Education And Psychology

by Jennifer Kiilerich The National Association for Gifted Children awarded Gabriella Noreen, a doctoral student in quantitative methods; David Lubinski, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology Emeritus and professor emeritus of psychology and human development; and Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development;… Read More

Creating an environment where a child can fall in love with learning is the greatest gift a school can give, especially for kids juggling learning challenges. Take a step inside the greatly expanded Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Ana Christina da Silva Iddings will never forget the day that she—as a Brazilian teenager who did not speak English—flew by herself to Las Vegas. Her parents sent her there to live with relatives she had never met. Da Silva Iddings’ life-changing experiences in Vegas, where she became fluent in English and worked in daycare, set her on a path to help multilingual children who are simultaneously learning English as they learn other subjects in the classroom. Read More

Following the June release of the 2026 Tennessee Educator Survey results, the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development is publishing a series of briefs and snapshots throughout late summer and fall exploring what Tennessee educators said about some of… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich From July 27-31, Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development welcomed Staff Excellence Fellows (SEF) from the American University of Iraq-Baghdad’s new Center for the Advancement of Higher Education in Iraq (CAHEI). The visit was an inflection point in the collaboration between Peabody and AUIB… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich In a Hillsboro High School science lab in Nashville, Tennessee, a group of teens from Metro Nashville Public Schools spent their summer exploring whether filtration with peanuts could aid in creating safe, sustainable water for Ugandan communities. Despite about 7,000 miles between the locales, that work… Read More

Growing up with an intellectually disabled sibling has challenges, but there are powerful benefits as well—both immediate and lifelong—as revealed by a recent study by Assistant Professor Jessika Boles and two co-authors. The study, published in Research in Developmental Disabilities, collected information from siblings through a survey and online interviews. Boles and her co-authors brought their lived experience to the research; they all have younger siblings with IDD. And Boles has extended her knowledge to helping others; she is faculty director of the Vanderbilt chapter of SibShops—a regular gathering of young people who have siblings with disabilities. Read More

As a middle school math teacher on Chicago’s South Side, Chezare A. Warren, now associate professor of leadership, policy and organizations at Peabody College and principal investigator of The Possibilities Project, noticed something interesting. Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich In Vanderbilt’s Magnolia Makerspace on a breezy April morning, the school year was winding down for Roberts Academy for Dyslexia fourth and fifth graders. It was a time of year when young learners might be daydreaming about summer vacations and pool days. But that Tuesday, all… Read More

Vanderbilt’s Innovation Ambassadors program provides faculty across Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center with peer guidance on innovation, intellectual property and commercialization. Through the Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, faculty ambassadors help researchers explore how discoveries can move beyond the lab and into real-world application.  Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich Imagine applying to a support service that turns down 66 percent of first-time applicants. Then imagine navigating that—a process which can involve multiple attempts, forms, taking time off work for meetings, and more—in English when it may not be your first language. That experience is the reality… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich Tatiana Peredo Tatiana Peredo, research assistant professor of special education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Chile for the 2026–27 academic year. It is Peredo’s second time receiving the renowned federal award,… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich Nicole Joseph The prestigious Mathematical Association of America’s Mary P. Dolciani Award celebrates outstanding contributions in mathematics education and typically goes to mathematicians. But this year, Vanderbilt Peabody College scholar Nicole Joseph shifted the norm. An associate professor of teaching and learning, she will… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich In an outpatient waiting room at the Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, occupational therapist Kevin Durney noticed a problem: the space where children and families spent time before appointments felt sterile, with nothing to do that reflected the kids who sat there. He wanted to… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich Molly Anne Thompson Murfreesboro, Tennessee, residents Dr. Roy and Margrey Thompson are skilled at finding laughter amidst difficulties. Each of their three children faced unique learning differences, and the couple often had to fight to get them the support they needed in school. Now, years after launching… Read More

The Tennessee Education Research Alliance’s assessment of Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation’s K-3 Home Library program and Raising Readers Nashville’s after-school reading program will help partner organizations strengthen early literacy. By Jenna Somers The Tennessee Education Research Alliance has begun evaluation studies of early grade literacy programs serving Tennessee’s public-school… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich In Germany, a Festschrift—literally “festival writing”—is an academic tribute that honors a scholar through collected works and new research from peers. On April 16–17, Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development hosted a unique event based around this tradition. Lynn Fuchs The gathering honored the… Read More

By Jenna Somers At some highly selective colleges and universities, cohorts of mostly white, wealthy applicants have three to eight times greater odds of admission than other similarly qualified applicants. These beneficiaries are legacy applicants, those who receive an admissions bonus for having alumni relatives. Legacy preferences have long… Read More