Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development

Leveraging Data to Drive Educational Impact

Posted on October 1, 2024Updated: October 1, 2024

A $3.5 million gift from The Addy Foundation to the SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development will ensure the long-term success of the Center on Research and Evaluation, a vital community partner for education-related organizations across Dallas and Texas.

The Addy Foundation’s investment directs $3 million toward endowment of the center and an additional $500,000 in operational support until the endowment matures in five years. The center will now be known as The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation.

“This gift from The Addy Foundation benefits our entire community, driving meaningful, data-informed change throughout our region, improving the effectiveness of programs and services across our education system,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “The research done by the Addy Center will continue to both spark innovation and ensure best practices that will benefit our children.”

Newly named in its tenth year of operation at SMU, The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation conducts comprehensive evaluations that focus on improving programs and demonstrating impact. Its researchers and analysts provide actionable data to partners about how program implementation is proceeding, how well goals are being reached, and what changes could and should be made to improve outcomes. For example, the center collaborates with Big Thought, Dallas Afterschool and Dallas ISD to provide a shared system that streamlines and supports data collection and data usage for after school and summer school sites across the city of Dallas.

“We have long believed in the important work this center does, both for the organizations it supports and for the broader Dallas community,” said Ben Leal, president of The Addy Foundation. “This grant aligns with our mission because The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation will continue to support innovative and proven solutions that best serve those in need. The foundation is committed to working with like-minded partners such as SMU Simmons that lift, support and strengthen communities. Together, we will continue to drive positive change in North Texas and beyond.”

The gift supports SMU Ignited: Boldy Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s $1.5 billion campaign for impact.

“Donors like The Addy Foundation play a significant role in the impact SMU makes in communities across the country,” said Brad E. Cheves, SMU senior vice president for Development and External Affairs. “By combining operational and endowment support to academic centers, these donors fuel work that makes an immediate difference – and provide enduring support that will pay dividends for generations to come.”

Supported by William and Lydia Addy and based in Dallas, The Addy Foundation has previously worked with the SMU Center on Research and Evaluation, finding affinity with its education-focused mission. The center has a “cradle to career” focus, capturing and analyzing information from early childhood to the twelfth grade, and bridging support into college and career.

“We are deeply grateful to The Addy Foundation,” said Annie Wright, executive director of The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation at SMU. “In addition to broad-based support, this gift will also ensure the center’s capacity to provide low-cost assistance to nonprofit organizations and sustain our staff year-round, ultimately delivering more effective services that improve lives across the region.”

The work of The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation complements efforts throughout the SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development to promote educational excellence through scientifically based research and to collaborate with other schools and institutions that further positive learning experiences in all stages of life.

“The Addy Foundation’s generous commitment marks a tremendous moment for SMU Simmons,” said Stephanie Knight, Leon Simmons Endowed Dean of the SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. “This investment will allow us to expand vital, far-reaching work to make an even greater impact in education.”

Seeing Student Homelessness Through Their Eyes: New Graphic Short Story is Resource for K-12 Educators

Posted on August 30, 2024Updated: September 4, 2024

Imagine yourself in a shelter for homeless women and children – the noise, the communal meals, the anxiety that starts every day when the school bus driver assumes you are going to be trouble. That’s the opening for a new comic, Uprooted: Voices of Student Homelessness, that tells the stories of four students experiencing homelessness from their points of view.

Demonstrating the fear, shame and lack of stability that many students and their families experience, the book is the brainchild of SMU education researchers Alexandra Pavlakis and Meredith Richards, and former SMU postdoctoral fellow, Kessa Roberts, now assistant professor at Utah State University. The researchers have spent a combined 30 years studying how homelessness affects students and the best ways to help them succeed in school.

Their comic aims to provide a compelling snapshot of the diverse realities that students experiencing homelessness face, countering the myths that surround them and deepening educators’ policy awareness and sensitivity to the issue.

“We are passionate about research,” says Pavlakis, associate professor of education policy and leadership in SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development. “But we’re equally passionate about helping students. Charts and graphs don’t hook people the way narratives do.”

“We wanted to find a way to share our data with the educators and nonprofit workers who interact the most with students experiencing homelessness.”

The book was inspired by the team’s research. For example, according to a research brief Pavlakis, Richards, and Roberts co-authored, 1.2 million schoolchildren were homeless in the 2020-21 school year, the most recent statistics available. In Texas, 97,200 students were homeless, 20,000 of them in Dallas. Both statistics are underestimates, Richards says. Students and families rarely self-identify as homeless to school officials due to the stigma attached to the term.

Research also shows that students experiencing homelessness tend to have lower attendance, poorer achievement, higher rates of drop-out, and lower rates of graduation, Richards says.

The U.S. Congress passed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in 1987, which defines students experiencing homelessness as those who “lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” The majority, 77 percent, share housing or “double up” with someone else due to economic hardship or loss of housing, according to EdResearch for Action.

McKinney-Vento is designed to help students succeed in school by guaranteeing their rights, Pavlakis says. Research shows that students’ education outcomes improve when schools follow policy guidelines:

Students must be enrolled immediately in school, even if they are missing documents or have missed deadlines.
Students may stay in their school of origin, even if their housing changes.
When requested, districts must provide transportation to and from school.
Schools must remove barriers to full participation in school activities such as fees, required uniforms and fines.

“We know that interactions with educators often shape a student’s day,” Pavlakis says. “Schools track academic achievement, but that’s not the only way school personnel have an impact on students’ lives.”

Here’s how researchers say schools can help students experiencing homelessness:

Prioritize identifying students experiencing homelessness to help them access resources.
Collaborate and share data with community providers to ease access to support.
Build relationships with trusted adults in students’ lives.
Avoid stigmatizing students.

Implementation of McKinney-Vento is patchy across the country, researchers say. And families often don’t know their schoolchildren have rights.

“We hope Uprooted resonates with readers in a way that numbers don’t,” Richards says. “We’d like to see kids have access to their rights, along with more empathy and compassion.”

Uprooted is available at no cost here. The book was written and illustrated by Ashley Robin Franklin and edited and designed by Kacy McKinney. The comic was funded in part by the Spencer Foundation and American Institutes for Research.

Simmons-led team awarded $2.48M research grant from National Science Foundation focused on equity in undergraduate STEM

Posted on August 26, 2024Updated: September 4, 2024

Dr.Quentin Sedlacek, assistant professor of STEM education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, received a $2.48M collaborative research grant from the National Science Foundation’s Racial Equity in STEM and Improving Undergraduate STEM Education programs.

The five-year grant, Amplifying Diverse Voices in STEM Education (ADVISE), will fund an SMU-led collaboration among nine colleges and universities to study the role that invited guest lecturers can play in promoting diversity, inclusivity, and student success in undergraduate STEM education.

Learn more about the project here. Faculty in natural sciences, mathematical sciences, or engineering interested in participating in the project should contact Dr. Sedlacek.

Students’ Work Considered as Possible Option for City Improvements

Posted on July 19, 2024Updated: September 4, 2024

Students from Dr. Bing's Katy Trail-Alternate Route pose for group shot in the foyer of Frances Anne Moody Hall

Students in Dr. Eric G. Bing’s Creating Impact in Global and Public Health class learned how important their work can be in changing the community for the better. The City of Dallas used the students’ design in a recent survey as one of four options under consideration for improving Dallas’ hike and bike trails. The survey was part of the city’s plan to engage the public and garner input on the best ways to grow a comfortable, safe, and direct bicycle network that serves the diverse communities in Dallas.

Teams of undergraduates in Bing’s class presented their comprehensive strategies in the ninth Battle to Save Lives, a global and public health case competition in April. The Katy Trail-Alternate Route strategy was selected by judges to win the competition. The plan was designed to improve user safety on the proposed Dallas LOOP Bikeway and builds upon work from the previous year that identified bicycle speeds as a key problem for overall safety on the Katy Trail.

The Department of Transportation will consider the students’ proposal in selecting the most suitable and feasible route to recommend to the Dallas City Council. DOT is expected to finalize that recommendation later in the calendar year.

Students from Dr. Bing's Katy Trail-Alternate Route present their research during the ninth Battle to Save Lives event.

Simmons Dean Stephanie Knight says the fact that an SMU student proposal is one of the plans considered speaks highly of what and how students are learning. “I was fortunate to witness the presentations and was so impressed with the keen analysis, creativity, and professionalism that went into these proposals. Thank you Dr. Bing and your students for being a great example of SMU Simmons’ engagement in the community and the future of Dallas.

Visit https://blog.smu.edu/globalhealthimpact/2024/05/20/the-2024-battle-to-save-lives-an-smu-global-and-public-health-case-competition/ for more on the students’ work.

Walkington Awarded NSF ITEST Grant to Study Middle School Math Large Language Models

Posted on July 18, 2024Updated: July 18, 2024

A grant totaling nearly $1.3 million has been awarded to Candace Walkington, Ph.D., the Annette and Harold Simmons Centennial Chair and Professor Gerald J. Ford Research Fellow.

Professor Walkington learned that she received the $1,296,683 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) on July 11. Walkington, Principal Investigator for the project, says the research will involve working with teachers and using large language models to write math problems that are personalized to the interest areas of middle school students.

