International and Comparative Advancement of Racial Equity for Social Justice Summer Summit. Schlabach's research interests include deconstructing whiteness in educational systems and more specifically, how institutions invoke police to protect white interests.
Contributions
Publications
Introduces “BREATHE” as a teaching approach that centers care, reflection, and justice in the classroom. Argues that faculty can better support students—especially those from marginalized backgrounds—by rethinking what counts as knowledge and creating more humanizing learning environments.
Examines laws restricting the teaching of race and racism, arguing they erase important histories and perspectives. Shows how these policies reinforce inequality by limiting what can be taught and discussed in universities.
Argues that higher education institutions still rely on power structures rooted in racism, even when they appear modern or progressive. Shows how these patterns continue to shape policies, leadership, and campus experiences.