Leslie Grant
New faculty member in the Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership Program
After five years as a visiting assistant professor in the School of Education at William and Mary and a year as an assistant professor in the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University, Dr. Leslie Grant has been named Assistant Professor in Instructional Leadership in the Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership (EPPL) program. She began her career as a middle school teacher and enjoyed teaching adolescents for a decade. During her last year of teaching, she was appointed as the instructional leader for social studies. Additionally, for four years Dr. Grant worked as an item writer and test developer with the California Testing Bureau (CTB), engaging in state standard-setting and developing state customized assessments across the country.
Dr. Grant earned a master's degree in Educational Administration from Old Dominion University in 1994, an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from George Washington University in 1997, and a Ph.D. in EPPL from the School of Education at William and Mary in 2006. Her dissertation focused on examining curriculum implementation and alignment to curriculum standards.
"My goal," says Dr. Grant, "is to contribute to the continued success of educational leaders." She is delighted to be back teaching in the K-12 General Administration program in the Masters, Doctoral and Executive Ed.D. programs. Her greatest joys of teaching are the notes or emails from former and current students about the positive impact she made on their development as teachers and educational leaders. Dr. Grant has earned several awards in her career, including the 2011 Dean's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Collaborative Initiatives from The College.
There are two avenues to Dr. Grant's research. One is teacher effectiveness, and she focuses on this aspect within the U.S. and through cross-cultural comparisons, including effective teaching in China, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Additionally, Dr. Grant is passionate about developing assessment literacy. This passion was sparked during her time as a classroom teacher and grew in her work with CTB. She laments that "I wish I had known as a classroom teacher the knowledge and skills I learned in my work with CTB." She has worked extensively with pre-service and in-service teachers as well as educational leaders to develop this critical area and is currently investigating the impact of a professional development model in developing assessment literacy.
Dr. Grant says of her work, "My teaching and research are supportive of one another in that my research relates directly to the courses I teach as part of the Instructional Leadership core within the Educational Leadership program." Her passion for teaching and research are evident in her work and in her writing.
Dr. Grant has published journal articles related to effective teaching and at-risk and/or highly mobile students and has written several books that focus on effective teaching practices. She has been invited to present at the local, state, national, and international levels. In addition, Dr. Grant has worked with schools, school districts, and state departments of education on issues related to student assessment and measuring teacher effectiveness. She is currently working on a book with colleagues at William and Mary, Yunnan Normal University in China, and the University of Connecticut on the results of an international comparative study of award-winning teachers in the U.S. and China.
Dr. Grant lives in Yorktown with her husband and 14-year-old son.
