Professor Ruth Childs appointed Interim Chair of the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education

Professor Ruth Childs, following a comprehensive consultation at OISE and approval by the University, has been appointed Interim Chair of the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education. Her six-month term commences on January 1, 2024.

Childs is a highly regarded researcher who held the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement from 2017 to 2021, and served as President of the Canadian Educational Research Association from 2007 to 2009. 

She conducts research on the design and equity of large-scale assessments, admissions processes, and other evaluation systems. Her most recent large research projects investigate how elementary students deal with uncertainty when answering multiple-choice questions and what Ontario's universities are doing to improve access for underrepresented groups. 

Childs is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and has an exemplary supervision record. Her extensive leadership experience includes service as Director of the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy at the University of Toronto Mississauga (2020-23), Chair of the University of Toronto Tenure Appeal Committee (2017-21), Associate Chair of the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education (2015-17), and Chair of OISE Council (2005-08).