Education And Psychology

In March, students and faculty from Vanderbilt University and Tennessee State University took an environmental tour of Nashville, funded by the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy, and Climate. The students learned about the city’s history and recent sustainability projects to improve the environment. Yolanda J. McDonald The tour included… Read More

Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development’s expertise in designing and offering gifted education was highlighted in March when Peabody Global Initiatives and Chris Vanags, director of the Peabody Research Office, hosted a pair of Japanese visiting researchers. Hirokazu Kumazaki, professor in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at… Read More

As fewer people enter the education profession and high rates of principal turnover persist, school districts need strategic and systematic approaches to recruiting, hiring, and supporting effective school leaders. Principal pipelines may be the answer. Principal pipelines are a comprehensive and aligned system for identifying, developing, and supporting school leaders. Read More

By Jenna Somers Alex Astrella At age two Alex Astrella, MEd’23, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. His parents were told that he had little chance of graduating high school or becoming financially independent. Today, Astrella is the founder and CEO of Blu Star Productions, an award-winning film studio… Read More

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt University Peabody College of education and human development has launched the Early Childhood Governance Landscape, a new tool that illustrates how states structure early childhood governance—and what those choices mean for coordination, funding, and access to services for young children… Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich A teacher’s education doesn’t stop when they graduate from college and enter the classroom. Like all fields, professional development is pivotal to progress, and Vanderbilt University’s IRIS Center, housed in Peabody College of education and human development, meets that need… Read More

In two recent studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, moderate-severe TBI was associated with difficulties in communication, namely remembering spoken language and integrating information in gesture with speech. Both impairments can inhibit a person’s ability to understand and effectively communicate with others, but the research teams hope the studies’ findings could pave the way for improved therapies and assessments to help people with TBI communicate more easily in their daily lives. 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