Peabody College
Partner in Healing
Oct. 16, 2008—The day then-sophomore Elizabeth Davis read an in-depth article about the horrific 1994 genocide in Rwanda—in 100 days in 1994, an estimated one million Rwandans were slaughtered in an ethnic bloodbath—was the day she tied her destiny to Africa. Shortly after graduating from Peabody in 2006 (with a double major in HOD and political science),...
New Vision
Oct. 16, 2008—The spirit of Peabody is redefining Vanderbilt’s study abroad experience—with help from HOD students and faculty who want more than a tourist’s itinerary.
Election Primer
Oct. 16, 2008—The credit crisis and a faltering economy. Rapidly rising energy costs. War. These pressing issues dominate voters’ concerns in advance of the November 4 presidential election. With so many raging fires to fight, the nation seems to have less attention to devote to education policy. That does not mean voters do not care about education. In polls that ask them to assess the importance of various issues in their votes for president—as opposed to those more frequent polls that ask respondents to identify only one issue of top concern—education continues to receive high rankings.
From the Dean
Oct. 16, 2008—In reviewing the articles in this issue of The Reflector, I am struck by the theme of service, both at the macro and micro levels. Our primary feature is on the presidential election (macro), while several portraits of students and recent alumni shed light on engagement at local levels, though thousands of miles away.
What we expect of our students
Oct. 16, 2008—When it comes to human performance, what is expected shapes what we get. Experienced individuals—be they in business, the military, the clergy or elsewhere—know that a low bar virtually assures low performance.
Springer appointed to federal committee on performance pay
Oct. 16, 2008—Vanderbilt Peabody faculty member Matthew Springer has been appointed by Assistant Secretary of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Kerri Briggs to a new U.S. Department of Education advisory committee on teacher and principal performance pay programs. Springer is a research assistant professor in the Vanderbilt Peabody Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations and...
2008 Peabody graduate selected for federal teaching fellowship
Oct. 16, 2008—Peabody doctor of education graduate Jonathan Eckert has been selected by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings for a Teacher Ambassador Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Education. Eckert is a seventh-grade science teacher at Poplar Grove Middle School in Franklin, Tenn. His selection was announced by Spellings on July 10. More than 1,000 teachers...
Benbow serves as summit panelist
Oct. 16, 2008—Dean Camilla Benbow served as a panelist at the National Science and Technology Summit held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn., in August. Called for by the 2007 America COMPETES Act, the summit examined the direction of the U.S. science and technology enterprise and reviewed the progress made toward and challenges associated...
Federal panel discusses college access in June roundtable at Peabody
Oct. 16, 2008—The impact of the nation’s current economic downturn on low- and moderate-income students was the topic of an all-day national roundtable discussion on June 13 at Peabody. The panel was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which recently released data that show millions of college-qualified high school graduates...
A VAL-ED discovery
Oct. 16, 2008—Discovery Education and Vanderbilt University are partnering to launch a new research-based evaluation tool that measures the effectiveness of school principals. The Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED), which is being exclusively distributed by Discovery Education, was created at Vanderbilt University through a grant from the Wallace Foundation. “We are delighted to collaborate with...
Move-In Weekend
Oct. 10, 2008—Peabody first-year student Natalie Wills shows off her new wheels as she prepares to say goodbye to mom, dad and sister during move-in weekend in August.
New Faculty
Oct. 10, 2008—Department of Human and Organizational Development Sandra Barnes, professor of human and organizational development and sociology of religion (Ph.D., 1999, Georgia State University; M.S., 1995, Interdenominational Theological Center; M.S., 1989, Georgia Institute of Technology; B.A., 1986, Fisk University) Torin Monahan, associate professor of human and organizational development and medicine (Ph.D, 2003, M.S., 2002, Rensselaer Polytechnic...