Peabody Reflector Fall 2023

by Jenna Somers Ellen Goldring Effective principals have been shown to improve teacher and student outcomes as well as the culture and climate of schools. Now a new study provides insights on how school districts can develop principal pipelines to ensure schools are staffed with effective leaders. Led… Read More

By Jenna Somers Autumn Kujawa A recent study published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology demonstrates that measures of brain function related to emotional processing in adolescents with depression could improve predictions of treatment outcomes in response to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Adolescents whose electroencephalogram (EEG) scans… Read More

The Ingram Scholars Program extends its gratitude to Brian L. Heuser, associate professor of the practice in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Peabody College of education and human development, for his two terms of service as he concludes his faculty directorship in December 2023 and returns to a full-time faculty role at Peabody College. Read More

By Jenna Somers Kelly Slay (Vanderbilt University) Kelly Slay, assistant professor of higher education and public policy, is one of 25 education scholars to receive the National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. The $70,000 non-residential fellowship supports one year of leave from teaching for early-career researchers contributing… Read More

By Jenna Somers Kathryn Humphreys New research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry provides the most rigorous and comprehensive evidence to date that children exposed to severe psychosocial deprivation at a young age benefit substantially in cognitive and physical outcomes when they receive enriching family-based care. Senior… Read More

The Class of 2023 is the first graduating class that was required to complete an Immersion Vanderbilt project. Each of these students has engaged in hands-on training and self-discovery, and they’ve brought value to the community in the process. Read More

By Jane Sevier Across the globe, educators hunger for resources to strengthen their teaching. Vanderbilt University’s IRIS Center, housed at Peabody College of education and human development, is meeting that need. From Africa and Asia to Europe and from North America to South, educators and independent learners in 229 countries… Read More

Carolyn Heinrich and Melinda Buntin have been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support their research on how school-based health centers impact children's mental health and education outcomes. Read More

By Jenna Somers Richard Welsh, associate professor of education and public policy Two recent studies indicate that school-level factors play a considerable role in racial disparities in school discipline. The first study, conducted primarily through a series of interviews, reveals disciplinary tensions between district leaders, school administrators, and… Read More

Joel S. Pizzuti (B.S.’94), president and chief executive officer of The Pizzuti Companies in Columbus, Ohio, will be honored by Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development with the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award during Commencement ceremonies on May 12. Headquartered in Columbus with offices in Chicago and Nashville, Pizzuti… Read More

By Jenna Somers Will Doyle, professor of leadership, policy, and organizations In April, Will Doyle, professor of leadership, policy, and organizations, participated in a panel presentation attended by congressional staff in Washington, D.C., to discuss the possibility of federal-state partnerships to fund higher education at low or no… Read More

Mason Richards, BS'97, continues his quest to turn 'The Seawall' into a feature film. Read More

By Jenna Somers Sarah Brown-Schmidt, professor of psychology and human development In the first four months of Donald Trump’s presidency, leading up to Trump firing FBI director James Comey on May 9, 2017, they met privately nine times. Alarmed by how these meetings broke with traditional boundaries between… Read More

Autumn Kujawa, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for a study to identify objective predictors of future suicidal behavior in high-risk adolescents. The study could improve understanding of the pathways to suicidal behavior in young people, help to identify those at greatest risk for suicide attempts, and lead to personalized interventions to prevent suicidal behavior and suicide deaths. Read More

By Jenna Somers Ilana Horn, professor of mathematics education, and Yeliz Günal Aggül, Fulbright Dissertation Research Fellow Around the world, educational problems are both highly universal and highly particular. Opportunities to collaborate internationally allow education researchers to see these problems through new perspectives and possibly discover solutions they otherwise may… Read More

Class of 2023: Amanda Harding wears three hats at Vanderbilt—one as a university staff member, another as a doctoral student pursuing her degree online and a third as president of the advisory group that represents Vanderbilt staff members. Read how her desire to further her education complements and inspires her work in the online learning space.  Read More

Autumn Kujawa, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt Peabody College, has won the 2023 Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychophysiology from the Society for Psychophysiological Research. Read More

By Jenna Somers Phillips-Galloway When doctoral student Basak Çermikli Ayvaz saw an opportunity to secure funding to partner with educators in Turkey to support multilingual and multicultural education, she discussed it with her advisor, Emily Phillips Galloway, assistant professor of literacy education. This led the researchers, both in the… Read More

From left to right: Adela Soliz, Cara DeLoach, Hidahis Mesa By Jenna Somers Community and technical colleges are essential for expanding access to post-secondary education and preparing students to enter the workforce, particularly within their local communities. Unfortunately, these institutions often have limited financial resources to respond to both industry… Read More

By Jenna Somers    Jason Grissom Jason Grissom, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education, is approaching the end of his one-year term as president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy. AEFP is an organization of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field… Read More