Anita Wadhwa

Anita Wadhwa is descended from Punjabi refugees and immigrants, is the mother of two daughters, and humbly resides on land which was originally inhabited by the Karankawa, Sana, Atakapa-Ishak, and Akokisa peoples. A high school teacher also trained as an educational sociologist, she has held roles as a restorative justice coordinator, assistant principal, and in school suspension teacher. Her book, Restorative Justice in Urban Schools: Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline, analyzes the school to prison pipeline in a historical context, and explores how restorative justice – coupled with critical pedagogy focused on the political, social and economic structures that contribute to students’ schooling experiences – can transform relationships and create space for increased student engagement and political change.

Over ten years, Wadhwa has crafted a youth apprenticeship model of restorative justice in which students are trained in how to conduct peace circles. Her program was featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition the Huffington Post, and Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Wadhwa has her Ed.D from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and a BA in English from the University of Houston.

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