Education And Psychology

A $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will enable a team of U.S. and Chinese researchers to identify instructional supports that lead to higher levels of mathematics achievement. Read More

A novel autism intervention program using theatre to teach reciprocal communication skills is improving social deficits in adolescents with the disorder that now affects an estimated one in 88 children, Vanderbilt University researchers released today in the journal Autism Research. Read More

New research by postdoctoral fellow Kaitlin Toner suggests liberals and conservatives are about equally convinced of the correctness of their views, but extremists are more likely than moderates to feel their views are superior. Read More

Teachers and their observers viewed Tennessee’s teacher evaluation process more positively in 2013 than in 2012, according to a broad-based independent survey by the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation and Development at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development. Read More

(iStock) Why are some high schools better than others at boosting achievement among traditionally underserved students? A new report from the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schoolsfinds that student ownership and responsibility for academic success were key factors. Marisa Cannata (Vanderbilt) “The idea is to… Read More

Large urban school districts may need to adopt new strategies to draw prospective teachers to the most disadvantaged and geographically isolated schools, according to research from Vanderbilt University to be published in an upcoming issue of the American Education Research Journal. Read More

We must make sure that standardized tests actually cover what we all agree is important for children to learn, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. Read More

Positive interactions in a pre-kindergarten classroom may be equally or more important to the future academic development of 4-year-olds than learning letters and numbers, according to Dale Farran, senior associate director of the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt's Peabody College for education and human development. Read More

Research can help policymakers and educators make the best decisions on how to assist low-income children exceed in school from an early age. Read More

As schools nationwide prepare for the new academic year, education experts from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development are available for back-to-school interviews on a variety of topics. Read More

Setting a solid routine and re-engaging in a child’s school are back-to-school essentials for parents, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. Read More

A new Peabody study found that early spatial ability – the skill required to mentally manipulate 2D and 3D objects – predicts the development of new knowledge, and especially innovation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) domains, above and beyond more traditional measures of mathematical and verbal ability. Read More

What exactly pushed Christopher Columbus to embark on a voyage across the Atlantic, or Edward Jenner to test his theory for an early smallpox vaccine on a child, or Henry Ford to bet that automobiles could replace horses? David Zald, professor of psychology, studies risk-taking and is quoted. Read More

Kindergarten teachers report spending much of their math instructional time teaching students basic counting skills and how to recognize geometric shapes—skills the students have already mastered before ever setting foot in the kindergarten classroom, new research finds. Read More

The latest research on the nation’s key education issues will be presented by Vanderbilt University Peabody College faculty April 27 - May 1 at the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference in San Francisco. Read More

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) will present its 2013 Outstanding Book Award to Vanderbilt University professor Christopher Loss for "Between Citizens and the State: The Politics of American Higher Education in the 20th Century." Read More

Velma McBride Murry is the recipient of the Society for Research in Child Development’s 2013 Distinguished Contributions to Cultural and Contextual Factors in Child Development Award presented April 18 at SRCD’s biennial meeting in Seattle. Read More

In the fall of 2012, Vanderbilt launched the nation’s first educational neuroscience doctoral program. This interdisciplinary program brings together Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute to research educational issues within the context of brain science. Read More

Addressing demographic shifts, revamping school governance and improving public communication are among the recommendations made for Metro Nashville Public Schools by Claire Smrekar, associate professor of leadership, policy and organization, Vanderbilt senior Hilary Knudson and Candice McQueen, dean of education at David Lipscomb University, in a new report. Read More

Young children—even toddlers—are spending more and more time with digital technology. What will it mean for their development? Georgene Troseth, associate professor of psychology, has studied how toddlers interact with screens and is quoted. Read More