Kate Kennedy is a PhD student in Urban Education Policy at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. She studies the K-12 American educational landscape, building on a career of classroom teaching and education leadership. Kate's research focuses on politics, leadership, and equity in K-12 education policy. Specific topics of interest include charter schools, teachers' unions, policy implementation, school leadership, and theories of care. These interests are driven by a passion for social justice, a belief in transformative leadership, an ethic of caring, and a deep respect for the teaching profession.

Kennedy has led various school improvement and change initiatives during the eras of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. She worked with teachers, leaders, and districts in their use of value-added data for school improvement, which she wrote about in How to use value-added analysis for learning, published by Corwin Press. An expert in formative instructional practices, or formative assessment, Kate led teachers and leaders in professional development as Director of Professional Learning at Battelle for Kids. As Director of School Performance and School Accountability at the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Kate helped new, high-quality charter schools. A former middle school teacher in Los Angeles Unified and Worthington City Schools, Kennedy was rated a most effective teacher. Throughout her career educating young people, Kate taught ESL, social studies, intervention reading, gifted, and special education inclusion classes.

Kate works as a research associate with Dr. Julie Marsh and through the Center on Education Policy, Equity and Governance on education policy initiatives.

Kate is a native of Worthington, Ohio and a graduate of The Ohio State University; there, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies. Kate also earned a Master of Education in Public School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. Kate is an alumnus of Teach For America.

Experience

Professional Experience:

Resarch Associate, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California 

Teacher, Worthington City Schools 

Director of Professional Learning, Battelle for Kids

Director of School Peformance and Accountability, Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools 

Teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District 

Honors and Awards:

Rossier Dean's Assistantship