Ideas In Action

One of James Booth’s biggest research challenges is keeping his young subjects from getting wiggly while measuring their brain activity during an MRI scan. As a neurocognitive researcher, he uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to tease out how children’s brains develop academic skills. Read More

An analysis of existing research on teacher merit pay programs reveals that the highly debated practice is having a positive effect on student outcomes, according to a new Vanderbilt University report. Read More

Tennessee’s principal licensure exam is a poor predictor of effective leadership, and raising the cut score required for licensure could be counterproductive to diversity efforts, according to a new study by Vanderbilt University’s Tennessee Education Research Alliance. Read More

The world’s foremost longitudinal examination of gifted children is the subject of a new film, “Quick Learners; High Achievers: Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth.” Read More

In the first five years of life, a child’s linguistic, conceptual, and social competence grow enormously. Read More

Peabody College has launched an initiative designed to help early-career faculty thrive in all aspects of campus life and to guide them toward promotion and tenure. The R.A.C.E. (Research, Advocacy, Collaboration, Empowering) Mentoring project targets new and junior faculty members, and it is particularly useful for faculty of color. Peabody welcomed 14 new faculty this fall, 80 percent of whom are women and minorities. Read More

Teaching children with disabilities play skills helps them interact with typically developing peers. Read More

A new report highlights the need to improve college affordability, especially for lower-income families. Read More

High-achieving black students are half as likely as their white peers to be assigned to gifted education. Their teachers’ race may explain why. Read More

When Tennessee’s governor wanted to develop better principals, he turned to the experts at Peabody College. Read More

Could an emphasis on mental toughness be harming the psychological and physical health of black students? Read More

When children have a choice of how they interact with educators, they may learn more efficiently. Read More

Graduate students devise a unique study to teach an aspiring pizza chef with autism to follow recipes. Read More

New analysis of Tennessee's state-funded pre-K is prompting reevaluation and change. Read More

Action research by Peabody College students helps Nashville developers and neighborhoods envision a healthier future.       Read More

When Fulbright Scholar and former computer programmer Carol Eid decided to change her life, she chose Peabody as the best avenue for studying learning design.   Read More

Nine Vanderbilt faculty members were selected for inclusion in the 2016 Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings, released Jan. 6. Eight of the nine Vanderbilt academics have been on the list in previous years. Read More

Early motor training in infants may result in positive long-term effects in other areas of development, according to a collaborative study by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Pittsburgh and Seton Hall University.   Read More

Black and Hispanic students make up an increasing percentage of U.S. school children. Yet in virtually every school district, they are underrepresented in gifted classes and programs, often because they are not identified as gifted. Those who do enter such programs often fail to complete them.   Read More

In January, a panel of independent reviewers evaluated the quality, relevance and usefulness of the products of 14 of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) national centers funded in 2006–2007. The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements (IRIS II) ranked second, missing the top spot by only .08 points. Read More