According to Walkington, the research will advance theories of interest development where there is a lack of intervention studies targeting motivation and guidance on how to support students at different interest development phases. “Interest in math has been shown to decline over adolescence and this research will explore how to make math meaningful to middle school students. This grant allows us to conduct research foundational to the future of personalized learning, capitalizing on very recent advances in AI that offer novel opportunities to bring these approaches to scale.” Walkington says the project will also advance theories of teacher problem-posing, examining teacher characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes, and the problems teachers encounter when teaming with AI.

Walkington says she is thrilled to begin working with her distinguished Co-PIs including Dr. Tiffini Pruitt-Britton, a Ph.D. graduate of SMU, currently at American Institutes for Research (AIR) as well as other national leaders in Generative AI and Large Language Models Ryan Baker, Andrew Lan, and Neil Heffernan.

The research has a start date of August 1, 2024, when Walkington and her team will begin recruiting and working with 7^th grade teachers using ASSISTments. The team will conduct studies looking at the effect of deep authentic forms of personalization using LLMs versus other alternatives. They will test generating visual illustrations to accompany math problems using LLMs. And they will explore approaches teachers can use for prompt engineering to create the best personalized math problems. They will examine teacher and student outcomes in each of these studies.

Upward Bound Camps at SMU Help First-Generation Students Chart a Course for College

Posted on June 20, 2024Updated: June 20, 2024

Students from high schools throughout the Dallas area are staying on the SMU campus to get a better idea of what it is like to be a college student. The Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math Science summer residential camps sponsored by College Access, a program in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development, help low-income, first-generation students prepare for college.

The camps offer students helpful classes on everything from English, chemistry, calculus and sign language to college writing, filling out admissions forms and understanding the financial aid process. It also gives the campers a taste of being on a college campus, eating in the dining halls and living in the dorm.

Forty-four students from partner high schools in Dallas ISD, Lancaster ISD, Duncanville ISD, and Garland ISD are attending the camps. Dr. LaChelle Cunningham, College Access Director, says the camps and the program are life-changing for the participants. “These students have the aptitude and desire to continue learning. They also know a college degree can lead to a better future not only for them but for their families. We are pleased that, through these camps, we help them navigate what is most often unchartered territory for them and their parents.”

Adriana Reyes, a rising 12^th grader at Skyline High School says the information they are learning at the camp is already making an impact. “I am more confident about successfully getting into college and what steps I need to take. I am a first-generation student, so I am taking in everything to help me be successful and succeed.”

One of those providing that information is Phylisha Smith, a camp alum, who came back to work for College Access after graduating college. She is now a camp class instructor. “I teach them how to fill out an admissions application, apply for financial assistance, and research their first college choice. I know how much this camp helped me and how important it is to help them understand the process.”

The campers are enjoying making new friends with students from other area schools. They say one of the best things about the camp is that they all have the same goal – to graduate from college.

Desmond Minger, a rising 12^th grader from Kimball High School, says, “I have social anxiety and really didn’t talk much. I have come out of my shell here and have learned so much from communicating with the other students. My American Sign Language class has really taught me a lot about communicating with others and that it doesn’t always have to be verbal. I now have the confidence that I can attend college”

Simmons Dean, Dr. Stephanie Knight, says “I am so proud of the good work being done through College Access. It is just another way we fulfill SMU’s commitment to community outreach. The camp runs through July and is funded by an Upward Bound grant from the United States Department of Education.

Simmons has a Strong Presence at 2024 ISLS Conference

Posted on June 4, 2024Updated: June 6, 2024

A group made up of Simmons faculty, post doctoral and PhD students will present at the 2024 International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) Conference in Buffalo, New York, June 10-14. The Simmons academics are presenting topics such as: Students’ Representational and Relational Caring in STEM; Exploring STEM Identity and Belonging in Minoritized Girls at a Summer Camp; and Pedagogical Issues in Virtual Reality Mathematics Education.With these presentations and those of other university researchers from around the country, the conference promises to offer discussion of meaningful issues and innovative approaches in the world of learning sciences today.

ISLS works to further scientific, humanistic, and critical theoretical understanding of learning and to engage in the design and implementation of learning innovations and the improvement of instructional methodologies. Learning Sciences (LS) research traditionally focuses on the cognitive-psychological, social-psychological, cultural-psychological, and critical theoretical foundations of human learning as well as the practical design of learning environments. Major contributing fields include cognitive science, computer science, educational psychology, anthropology, and applied linguistics. Over the past decade, LS researchers have expanded their focus to include the design of curricula, informal learning environments, instructional methods, and policy innovations.

A core feature of research in the learning sciences is attention to the detailed processes of learning and teaching for theory development. Accordingly, the Society calls for papers that address questions about learning processes, mechanisms, and outcomes. Papers may develop data-driven theories that elucidate processes of learning and teaching within various contexts and the ways in which technologies, instructional practices, and learning environments can be designed to support learning in different contexts.

