Faculty at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development continued to receive national recognition and funding through multiple awards, grants and appointments this spring.
“Vanderbilt’s Peabody College is known for the caliber of its faculty and the quality of their scholarship, which influences the practice of education nationally and internationally,” Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, said. “These recent grants, editorships and other forms recognition send a strong message that Peabody continues to lead among research schools of education and human development.”
Below is a summary of recent activities.
Guthrie honored with national education finance award: The American Education Finance Association honored James Guthrie, professor of public policy and education, director of the Peabody Center for Education Policy and chair of the department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, with its highest award, the AEFA Distinguished Service award at their annual conference March 19-21 in Nashville. The award is given annually and was presented to Guthrie in recognition of his distinguished contributions to public finance in research, scholarship and leadership, and his years of dedicated and exemplary leadership.
“Jim Guthrie has been unrelenting in his efforts to raise awareness of important links between political and financial concerns and educational reform,” Benbow, said. “His award for distinguished service from the AEFA is richly deserved.”
Fuchs receive multiple research grants from NICHD and IES: Lynn Fuchs and Doug Fuchs, professors of special education and co-holders of the Nicholas Hobbs Chair in Special Education and Human Development, recently received multiple research grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Institute of Education Sciences.
Lynn Fuchs received a five-year grant from NICHD as principal investigator for Calculations, Word Problems, and Algebraic Cognition. The research will begin in September 2009 and continue through 2014. She has also received a four-year grant from IES for her research, Dynamic Assessment to Predict First Graders’ Mathematics Development. The research will take place 2009-2013.
Doug Fuchs has received a four-year grant from IES for his research, Responsiveness-To-Instruction to Strengthen the Academic Performance of Students with Reading and Math Disabilities. He was also awarded a five-year grant from NICHD to research RTI for Determining Risk, Providing Prevention, and Identifying Reading Disability. This research will be conducted 2009-2013.
Peabody College receives funding for two new international programs from U.S. State 
Department: Xiu Cravens, Peabody College’s assistant dean of International Affairs and research assistant professor, received confirmation from the U.S. State Department of funding for two new international programs at Peabody as well as internal funding from the Vanderbilt International Office.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program has received five-year grant eligibility from the Institute of International Education. Fulbright Commissions from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia will nominate eight Humphrey Scholars for 10 months of non-degree study and professional development in the United States. Funding starts in the 2009-2010 academic year.
The Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Program, another new Peabody international program, received funding through the Academy for Education Development with an annual renewable contract. The funding begins Fall 2009 for 12 recipients of Fulbright Distinguished Teacher awards from Argentina, Finland, India, Israel, Singapore and South Africa to participate in a non-credit semester-long program at Peabody.
More internationally focused funding came to Peabody from the Vanderbilt International Office to build its collaboration with Fudan University in China during the 2009-2010 academic year.
Braxton invited to serve as associate editor for Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research: John M. Braxton, professor of education, has been invited to take the position of associate editor for Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research is one of the core publications in the higher education field of study. Braxton currently edits the Journal of College Student Development at Peabody College.
Graham’s nomination to the NRC Committee on Adult Literacy approved: A nomination to the National 
Research Council’s committee on adult literacy for Steve Graham, professor and Currey Ingram Chair in Special Education, was approved in March by the National Academies.
The mission of the NRC is to improve government decision-making and public policy as well as increase public education and understanding of knowledge regarding science, engineering, technology and health. Its committees rely on their elected leaders to provide expert advice based on scientific evidence. The world’s top scientists and professionals, like Graham, who volunteer their time to serve on committees and participate in activities without compensation, make the work of the NRC possible. Graham will be attending his first committee meeting in May 2009.
Loss awarded outstanding dissertation of the year: Christopher Loss, assistant professor of public policy and higher education, was recently awarded the Outstanding Dissertation in the Politics of Education honor for 2008 by the Politics of Education Association Dissertation Awards Committee.
The committee was unanimous in their decision. Loss will be honored with a plaque for his outstanding scholarship and achievement at the American Educational Research Association’s meeting in April 2009. This is the second national award Loss has received for his dissertation.
Harris and Graham’s research examined and supported in special issue of Exceptional Children: A tool used to improve children’s writing called Self-Regulated Strategy Development developed by Karen Harris and Steve Graham, both professors of special education and co-holders of the Currey Ingram Chair in special education, was recently the focus of a special issue of the journal Exceptional Children. A team of experts from the University of Oregon and Southern Methodist University reviewed SRSD and found it to be strongly evidence-based. Few such practices to date have received such status.
For more news about Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development, ranked the No. 2 education school in the nation in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report, visit http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu.
Jennie Edwards prepared this report.
Contact: jennie.e.edwards@vanderbilt.edu
Media contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-NEWS
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu