Kathleen Grigsby Earning Mississippi College's First Educational Leadership Doctorate

Kathleen Grigsby

Kathleen Grigsby grew up traveling around much of the United States and other parts of the world because her father worked as the first African-American actor with the National Theatre of the Deaf.

But an August 6^th trip to Mississippi College’s summer graduation will be among the most memorable in her lifetime.

The new principal at Jackson’s Marshall Elementary School will soon achieve a milestone in Mississippi College history when the Brandon resident receives MC’s initial doctorate in educational leadership. It will also become the first doctorate ever awarded on the Clinton campus that dates back to 1826.

Getting there wasn’t easy, says the 34-year-old Grigsby, an assistant principal at Van Winkle Elementary School in Jackson while pursuing her MC studies. “At times, it was difficult with the dissertation part. But the one thing that motivated me was to be the first. I was excited to be the first to graduate with a doctorate. It says a lot about Mississippi College.”

Earning the doctorate at the Christian university’s School of Education says a great deal about her drive, determination and ability to overcome obstacles.

Both of her parents are profoundly deaf and the Louisiana native says education was her outlet growing up in a quiet household whether they lived in Connecticut, Maryland, Australia or the Deep South. Her parents never received college degrees, but “both encouraged me to go into education. They said education was a must,” Grigsby said at MC’s Lowery Hall, home of the School of Education. “I also loved school.”

Kathleen Grigsby succeeded in her studies growing up and through her adult life despite wearing two hearing aids.

MC leaders are thrilled that Grigsby’s achievement will spotlight a program with a mission to train Mississippi’s best school leaders for generations to come.

“Serving as Kathleen’s major professor has been an honor and a blessing,” says Tommye Henderson, former superintendent of the Clinton Public Schools.

“She is an exemplary student and an outstanding young educational professional. She possesses an intense desire to learn and a natural leadership ability,” Henderson added. “Hearing her defend her dissertation was one of the proudest moments of my life.”

School of Education Dean Don Locke says the awarding of the first doctorate “is the culmination of the efforts of many faculty over a long period of time,” including professor Ruthie Stevenson, who was instrumental in its development from the very beginning. “We now have a challenge to maintain the quality and integrity of the program as more doctoral candidates complete their work.”

As graduation day nears, “Kathleen has set the standard for all to follow,” says Graduate School Dean Debbie Norris.

Grigsby’s accomplishment “is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of this young woman,” says Ron Howard, vice president for academic affairs. “This is a significant milestone for Mississippi College.”

After completing studies at Baton Rouge’s Magnet High, Grigsby earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the University of Mississippi in 1998 and master’s in curriculum and instruction at Ole Miss in 1999. It proved to be a good move for Kathleen. On the Oxford campus, she met her future husband, Kenneth Grigsby, a Tupelo native who’s now a Jackson lawyer.

Working in Jackson public schools as an educator since 2001, where she was twice named teacher of the year at Woodville Heights Elementary School, Grigsby returned to the classroom and received her education specialist degree from Mississippi College in the summer of 2007. She took a semester break and returned to MC in January 2008 when the university launched its doctoral program that’s now booming with 50 students.

Her doctoral dissertation looked at whether teacher certification affected the reading scores of elementary students in an urban school district. She surveyed about 2,200 students in the Jackson public schools. She found there were no major differences in achievement for the students whether the teachers were certified or not.

Sitting down to write the dissertation is just one piece of the program. “Some of it was theory, but most of what we learned was practical. MC taught me to be a reflective teacher. There is a lot of talent in the School of Education and they openly share their experiences,” Grigsby said.

Her big day at MC’s Golden Dome comes just a few days before Grigsby begins her new job on August 12^th at 490-student Marshall Elementary that teaches youngsters from pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade.

All of her hard work the past three years at the School of Education is completed. All she has to do is attend the 10 a.m. ceremony at the A.E. Wood Coliseum with family, friends and education colleagues.

With her doctorate in hand, there will be time to celebrate, and much ahead for Grigsby. She and her husband love spending time with their 7-year-old daughter Taylor Justice Grigsby, including trips to the beach. Grigsby is anxious to go to work to press for improvements at Marshall Elementary. At schools across America, “leadership can make a big difference,” she says.

Away from the classroom, Kathleen Grigsby is active at Zion Travelers Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson where she teaches Sunday School classes. At Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College, “I have grown spiritually,” she says. “Everything that MC stands for couldn’t have been better.”

Growing up in a bi-racial household with deaf parents who traveled the globe, Grigsby plans to write a book about her many interesting experiences, including her academic success at Mississippi College.