K-12 education policy; policy implementation; politics of education; instructional policy; education reform; culturally responsive teaching; professional development; leadership

Meghan Comstock is an Assistant Professor in Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her scholarship is driven by a desire to understand how K-12 instructional policies and the institutional and organizational conditions in schools shape equitable educational opportunities for racially/ethnically minoritized students. Her work examines the political dimensions of equity-focused policy; implementation of initiatives in teaching and learning, with emphasis on culturally responsive teaching; and the role of leadership in instructional improvement efforts. Comstock uses an interdisciplinary lens that bridges organizational sociology, politics of education, and teaching and leadership studies. She draws on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies and leverages qualitative interviews and document analysis, survey methods, social network analysis, and descriptive and causal quantitative methods. Her current work examines implementation of district-level curriculum and professional learning initiatives and state-level teacher licensure policy reform. Her work has appeared in AERA Open, Journal of School Leadership, Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 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 is informed by her experience as an elementary mathematics and science teacher in Jonestown, Mississippi. 

Refereed Journal Articles: 

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. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681221143548

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. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221140092

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. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052684620969932

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. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpcc-01-2021-0002

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. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221077303

Kaul, M., Supovitz, J., & Comstock, M. (2021). Investigating instructional influence in teachers’ social networks. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 6(4), 378-394. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpcc-11-2020-0086

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. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7524

Supovitz, J.A., & Comstock, M. (2023). How teacher leaders influence instruction. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 22(2), 418-437. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2021.1971260

  • TLPL 687: Politics of Education