HGSE Admissions Blog

I’m professor Ebony N. Bridwell-Mitchell. I am the Herbert A. Simon Professor in Education, Management, and Organizational Behavior. I’ve worked at HGSE since 2012 after starting my career as an assistant professor in Brown University’s sociology department. 

What brought you to the field of education? 

I’ve worked in the field of education almost all my adult life (even though in elementary school I wanted to be a veterinarian and still love animals today). I have a career in education partly because of the human service and human development commitment that many people in my family hold and have instilled in me. I am also in education because I have witnessed, in my own life and the lives of so many others, how education provides access to opportunities that otherwise are unequally distributed but are essential to thriving in our world.  

What are some of the classes that you teach, and what is your favorite class to teach?  

For me, thriving is not simply an individual pursuit but something that requires systemic supports, which is why I research and teach about organizations. There is a lot we know about what it takes for organizations to have conditions that help individuals, communities and societies thrive. I teach about some of these core principles in my class, EDU A504 – The Organization Science of School Improvement. One thing we also know about organizations, especially school organizations, is that they can be very resistant to the kinds of changes that would better create the conditions for human thriving because of how schools operate not only as organizations but as institutions. This is why I also teach the course, EDU A362 – Institutional Change in School Organizations, Systems, and Sectors, which is certainly one of my favorites! 

Is there any research/initiative you are currently working on that you’d like to share more about? How are HGSE students involved in these efforts?

Right now, one project I’m really excited about is the proposal for my new book, TUЯNEDAЯOUND:  Between What is and What’s Possible for the Future of America’s Underperforming Public Schools. I’m working on the proposal with the research assistance of a now graduated former student who worked with me on a prior research project. I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to work with many wonderful students on my research projects, not only as reseach assistants but sometimes as co-authors. One great example is my article, “Defying Logic? Exploring the Multiple Network Pathways for Principals’ Institutional Logics” in the journal Educational Administration Quarterly written with one student who is now a professor and with the research assistance of another who has gone on to become a senior education advisor at the U.S. Department of Education.  

What is your favorite thing about working at HGSE?  

The collaborations on my research projects illustrate one of the things that I love most about working at HGSE. This is the opportunity to work with so many smart, driven people, eager to impact the sector for the better and work together in ways that makes the pursuit of that aim feel collective, fun, and meaningful. This is certainly true of the student body and just as true for my faculty colleagues. Indeed, my faculty community is definitely one of my favorite things about HGSE especially knowing what lack of community can look and feel like at some other institutions.  

Who is an educator that inspires you? 

I certainly would never have accomplished almost anything that I have without the inspiration of the amazing educators who instilled in me a passion for learning for learning’s sake but also for the sake of creating a more just world where each person has the equal opportunity to thrive and actualize their life’s full potential. The list of such educators is long and starts with my very first teacher, Dr. Sandra D. Bridwell, but also includes educators in whose tradition she herself has followed. One example is Ida B. Wells-Barnett, whose book of collected works I keep on display near my desk to remind me not only of all I have been granted by those who have come before me but also all that I owe because of this.