Katherine Kellett Bathgate
Katherine Kellett Bathgate is the CEO & Co-Founder of SchoolForward. She has helped pass dozens of school choice and education reform bills, led extensive message research and polling projects on education topics, and helped thousands of educators exercise their First Amendment rights with respect to union membership. She also led media relations for Supreme Court cases Janus v. AFSCME and Friedrichs v. CTA. Ms. Bathgate previously led the communications and marketing team at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and from 2011-2013, she was the Deputy Press Secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where her work won numerous awards. Ms. Bathgate is a frequent speaker having taught and presented on education policy and issue campaigns before audiences such as American Enterprise Institute, EdChoice, State Policy Network, Club for Growth Foundation, ExcelinEd, and as an instructor and advisor with Education Reformers Academy. Ms. Bathgate attended Claremont McKenna College and resides in Park City, Utah with her husband and four children. She is also the Founding Board Chair at Telos Classical Academy, a school that started in her family's barn in 2021.
ARTICLES & PAPERS
Rethinking ESA Policy Design: A New Approach to Financial Accountability, EdChoice and State Policy Network, July 2025
Breaking the Monopoly of ESA Implementation State Policy Network, September 2024
Katherine Bathgate: Utah Legislature is right to vote for Hope Scholarships Salt Lake Tribune, February 2022
Savings Accounts The 74 Million, September 2020
Building a Successful Issue Campaign: A Template for Your Plan, State Policy Network
Issue Campaign Guide, State Policy Network
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
UPCOMING: From Theory to Practice: Economic Foundations and the Future of School Choice
Guest Lecturer at University of Austin Texas Education Policy Course, Austin, TX
May 11, 2026
UPCOMING: School Choice for Classical Christian Schools: Growth Engine or Hidden Risk?
Society for Classical Learning Summer Symposium, Dallas, TX
June 16-18, 2026
This Is Bigger Than Us: Protecting the Future of Hybrid & Microschool Education
Western Hybrid & Microschools Forum Lunch Keynote, Los Angeles, CA
February 21, 2026
Education Freedom and Financial Accountability: Is It Possible for ESAs to Have Both?
International School Choice and Research Conference, Rome, Italy
January 10, 2026
Rethinking ESA Policy Design
EdChoice Legislator Training, Denver, CO
October 13, 2025
Lessons & Pitfalls in Advocacy
Education Reformers Academy, Virtual
September 11, 2025
Design to Deliver: Taking School Choice from Policy to Parent Satisfaction
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
August 26, 2025
Education Panel on Future of School Choice in MS
Empower Mississippi Solutions Summit, Jackson, MS
December 10, 2025
Leveraging Public Opinion to Drive Education Policy (Moderator)
ExcelinEd National Summit, Oklahoma City, OK
November 15, 2024
ESA Implementation: A Refreshed Approach
Yes. Every Kid. Convening, Houston, TX
November 7, 2024
Lessons & Pitfalls in Advocacy
Education Reformers Academy, Virtual
September 10, 2024
ESA Implementation: Challenges and Possible Solutions
Club for Growth Foundation Summit, Washington, D.C.
September 28, 2024
How Education Savings Accounts are Held Accountable and Avoiding Missteps in Implementation
EdChoice Legislator Training, Salt Lake City, UT
August 26, 2024
The Next Race for Education Freedom
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
August 19, 2024
Navigating the New Education Frontier: Assessments, Action, and Accountability in an Emerging Market (Moderator)
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
August 21, 2024
Lessons & Pitfalls in Advocacy
Education Reformers Academy, Virtual
April 4, 2024
Freedom to Fit: Every Child, Every Option
Pelican Solutions Summit, Baton Rouge, LA
April 1, 2024
Winning Over Rural Lawmakers: A Case Study from Iowa's ESA Win
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL
August 29, 2023
Emerging Ideas in K-12 Education
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
September 19, 2022
The Latest Education Polling and Takeaways for Your State
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
September 19, 2022
Plan a Winning Issue Campaign
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA
September 20, 2022
How to plan a winning education campaign
AEI Conservative Education Reform Network, Virtual
February 3, 2022
The Future of Education
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL
August 31, 2021
Plan a Winning Issue Campaign
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL
August 31, 2021
Demystifying American Rescue Plan Education Dollars
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL
August 31, 2021
Helping Students Learn During and After Coronavirus Closures (Moderator)
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Virtual
September 1, 2020
How the Coronavirus Has Changed K-12 Education
American At Its Best: Hosted by State Policy Network, Virtual
June 1, 2020
How to Message School Choice
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO
October 30, 2019
Make Your Next School Choice Campaign a Success (Moderator)
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO
October 31, 2019
Making Good on the Promise: How High-Quality School Choices Can Transform Communities By Helping Families
State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
October 10, 2018
Ways to Advance Student-Based Budgeting (Moderator)
Education Reform Symposium, Washington, D.C.
July 19, 2018
Connecting with Suburban and Rural Constituents on School Choice
Education Reform Symposium, Washington, D.C.
July 20, 2018
Create Killer Content on a Budget
State Policy Network, Nashville, TN
October 5, 2016