Bridwell-Mitchell's research builds on her three areas of training and study: organizational management and theory, public policy, and education. Bridwell-Mitchell graduated, summa cum laude, in 1996 from Cornell University with a degree in American policy studies and a concentration in education policy. She earned her master's in public policy with a concentration in human labor resources and education from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1999. In 2008, she completed her Ph.D. in organization theory and management with a focus on school organizations at New York University's Stern School of Business. Bridwell-Mitchell's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, presented at numerous professional conferences, and published in high impact academic journals.