Year: 2009

More than 80 experts convened to discuss and debate the controversial field of teacher retirement benefit systems at a conference in February at Peabody. The conference, co-hosted by the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt, drew scholars from universities and research institutions across the country to discuss the design… Read More

Vanderbilt will serve as a research partner to the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), a nonpartisan initiative established by former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist that seeks education reform in Tennessee. Frist was joined at the announcement by Gov. Phil Bredesen, Tennessee Commissioner of Education Tim Webb, Nashville Mayor Karl… Read More

The Susan Gray School for Children dedicated the new Finan Family Playground as part of Peabody homecoming weekend activities last October. Above, Kelly Finan, BS’09, with assistance from David Williams, vice chancellor for university affairs and athletics, cuts the ribbon. The playground was made possible by Tom and Mary… Read More

Paying teachers for their performance was supported by both presidential candidates in the 2008 election and is being tried in school districts across the nation. But the question remains—does it work? A second-year evaluation of Texas’ statewide performance pay program, the largest in the nation, reveals insights into whether these… Read More

Peabody College has announced a competitive new Pre-Doctoral Fellows Program to assist Peabody doctoral candidates who are facing a growing void in the university job market due to the current economic climate.  “We are offering a competitive program for Ph.D. students who have defended their dissertations and anticipate or may… Read More

Students helping other students learn has been proven to boost academic achievement and social skills in students with and without disabilities. A new book by Vanderbilt University researchers, Peer Support Strategies for Improving All Students’ Social Lives and Learning, based on more than 20 years of research in the field,… Read More

Leonard Bickman (editor). (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Social Research Methods. Sage.  Leonard Bickman & D. J. Rog. (2009). The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods. Sage.  John M. Braxton. (2008). The Role of the Classroom in College Student Persistence. Jossey-Bass. G. Cartledge, R. Gardner & Donna Y. Read More

Shellie Braeuner, M.Ed.’90, (2009). The Great Dog Wash. Simon and Schuster. R.A. McWilliam and Amy Casey, B.S.’02, M.Ed.’05, Ph.D.’08. (2008). Engagement of Every Child in the Preschool Classroom. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Mary Kaye Milmoe Chryssicas, B.S.’87. (2008). Yoga for Teens. DK Publishing. Jan Irons Harris, Ed.D.’95. (2008). The Principal’s Office, A Primer for Balanced Leadership. Rowman and Littlefield Education. William L. Read More

Spring weather in Nashville changes in an instant. As cold fronts from the northwest brush up against warm fronts from the Gulf, the clouds billow and sometimes illustrate the violence of the clash. But on this spring day, no violent weather was in the forecast. Perhaps the… Read More

At Eakin Elementary School, a Nashville public school a stone’s throw from Vanderbilt University, Principal Roxie Ross is putting Positive Behavior Support to work. Since Positive Behavior Support was introduced at the school a few years ago, Ross has seen the school’s atmosphere become more positive and more focused on encouraging students. Read More

Two federal policymakers—Kerri Briggs, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, and Catherine Freeman, BS’93, senior program officer for the National Research Center of the National Academies of Science—co-taught a new special topics course in education policy at Peabody College this spring.  “We are… Read More

As a world-class college of education and human development, Vanderbilt’s Peabody College has many facets. In classroom teaching, for example, we seek to prepare tomorrow’s leaders. In other settings, we strive to help those who are already hard at work develop their professional knowledge and skills. Read More

Passion and VISAGE I have known Brooke Vaughan since the summer before her freshman year at Vanderbilt when she visited Nashville and met my daughter, another rising freshman. They decided to room together and have been fast friends ever since. Brooke is an amazing young woman with great passion for… Read More

Sharon Shields, professor of human and organizational development and faculty head of Murray House, reflects on the meaning of community, the importance of text messaging and why she loves living with college students Read More

Jackie Page’s (BA’63, MA’64, EdS’89) mission throughout her professional and personal life has been about two things: access and attitude. Born with quadriplegia during the depression in Asheville, N. C., Page had to adapt to life with few resources besides her own self determination. Read More

One of her cookbooks is titled From Phila with Love, and it sums up the sunny outlook of Phila Hach, BS’49—world-renowned chef, caterer, businesswoman, lecturer and author of 17 cookbooks—who is still going strong at age 83. Read More

Peabody researchers tackle real-world problems through collaboration.Affordable housing. Sexually transmitted disease. School violence and bullying. It sounds like a laundry list of some of the toughest problems communities encounter today, issues made even more challenging by an economy in turmoil. All are under assault by Peabody faculty actively engaged in research with direct applications to real-world problems. Read More

In a historic move that strengthens its dedication to accessibility and affordability, Vanderbilt announced last fall that it will eliminate need-based loans from financial aid packages offered to eligible undergraduates. Starting this fall, the amount of need-based loans normally included in undergraduate financial aid awards for new and returning students will be replaced with Vanderbilt grants and scholarships. Read More

Scholarships for students with financial need are a family affair for Charles Kurz II, and one with a long history for this fourth-generation Philadelphian. Read More

With one goal reached, we’ve set a new one. Peabody’s Shape the Future goal is now $75 million—with a priority focus on scholarship support. Read More