Peabody Reflector Spring 2025

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

On March 3, more than 150 high school students from Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools participated in the  Interdisciplinary Science and Research Program (ISR) at John Overton High School. ISR is one of several programs of the Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach (CSEO) at Vanderbilt University Peabody… Read More

By Jenna Somers Climate Champions Fellows touring Vanderbilt’s campus South Asian university students who won Climate Champions Fellowships through the Student Society for Climate Change Awareness’s Climate Tank Accelerator visited Vanderbilt University in February, supported by a U.S. State Department grant. The fellows were from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan,… 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

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

Aneesh Sohoni Aneesh Sohoni, MPP’13, will become chief executive officer of Teach for America beginning April 15. Sohoni has held several education leadership positions of increasing responsibility since earning his master of public policy in education policy at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development. 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

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

Andrew Roth, CEO of dcdx How should brands attract Gen Z, a generation notoriously unmoved by marketing tactics? That question is foundational to dcdx, the global research and strategy firm whose success in helping companies market to Gen Z landed Andrew Roth, BS’21, on the 2025 Forbes… Read More

Dean Camilla P. Benbow Jason Grissom Carolyn Heinrich (Photos by Joe Howell) Rich Milner Education Week recently released the 2025 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual list of education… Read More

Craig A. Smith, associate professor of psychology and human development at Peabody College, died on Dec. 25, 2024, in Maine. He was 66.  Read More

By Jenna Somers A successful classroom-based reading program designed by researchers at Vanderbilt University is under consideration for a large-scale evaluation in England. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in Reading is a peer-mediated approach that encourages students to practice important reading skills together. A recently funded evaluation of… Read More

The Leadership and Organizational Performance (LOP) master’s degree program held its 8th annual White Paper Symposium at the Faye and Joe Wyatt Center on November 14. Faculty, alumni, and business leaders as well as family and friends gathered to watch students present highlights from their capstone projects. The Symposium… Read More

The new scholarship will support advanced study by public school professionals who work in Davidson and surrounding Tennessee counties. Vanderbilt University Peabody College, one of the nation’s top colleges of education and human development, is now offering a partial-tuition scholarship for public school educators in Davidson and surrounding Tennessee counties. Read More

By Jenna Somers and Krystal Schmidt Toddlers may not be the first people who come to mind when thinking about scientists at Vanderbilt University, but that is exactly who the little tykes at the Susan Gray School are. The preschool recently opened a new STEM laboratory for kids… Read More

By Jenna Somers Students in the International Education Policy and Management Master of Education program, 11/15/24 (Photo by Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University) On November 15th, international students in EDUC 5100: U.S. Education Concepts and Communication at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development kicked off International Education Week… Read More

Camilla P. Benbow has been reappointed as dean of Peabody College of education and human development for a final three-year term, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver announced today. Benbow, who is Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, plans to retire at the end of her 30-year deanship on June 30, 2028, which will make her the longest serving dean in Peabody College history.   Read More