Kimberly Clarida

Kimberly Clarida is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning (EPP) program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research agenda hinges on examining the lingering implications of Brown v. Board of Education on K-12 education. Her research focuses on 1) the role of organizations and policy implementation in (re)producing educational (in)equity for Black and Brown school leaders, and 2) how district, state, and federal policies impact racial and educational equity for Black and Brown students. Her research interests include educational equity and policy, school leadership, and the historical and sociocultural contexts of educational opportunities for Black and Brown students. Conceptually, she draws on theoretical tools from sociology, critical race scholars, and politics to deepen knowledge of how race and politics operate in education systems. Methodologically, Kimberly combines qualitative case studies with quantitative approaches to create rich datasets that can address complex questions about educational policy and practice. She received her B.A. in Public Policy from UNC-Chapel Hill and her M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia.

Prior to starting graduate school, Kimberly worked as a College Adviser within a high school for the Carolina College Advising Corps and as a Data and Policy Fellow for the National College Advising Corps. She has worked with access and outreach organizations like Girl Scouts and the Boys & Girls Club. As well as working for equity and social justice-orientated organizations like serving as a SELI Fellow (Southern Education Foundation) for the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Atlanta Civic Site and policy organizations like Every Texan. Currently, she is a research assistant on research projects examining race, racism, and equity and is a graduate assistant for UT’s Office of Admissions Access and Inclusion team. These many experiences have allowed Kimberly to see how a child’s life trajectory relies on their chances of being born into a certain neighborhood, family economic bracket, and race. Such awareness has shaped her research passions and influenced her to continue to examine how P-20 policies impact academic achievement and educational opportunities for historically marginalized students. Kimberly hopes that her work will assist in creating a more equitable education system for all students.