Kimberly Austin

Kimberly Austin is a Senior Director of Research Strategy at CPRL and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School. She helps design and lead CPRL’s seminar on achieving fundamental change and improvement in how public school systems serve students and families. In her work as a manager, Kimberly has supported state departments of education, school districts, and charter school networks, including some of the largest school systems in the country. She has deep experience in implementation studies, program evaluation and design, and strategic planning. Her content and policy expertise includes college and career pathways, digital media literacy, school integration and culturally responsive education, teacher preparation, and diversifying the teacher workforce. Her research includes "Teacher Residencies as an Approach to Teacher Diversity," published by Issues in Teacher Education, and Newark Enrolls: A Principled Approach to Public School Choice. Prior to CPRL, Kimberly worked at Relay Graduate School of Education and the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago. Kimberly has also taught in pre-K and first grade classrooms and worked in numerous after-school programs. Kimberly serves on the board of directors of Roots Connected and is an advisory board member at Govern for America. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.