Anjali Adukia

Assistant Professor

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Anjali Adukia is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the College and the director of the MiiE Lab (Messages, Identity, and Inclusion in Education). In her work, she is interested in understanding how to reduce inequalities such that children from historically disadvantaged backgrounds have equal opportunities to fully develop their potential.  Her research is focused on understanding factors that motivate and shape behavior, preferences, attitudes, and educational decision-making, with a particular focus on early-life influences.  She examines how the provision of basic needs—such as safety, health, justice, and representation—can increase school participation and improve child outcomes in developing contexts.

Adukia completed her doctoral degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, with an academic focus on the economics of education. She is a recipient of the William T. Grant Foundation‘s Scholar Award for her work understanding the role of school structures in exacerbating or mitigating inequality. She also received a National Academy of Education/Spencer FoundationPostdoctoral Fellowship, in addition to a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences. Her dissertation won awards from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP), and the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Adukia received recognition for her teaching from the University of Chicago Feminist Forum.  She completed her masters of education degrees in international education policy and higher education (administration, planning, and social policy) from Harvard University and her bachelor of science degree in molecular and integrative physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She is a faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a faculty affiliate of the University of Chicago Education Lab.  She is on the editorial boards of Education Finance and Policy, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, and Journal of Social Computing (IEEE).

Anjali’s Resources
From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice in Schools
Academic Paper

From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice in Schools

Feb 2025

This paper evaluates the impact of Chicago Public Schools’ adoption of restorative practices on student discipline, finding decreased suspensions and arrests, particularly for Black students.

NBER working paper – From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Academic Paper

NBER working paper – From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Sep 2023

This paper evaluates the effect of restorative practices implemented in Chicago high schools, finding decreases and student arrests in and outside of school and for violent and non-violent offenses.

Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Academic Paper

Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Sep 2023

Read the working paper on the results of the Education Lab’s findings from a study of the implementation of restorative practices in Chicago Public Schools.

Video – From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Video

Video – From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Nov 2023

This video provides an overview of the Education Lab’s evaluation of the effect of restorative practices implemented in high schools across Chicago Public Schools.

Anjali’s Projects
Restorative Practices
CURRENT

Restorative Practices

In partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Education Lab evaluated the effect of restorative practices implemented in high schools across the district.

Latest Updates

A restorative approach to student discipline shows promise in reducing suspensions and arrests
Op-Ed
Brookings
Feb 2025

A restorative approach to student discipline shows promise in reducing suspensions and arrests

Suspensions are a common form of official discipline implemented in American schools, but can alternative approaches prove effective in reducing harmful student behavior?

Anjali Adukia on restorative practices in schools
Podcast
Probable Causation
Oct 2024

Anjali Adukia on restorative practices in schools

Crime Lab affiliate Anjali Adukia joins the Probable Causation Podcast with Jennifer Doleac to discuss research on the use of restorative justice practices in schools.

UChicago Education Lab’s Research Seeks to Reshape Classroom Culture
Media Mention
The Chicago Maroon
Nov 2023

UChicago Education Lab’s Research Seeks to Reshape Classroom Culture

The Chicago Maroon’s Vernon Li reflects on a recent Education Lab study that showed promising results from Restorative Practices in Chicago Public Schools.