Ed Stephenson, PhD, Supervisor of the Arts

Ed Stephenson was appointed to serve as Supervisor of the Arts for the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) starting July 1, 2015. Before this appointment he was principal of Bull Run Middle School and Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School for six years and an assistant principal at Battlefield High School for nearly four years. He is a former professional cellist and private instructor and has served as a string orchestra teacher in the Stafford County Public Schools. Dr. Stephenson brings a unique combination of elementary, middle, and high school teaching and supervision experience to his position. Using that background, he leads efforts to provide quality learning experiences in art, music, dance, and theater to all of Prince William County’s 90,000+ students.

Dr. Stephenson earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Violoncello from the Cleveland Institute of Music, his Master of Education degree in School Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from George Mason University. As principal of Bull Run Middle School, he led efforts to provide a quality education to every child, resulting in the naming of Bull Run Middle as a "School to Watch" by the Virginia Middle School Association, a "School of Excellence" by PWCS, and a "Recognized ASCA Model School" by the American School Counselors Association. Dr. Stephenson was then selected to become the first principal of Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School, which achieved full accreditation status from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and membership in the cohort of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support of Virginia (PBISV) schools after only its first year. Reagan Middle has since become one of the highest achieving middle schools in the region, consistently earning full accreditation ratings from VDOE and School of Excellence Awards from PWCS.

Dr. Stephenson is a committed musician and educator who is pleased to have the opportunity to use the insights he gained as a professional cellist, orchestra teacher, and school leader in his current role. The PWCS arts program has seen consistent growth and success over the course of his tenure, to include the selection of several student ensembles to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) annual conference and Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the highest per-capita annual representation of students for the VMEA Senior Honors Choir, hundreds of student contest and competition awards in the visual and theater arts from local, regional, and state arts organizations, expansion of the elementary strings program by over 15%, an over 20% increase in the number of students served by annual countywide arts events, a partnership with the Hylton Performing Arts Center that has brought over 5,000 students to sponsored arts events and performances, the hosting of masterclasses, educational school visits, and a full young-person’s concert by the National Symphony Orchestra for over 1500 students, and a major expansion of the promotion of the PWCS arts programs on social media using the hashtag #PWCSArts.

Dr. Stephenson is a published author. His dissertation and subsequent publication on principal isolation with Dr. Scott C. Bauer continues to provide important background evidence for this developing area of research. He also serves as an adjunct professor for George Mason University, where he teaches courses, supervises interns, and serves as a student advisor in the Education Leadership program. He is a happily married father of four daughters, all current or former students in the Prince William County Public Schools.

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