Kayla Bill is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership and an affiliate with the Maryland Equity Project. Her research uses mixed methods to study the politics of equity-oriented education reform and prominent policy issues in education. Her current work focuses on the politics of school desegregation efforts; the implementation of various policies stemming from the Blueprint for Maryland's Future; and promising strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse, high-quality teacher workforce. Kayla earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Maryland in 2023. She also holds an M.S. in Kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.S. in Health and Exercise Science from Syracuse University.
Association for Education Finance and Policy Jean Flanigan Outstanding Dissertation Award Honorable Mention (2024)
Support Program for Advancing Research and Collaboration Grant, University of Maryland College of Education (2022)
David L. Clark National Graduate Research Seminar in Educational Administration Selected Attendee (2022)
Just Education Policy Institute Fellow (2021)
Journal Articles
- Bill, K., Bowsher, A., Malen, B., Rice, J. K., & Saltmarsh, J. (2022). Making matters worse? How COVID-19 may affect teacher recruitment. Phi Delta Kappan, 103(6), 36-40.
- Bill, K. (Under review). Politics, policy alternatives, and potential for school desegregation: The case of Howard County, Maryland.
- Bowsher, A., Rice, J. K., Bill, K., & Malen, B. (In progress). Advancing equity: Expanding and diversifying the teacher workforce.
- Brown, T., Malen, B., Bill, K., Bowsher, A., Rice, J. K., & Saltmarsh, J. (In progress). Money matters: The importance of salary in undergraduate prospective teachers' career decisions.
- Bill, K., Bowsher, A., Rice, J. K., & Saltmarsh, J. (In progress). Attracting undergraduates to teacher certification programs.
- Bowsher, A., Bill, K., Brown, T., Saltmarsh, J., & Rice, J. K. (In progress). Mixed messages: The role of social messages in undergraduate prospective teachers' intent to teach.
- Rice, J. K., Bill, K., & Bowsher, A. (In progress). Needles in the haystack: Searching for pools of undergraduate prospective teachers across academic fields.
- Bill, K. (In progress). Desegregation and the end of American educational exceptionalism: New opportunity or same old story?
Book Chapters
- Bill, K. (Accepted). Revisiting the politics of desegregation. In L. D. Fusarelli & B. C. Fusarelli (Eds.), Handbook on the Politics of Education. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Reports
- Molnar, A. (Ed.), Miron, G., Hagle, S., Gulosino, C., Mann, B., Huerta, L., Rice, J. K., Glover, A., & Bill, K. (2023). Virtual schools in the U.S. 2023. National Education Policy Center. https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2023
Policy and Issue Briefs
- Bill, K., Miller, J., & Clark, L. M. (2021). Building a teacher career ladder through collaboration. [Issue Brief]. Maryland PDS 2025 Project, University of Maryland, College of Education. https://education.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Issue%20Brief%20no%202.pdf
- Miller, J., Bill, K., & Clark, L. M. (2021). The teaching internship: How much time is "enough" time? [Issue Brief]. Maryland PDS 2025 Project, University of Maryland, College of Education. https://education.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Issue%20brief%20No%201.pdf