Lisa G. Driscoll

Associate Professor Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Biography

Lisa G. Driscoll is an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department at the University of Tennessee. She began her professional career over three decades ago as a pre K-12 science/mathematics/technology education teacher and science curriculum specialist in the public schools of Virginia. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee, she held faculty positions at institutions in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Her service in administrative capacities, most notablty as a Financial Planning Manager at Virginia Tech, provides the practical experience to complement scholarly work in areas such as educational law, educational finance, school budgeting, the history of education, and human resources and supervision.

Dr. Driscoll's research agenda in education law and finance includes book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, technical reports, and other scholarly products (see publication information). Her research focuses on longitudinal changes and the legal, financial and policy implications in providing equitable and adequate, free, universal systems of public education in the fifty states. Since each state addresses this responsibility differently in its constitution and statutes in paying for education - and state legislatures make changes each year, this field is continually evolving. Other work examines the effect of state level policies such as low wealth supplements to school districts, small district supplements, “opportunity scholarships”, and “tax swaps” that state legislatures employ to shift revenue from one recipient to another. Recently, she has investigated judicial decision making in finance litigation.

Research

Her research concerning educational finance, law and policy has been published in many journals, including the Journal of Education Finance, Educational Considerations, Education and Urban Society, and Mentoring & Tutoring. She has presented research at the Education Law Association, the National Education Finance Conference, the American Education Research Association and in international venues. In collaboration with others, she has prepared expert studies in public education finance for plaintiffs in Alaska and Missouri equity and adequacy litigation. She serves as an editorial board member and reviewer for the Journal of Education Finance, NCPEA Policy Briefs, Education Leadership Review, and the International Journal of Leadership Preparation. In 2011, she was named a Distinguished Research and Practice Fellow in Education Finance by the National Education Finance Conference.

Education

Lisa Driscoll holds a PhD in Educational Administration and a MSEd in Vocational and Technical Education from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). She earned a BS in Animal Science and Chemistry from Berry College in Georgia.