Susan Kemper Patrick is a Senior Researcher II at the Learning Policy Institute. Her research explores how policies and practices shape equitable access to well-prepared and well-supported educators. She uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to better capture the experiences of educators and the implementation of policies shaping educator preparation, certification, and support.

At LPI, Patrick co-leads the Educator Quality team. In addition to managing tools that describe the national teacher workforce, she leads studies of educator preparation in California and Texas. Patrick started her career as a middle school teacher in Durham, North Carolina and Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining LPI, she served as a postdoctoral researcher for the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, a research-practice partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and Vanderbilt University.

Patrick received a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University, an MEd in Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies from Vanderbilt University, and a BA in African and African-American Studies from Duke University.