Equity-focused K-12 education policy; policy implementation; politics of education; organizational theory; instructional policy; education reform; culturally responsive teaching; leadership; equity and justice

Meghan Comstock is an Assistant Professor of Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. In her scholarship, she aims to understand how K-12 instructional policies and the institutional and organizational conditions in schools shape equitable educational opportunities for minoritized students. Using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies, she studies the implementation and politics of equity-oriented K-12 education reforms related to teaching, leadership, and cultural responsiveness. Her current work examines implementation of district-level instructional reforms, state-level teacher licensure and teacher diversity policies, and district-level equity leadership. A throughline in her work is attention to how educators and policy actors understand equity, the politics of equity-focused work, and the use of equity-centered language in policy. Her work has appeared in AERA Open, Journal of School Leadership, Leadership and Policy in Schools, and Teachers College Record. Comstock earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023. She also holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Virginia. Her scholarship and teaching are informed by her experience as an elementary mathematics and science teacher in Jonestown, Mississippi.

Refereed Journal Articles: 

Comstock, M. (in press). Gaps in achievement or opportunity?: How achievement gap discourse affects teachers’ beliefs and priorities. Urban Education. 

Gottfried, M., Fletcher, T., & Comstock, M. (2024). Teaching mathematics in kindergarten: How does instruction differ by classroom ability? Teachers College Record, 125(10) 102–130.

Comstock, M., Litke, E., Hill, K.L., & Desimone, L.M. (2023). A culturally responsive disposition: How professional learning and teachers’ beliefs about and self-efficacy for culturally responsive teaching relate to instruction. AERA Open, 9(1), 1-18. 

Comstock, M., & Margolis, J. (2023). The case of the model classroom: Cognition and authenticity in teacher professional development. Professional Development in Education, 1-17.

Supovitz, J. A., & Comstock, M. (2023). The impact of a formal teacher leadership program on student performance. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31(74), 1-19.

Comstock, M., Edgerton, A. K., & Desimone, L. M. (2022). Connecting policy to practice: How state and local policy environments relate to teachers’ instruction. Teachers College Record, 124(11), 82-116.

Kaul, M., Comstock, M., & Simon, N. (2022). Leading from the middle: How principals rely on district guidance and organizational conditions in times of crisis. AERA Open, 8(1), 1-16.

Comstock, M., Supovitz, J., & Kaul, M. (2021). Exchange quality in teacher leadership ties: Examining relational quality using social network and leader-member exchange theories. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 6(4), 395-409.

Supovitz, J.A., & Comstock, M. (2021). How teacher leaders influence instruction. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 22(2), 418-437.

Kaul, M., Supovitz, J., & Comstock, M. (2021). Investigating instructional influence in teachers’ social networks. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 6(4), 378-394.

Comstock, M., & Margolis, J. (2021). “Tearing down the wall”: Making sense of teacher leaders as instructional coaches and evaluators. Journal of School Leadership, 31(4), 297-317. 

  • TLPL 687/PLCY 689: Politics of Education
  • TLPL 671: Education Policy Analysis
  • TLPL 788M: Research Development Workshop