Leslie Edwards taught Secondary English in Prince George’s County and earned her National Board Certification in English Language Arts before coming to DCPS as a master educator in Secondary Language Arts.

Over her last three years in the classroom, Leslie’s students began tenth grade English with an anticipated pass rate of 40% on Maryland's High School Assessment for English, yet over 74% of those students ultimately passed the exam after a year in her class.

Leslie has presented at professional development forums on standards-based instruction and data utilization. She has also mentored teaching fellows, resident teachers, National Board candidates, and University of Maryland interns. Leslie served as a facilitator with the Thurgood Marshall Institute at Howard University, as the testing coordinator for a Prince George’s County evening high school site, and as the teacher coordinator for the Ninth Grade Academy at her school.

Leslie earned a B.A. in English Education from the University of Maryland at College Park and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction and Administration from McDaniel College. She also served as a Secondary English Master Educator for the past four years, and championed Impact initiatives such as Inter-School Collaborative Learning Cycles and support for teachers in the 40 lowest performing schools.