Dr. Leslie Irwin was a Professor Emeritus with Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. 

He received his doctorate of education in curriculum and instructional sciences from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah. He obtained a bachelor's of science in psychology/biology from the University of Wisconsin at the Superior campus, a bachelor's of education in teacher education and a master's of education in psychopedagogy from the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. 

Professor Irwin also held an honorary doctorate degree (D.Sc. Law Honoris Causa) from the University of Education in Winneba, Ghana, West Africa.