Faircloth is the director of the School of Education at Colorado State University. An enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina, she focuses her research on Indigenous education; education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with special educational needs; and moral and ethical dimensions of school leadership.

Faircloth has published widely in such journals as Educational Administration Quarterly, Harvard Educational Review, The Journal of Special Education Leadership, International Studies in Educational Administration, Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, Rural Special Education Quarterly, and Journal of Disability Policy Studies. She has also authored, co-authored, edited and contributed chapters to several books on topics related to Indigenous education.

Faircloth earned a bachelor’s degree in history, with minors in anthropology and political science from Appalachian State University, and her master’s and Ph.D. in special education and educational administration, respectively, from Pennsylvania State University.