Cody Norton

Cody Norton (he/they) is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership department specializing in Teacher Education and Professional Development. Before graduate school, he worked as an elementary teacher for 11 years in Washington, DC. Cody then served as an instructional coach for the teacher preparation program City Teaching Alliance, coordinator in the Content and Curriculum division for DC Public Schools, and curriculum writer for the DC History Center. His primary research interest focuses on examining how the intersection of community organizing, critical pedagogy, and teacher preparation can lead to transformative school experiences for students and families. Cody earned an A.A. in Humanities from Jamestown Community College, a B.A. in Sociology from Ithaca College, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University.

In addition to his background in education, Cody took on roles as an organizer in various capacities. He worked with the DC Education Coalition for Change (DCECC) to secure millions of dollars of funding for community school programs in Washington, DC, successfully advocated for reforms to the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) school STAR rating system with EmpowerEd, and championed increased health and safety protections for public school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic as a member of the Washington Teacher's Union (WTU). Currently, he is a labor organizer for the UMD Graduate Labor Union in their campaign for union recognition and collective bargaining rights.

If you would like to connect to discuss potential research collaborations, please contact him at cnorton[@]umd[dot]edu.