Jason A. Grissom

jgrissom
Jason A. Grissom
Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education, Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations,
Vanderbilt University

Jason A. Grissom is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education in Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. He is also faculty director of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance. His research uses large-scale administrative and survey data—often combined with interviews and observations—to examine school and district leadership, educator mobility, and educational equity. He has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles on topics such as principal hiring, evaluation, preparation, diversity, supervision, and effectiveness, as well as the causes and consequences of turnover among superintendents, principals, and teachers. His work has appeared in American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Researcher, Education Finance and Policy, Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Politics, and Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Grissom is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy. He earned his MA in education policy and a PhD in political economics from Stanford University.

updated 2025

Contributing topics
Educational governance & policy
Educator workforce & effectiveness
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Contributing initiatives
COVID-19 Recovery
Getting Down To Facts II
Commentary by Jason A. Grissom
: The Effects of No Child Left Behind on Teachers
: Impacts of Strategic Involuntary Teacher Transfers on Equity and Teacher Productivity
Jason A. Grissom in the Media
: How Schools Can Help Children Recover from COVID Closures
: Gifted’ Black Kids Not as Likely to Get Placed in Talented Programs
: Carnegie Panel on Assessing Teaching to Improve Learning: Value-Added Methods and Applications
: Survey Finds High Superintendent Turnover in Large California Districts
: Study Calls for Major Overhaul of California Schools
Publications by Jason A. Grissom
GDTFII Brief Principals
The Development and Distribution of School Leadership in California
California's education system faces challenges in leadership development, with defunded professional development programs leading to inexperienced and high-turnover principals, particularly in high-poverty schools. Studies show that effective…
Using Student Test Scores to Measure Principal Performance
Using Student Test Scores to Measure Principal Performance
This article examines the use of student test score data to measure the effects of school principals on student achievement. Multiple models are developed and compared using data from a large urban school district, with results showing the…