Education And Psychology

By Jenna Somers Every year, an estimated 2.8 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, and more than 5 million Americans live with a permanent brain injury-related disability. TBI-related disabilities can impair speech; cognitive, motor, and sensory functions; and lead to negative behavioral outcomes. In two recent studies… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich Meghan Burke, professor of special education at Peabody College Only about 20 percent of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities currently access formal support services. Meghan Burke, professor of special education at Vanderbilt Peabody College, has built a career around growing that number, helping… Read More

By Jenna Somers and Krystal Schmidt Tennessee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025 takes effect in the 2025-2026 school year. In the first year, the Tennessee Department of Education will award 20,000 state-funded scholarships, commonly known as vouchers, to eligible families to support their children’s attendance at scholarship-accepting private schools. Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich More than 60 percent of American students aged 12-18 are interested in a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a 2023 Walton Family Foundation survey. On the road to a life in STEM, proficiency in high school math has been identified by researchers as… Read More

The scholarship, with funds provided by Vanderbilt University, will support students in the Next Steps at Vanderbilt program. Based in Peabody College of education and human development, Next Steps is a four-year, postsecondary certificate program for neurodiverse students. “This scholarship is an exciting development that aligns with the… Read More

Matias Fresard Rapid technological innovation continues to demand specialized training for workers, meaning that higher education plays an increasingly important role in supporting the development of local labor markets. For Matias Fresard—a fourth-year Ph.D. student in education policy and leadership at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and… Read More

By Jenna Somers Many young children struggle in math due to difficulty in understanding place value and calculating with two-digit numbers. But would the burden of learning these foundational concepts ease if they were introduced to children through the fun of playing a board game? A multi-institutional research team, including… Read More

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s report “Understanding and Addressing Misinformation about Science” In December, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released the consensus study report, “Understanding and Addressing Misinformation about Science.” The report documents two years of research by a multi-disciplinary expert committee to “characterize… Read More

A Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools student from the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt’s senior class, also a student at Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, has been named as Tennessee’s only top 40 finalist in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search. This national competition recognizes… Read More

By Jenna Somers   A transdisciplinary team at Vanderbilt University seeks to identify Tennessee communities at risk of exposure to toxic man-made chemicals in their drinking water. Yolanda J. McDonald In response to a 2024 regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment… Read More

Two recent studies by researchers at Vanderbilt University and New York University offer valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers and researchers seeking to address persistent racial inequities in school discipline. The studies examined teacher and student perceptions of... Read More

Ellen Goldring Ellen Goldring has been elected a member of the National Academy of Education. She is vice dean of Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor, and professor of educational leadership and policy. Goldring’s research focuses on the intersection of… Read More

Vanderbilt alumni Jake Aronskind, BA’19, and Andrew Roth, BS’21, were named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 for creating and scaling successful businesses. Aronskind is CEO and co-founder of Pepper, a recipe sharing app. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the College of Arts and Science. Roth is the CEO and founder of dcdx, a global marketing research and strategy firm. He earned his bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development from Peabody College of education and human development. Read More

Community leaders, educators, and the public are invited. Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development will present a film screening and panel discussion of “Why I Teach,” a short documentary film created by the Nashville Public Education Foundation, on January 28, from 5 to 6:30… Read More

The Vanderbilt University Social, Behavioral and Educational Research Institutional Review Board will begin its phased launch on March 3, transitioning oversight of SBER studies involving human participants from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center IRB. Researchers can access new resources, training and tools to streamline the submission process and ensure compliance during this transition. Read More

Camilla P. Benbow Jason Grissom Carolyn Heinrich (Photos by Joe Howell) Rich Milner Education Week recently released the 2025 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual list of education researchers… Read More

Robust state activity has transformed the prenatal-to-3 state policy landscape in just five short years. Children and their families are better off in 41 states that have each increased access to the resources known to support their wellbeing. Read More

Robust state activity has transformed the prenatal-to-3 state policy landscape in just five short years. Children and their families are better off in 41 states that have each increased access to the resources known to support their wellbeing. As a result of states’ investments: Nearly 1.9 million individuals became… Read More

Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development has received three new grants to leverage its expertise as a leading college of education to strengthen K-12 and higher education in South Asia and the Middle East. Peabody faculty and staff will partner with universities in Pakistan and expand existing… Read More

By Jenna Somers A successful classroom-based reading program designed by researchers at Vanderbilt University is under consideration for a large-scale evaluation in England. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in Reading is a peer-mediated approach that encourages students to practice important reading skills together. A recently funded evaluation of… Read More