Walter, Heather
Dr. Heather Walter
(she/her/hers)
EdD, George Washington University
Assistant Professor
Early Childhood Education
Phone: 17039936582
Fax: This information is not available
Email: hwalter2 (@gmu.edu)
George Mason University
Fairfax Campus
Finley Building 206
4400 University Dr.
MS 4C2
Fairfax, VA 22030
Dr. Heather Walter is an Assistant Professor in the Early Childhood Education program at George Mason University. Dr. Walter is a practitioner-scholar who prior to obtaining her doctorate worked in early intervention, preschool, and K-5 general and special education settings in multiple states and various diverse settings. Her work with children, educational systems, and communities help to support healthy children and improved child outcomes. Dr. Walter completed her Ed.D in Special Education and Disability Studies from George Washington University. She also holds an Ed.S Leadership degree as a funded scholar in the Leadership in Excellence in Achievement in Early Childhood Special Education Administration.
Dr. Walter teachers courses in early childhood special education, and her research draws upon interdisciplinary and participatory practices using mixed methods to understand the social-emotional development and overall well-being of all young children and the adults who serve them, to improve outcomes. Therefore, Dr. Walter's expertise includes both individual (home and classroom) and systems- level (district, teacher preperation, policy) support, such as: universal design for learning and embedded instruction, personel preperation and coaching, teacher retention, mental health and wellbeing, and systems change.
Dr. Walter was recognized for the 2021 dissertation award in Mixed Methods for American Educational Research Association (AERA), as well as the poster winner for the Society for Research in Child Development (SCRD) that focuses on the importance of contributions for policy research. She received an Exchange Leader through the Exchange Leadership Initiative in 2021 and has been recognized for her teaching at multiple universities. She has published research and practitioner articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences.
Early Childhood/ Early Childhood Special Education
Personnel Preperation/ Worforce Retention
Eduational Systems Change
Mental Health, Wellbeing, Social Emotional Developmet
Participatory Community Based Research
Mixed Methods Research
Implementation Science
- Special Education: General Curriculum
- Early Childhood Education
- Interdisciplinary Center for Research and Development in Teacher Education
- Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
- Research Methodology
- School of Education
- College of Education and Human Development
- Special Education
- Inclusive Curriculum for Young Learners: Planning Instruction and Guidance (ECED - 403)
- Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education (ECED - 405)
- 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)
- Seminar in Early Childhood Education for Diverse Learners (ECED - 491)
- Early Intervention for Infants & Toddlers with Disabilities: Collaborative & Consultative Approaches (ECED 423)
- Internship in Early Childhood Education (ECED 490)
- Internship in Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure) (ECED 492)
- Developmental Pathways of Diverse Learners, Birth-Adolescence (ECED 501)
- Early Intervention for Infants & Toddlers with Disabilities: Collaborative & Consultative Approaches (ECED 523)
- Special Topics in Early Childhood Education (ECED 597)
- Seminar in 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)
- Classroom Management and Applied Behavior Analysis (EDSE 502)
- Advanced Internship in Education (EDUC 994)