Kate Kennedy (she/her) is an associate policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Kennedy is a K–12 education policy and leadership scholar, with expertise in organizational behavior, social-emotional well-being, school districts, and instruction and assessment. Kennedy uses qualitative methods to examine pressing education issues related to equity, politics, and change. Most recently, Kennedy was a researcher at the University of Southern California in Urban Education Policy. Prior to that, she was a middle school teacher in the Los Angeles Unified and Worthington City School Districts.
Selected Publications
Kennedy, K., "Centering Equity and Caring in Leadership for Social-Emotional Learning: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Diverse Learners," Journal of School Leadership, 29(6), 2019
Kennedy, K. & Walls, J., "How district leaders create caring organizations," Phi Delta Kappan, 103(5), 2022
Bridgeforth, J., Kennedy, K., Alonso, J., Enoch-Stevens, T., "Conceptions of Choice, Equity, & Rurality in Educational Research," The Rural Educator, 42(2), 2021
Marsh, J. & Kennedy, K., "Possibilities and Challenges: Conditions Shaping Educators’ Use of Social–Emotional Learning Indicators," Teachers College Record, 122(14), 2020