Name: Kate Donohue
Hometown: I moved around a lot growing up (MA, NJ, DC, CO, IL)!
Education: Boston College, Bachelors of Arts in Political Science; East Carolina University, Post Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure in Middle Grades; Brown University, Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy.
How did your previous educational and professional experiences lead or motivate you to pursue a Master’s in Urban Education Policy?
I studied Political Science with an emphasis on social justice at Boston College for four years attempting to embody the Jesuit motto of “men and women for others.” I looked at inequities through theological, philosophical, and social lenses but it wasn’t until I started teaching in rural North Carolina through Teach For America that I started to understand the reality and systemic nature of those inequities and the role of education in combating them. My time teaching left me both hopeful and increasingly outraged and committed to pursuing a career in education. I left teaching to recruit teachers for Dallas ISD in hopes of impacting change at a systems level - DISD hired close to 2,000 teachers per year and I strongly believed, and still do, that teachers are critical to improving the quality of education. While I was at DISD, I spearheaded data tracking efforts and designed a new teacher selection process to better ensure that we were getting strong teachers in front of students. That experience provided me with a much better understanding of district policy levers and how data can be used to drive action. I was excited to continue to build my understanding of education policy and strengthen my analytic skills which ultimately led me to UEP.
What is your favorite UEP memory?
I really enjoyed the cohort model - it was great to be in a community with people who were all passionate about education but were thinking about it in different ways. Everyone brought their own unique perspective and experience and we were able to learn from each other. The cohort ties have lasted long past UEP - I’ve made lifelong friends through the program and it also has strengthened my professional network, particularly since I still work in education in RI.
The two other aspects of UEP that I really enjoyed were the internship and quantitative training. My internship provided me the opportunity to stay proximate to the work and apply the skills I was developing. I also am one of the rare students who really liked learning Stata and how I could use quantitative methods to answer some of the questions I came into the program with.
What was your favorite part of living in Providence and attending Brown?
I absolutely love Providence! Little did I know when I moved here six years ago for grad school, that I would stay. The sense of community in Providence is really great - it’s small enough that you’ll run into people you know but it’s also its own vibrant city with a bunch of cool neighborhoods to explore. And don’t even get me started on the food scene - it’s absolutely incredible, while also being accessible and affordable. Some of the best meals I’ve had have been in Providence!
What have you been up to after graduating from the program? Anything exciting?
Indeed! I’ve stayed at Brown and I’m working at the Annenberg Institute. For the last several years I’ve been managing local research practice partnerships with the Providence school district and RI Department of Education. We’ve primarily focused on questions of teacher staffing and ESSER spending.