Walter, Heather

Send email to Dr. Walter

Phone: 17039936582
Email: hwalter2 (@gmu.edu)

Heather Walter's website

Heather L. Walter, Ed.D., is a first-generation doctoral graduate, Assistant Professor of Special Education, and Senior Scholar at George Mason University's Center for the Advancement of Wellbeing. Her expansive interdisciplinary expertise spans inclusive education, the science of wellbeing, educational neuroscience, and organizational psychology—built upon more than 15 years cultivating the unique strengths of individuals and teams across diverse educational settings and communities.

Heather's success as a scholar is measured not just in publications and traditional academic metrics, but through mixed-methods research grounded in real-world, measurable impact on individuals, organizations, and the communities they serve. She partners with educators and organizations to provide direct teaching, coaching, and strategic support for recruitment and retention of highly qualified educators, and for advancing wellbeing at individual, team, and organizational levels. She is most aligned when working across disciplines to solve complex challenges and bridge effective leadership practices that lead to increased trust, job alignment, and meaningful educational outcomes.

Walter is engaged in federally funded research (OSEP) and is a recent Spencer Foundation Small Grant recipient for work on special education burnout and wellbeing measurement. She has published in premier field-based and cross-disciplinary practitioner and research journals. Her service supports alignment between research, practice, and cross-disciplinary needs at multiple levels: local (Board President, Green Acres School), regional (Virginia Early Intervention Consortium), university (Mental Health and Wellbeing Task Force), and national organizations (Division for Early Childhood, Personnel Preparation).

Walter has been recognized with the 2021 Dissertation Award in Mixed Methods from the American Educational Research Association (AERA), contributions to policy research through the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and an Exchange Leaders Award through the Exchange Leaders Initiative. She is known for making complex ideas feel doable—and for believing that the best strategies are the ones you'll still be using six months to a year from now.

Education 

Educator and Leader Preperation

Worforce Retention/ Eduational Systems Change 

Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace

Embedding research-based practices into every day routines (Implementation Science )

Mixed Methods Research 

*See full CV for all Publications (see attached)

*See University Spotlights for highlights on my work at CHED and GMU: https://cehd.gmu.edu/news/

• Special Education: General Curriculum
• Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
• Interdisciplinary Center for Research and Development in Teacher Education
• School of Education
• College of Education and Human Development
• Special Education

• Classroom Management and Individualized Behavior Supports (EDSE - 502)
• Consultation, Collaboration, and IEP Development (EDSE - 662)
• Internship: Special Education in General Curriculum (EDSE - 783)

• Inclusive Curriculum for Young Learners: Planning Instruction and Guidance (ECED 403)
• Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education (ECED 405)
• Developing Language, Literacy, and Communication of Diverse Infants and Toddlers (ECED 422)
• Early Intervention for Infants & Toddlers with Disabilities: Collaborative & Consultative Approaches (ECED 423)
• Internship in Early Childhood Education (ECED 490)
• Behavior Management Seminar in Inclusive Early Childhood Education (ECED 491)
• Internship in Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure) (ECED 492)
• Developmental Pathways of Diverse Learners, Birth-Adolescence (ECED 501)
• Inclusive Curriculum for Young Learners: Planning Instruction and Guidance (ECED 503)
• Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education (ECED 505)
• Assessment of Diverse Young Learners (ECED 511)
• Developing Language, Literacy, and Communication of Diverse Infants and Toddlers (ECED 522)
• Early Intervention for Infants & Toddlers with Disabilities: Collaborative & Consultative Approaches (ECED 523)
• Special Topics in Early Childhood Education (ECED 597)
• Applied and Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education (ECED 685)
• Behavior Management Seminar in Inclusive Early Childhood Education (ECED 781)
• Internship in Early Childhood Education Prekindergarten-Third Grade (ECED 788)
• Internship in Early Childhood Special Education Birth - Five (ECED 789)
• Internship in Education (EDCI 790)
• Clinical Practice and Seminar 1: General (EDSE 445)
• Introduction to Special Education (EDSE 501)
• Advanced Internship in Education (EDUC 994)