Brittany Murray Malcolm O. Partin Assistant Professor of Educational Studies and Political Science

My research centers on the ways parents, with different levels of social and economic power, work both individually and collectively to shape education policy, school resource allocation, student sorting, and the distribution of learning opportunities in U.S. public schools. I also interrogate the rules, norms, and socio-political processes of K-12 schooling that empower racially and economically advantaged students and families while silencing and depriving those from historically marginalized backgrounds. I use mixed methods to answer my research questions and I have a special interest in leveraging novel sources of administrative data to gain unique analytical perspectives on school and community contexts.

I am excited to bring my interdisciplinary research specialization into the classroom at Davidson College! I teach courses that focus on the foundations of K-12 education policy, research methods, administrative data, politics of public policy, and am thrilled to offer courses related to families, racial inequality, and collective action. I hope to collaborate with students in my research program as well as through my partnership work that focuses on creating more inclusive access to data and decision-making processes for Black, Latinx, and low-income parents within local political and community-based organizations and groups.