This year’s ISLS Conference leads up to the new Learning Sciences Master’s at Simmons that launches in the 2024 Fall semester. The full ISLS Conference schedule of presentations by Simmons educators can be found here.

2024 Battle to Save Lives Competition

Posted on May 23, 2024Updated: May 23, 2024

Students in Dr. Eric Bing’s Creating Impact in Global and Public Health class are helping city transportation planners by offering some well-thought-out options on Dallas’ hike and bike trails.

Teams of undergraduates presented their comprehensive strategies in the ninth Battle to Save Lives, a global and public health case competition. The students’ plans were designed to improve user safety on the proposed Dallas LOOP Bikeway and encourage more involvement in the very diverse neighborhoods connected by the trails.

The goal of the LOOP Bikeway initiative is to connect 50 miles of existing trails across Dallas, enhance accessibility to cycling and link diverse communities and neighborhoods. The hope is that it will serve as a unified thread across the city. However, in some instances the plan for the trails presents challenges that require inventive solutions. The student teams put together thoughtful and innovative proposals to address those challenges and provide answers to the problems.

The judges carefully considered each proposal, asked questions and offered feedback to each team. The South Dallas Community Strategy was won by Team Engage South Dallas. The Katy Trail Alternate Route challenge was won by Team Two Wheels, report One Vision.

Throughout the semester, undergraduates developed skills in public health leadership through hands-on training, classroom engagement, and interactive competitions. Many students hope to pursue careers where they can apply their knowledge to real-world public health challenges.

For the complete story and details on the teams, judges and outcomes visit https://bit.ly/4buEuMo.

Outstanding 2024 Grads of Simmons School of Education & Human Development chosen as graduation ceremony speakers

Posted on May 10, 2024Updated: May 10, 2024

Katie Brennan is receiving her Bachelor of Science in Applied Physiology & Sport Management with a concentration in Sport Management. Katie is a member of the Hilltop Honors Program, a Provost Scholar, a BBA Scholar, and served as a member of the Simmons Undergraduate Student Advisory Board. While at SMU, she has served as the Club Tennis treasurer for four years and on the executive board of her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Thanks to APSM faculty’s large network, she got involved as an Operations Intern for the Dallas Open. In Summer of 2022, she studied abroad in France with the inaugural sports management program. In 2023, she interned with the Professional Pickleball Association and worked part-time at the PPA as a coordinator and assistant for the PPA/USA Pickleball National Championships.

Gabriel Shapiro, M.D. is receiving his Master of Liberal Studies Degree. Gabriel enrolled in the Master of Liberal Studies program upon leaving an impressive career at UT Southwestern as an Oncologist and Clinical Faculty Member for residents. From his first semester in MLS, he examined the intersections of human rights and poetry. The result, thesis which expanded his scholarship beyond medicine to examine the human condition and his personal curating of poems centering on compassion and empathy.

Maricela Pillaca is earning a Master of Science in Counseling. Born in Dallas, she is a first-generation college student who is proud of her Mexican-Peruvian heritage. She has taught first and second grades in Mesquite ISD, served as a Learning Recovery Specialist, and mentored first-year teachers. While in the SMU counseling program, she completed coursework focused on child and adolescent counseling and school counseling; she completed internships at Armstrong Elementary in Highland Park ISD and Insights Collaborative Therapy Group. She also served as vice-president and president of the SMU Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society. Upon graduation, she plans to seek licensure as a professional counselor, certifications as a school counselor and registered play therapist, and work with children and adolescents in therapeutic and/or school settings.

Luis Zambrano, J.D. had a successful law practice for decades when he decided to become a teacher. His goal is to help students understand the history and institutions of the United States, develop critical thinking skills, and increase their leadership skills. In the classroom, his professors say his intellectual rigor, genuine curiosity, and academic humility have inspired instructors and peers and enriched conversations and learning experiences. Professors believe Luis will be exemplary in understanding research, translating it to practice, and addressing the learning needs of all students. Luis is currently a Teacher Preparation Program student in the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Lorena Tule-Romain is graduating with her Ed.D. in Education Leadership. She is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategic Officer for the non-profit ImmSchools. In that role, she created and launched an organization whose efforts focus on supporting undocumented students and families as they navigate the K-12 educational space. As a community activist, she also serves on the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Board, is the Educational Community Chair for the North Texas Dream Team and served with the Dallas Greater Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Lorena says, “I’m pursuing a doctorate in education leadership because I seek to create a safe and welcoming learning environment for all our children in K-12 schools, especially those that are undocumented.”

Enigma Mobile Literacy Game Research

Posted on May 6, 2024Updated: September 4, 2024

Focused on improving literacy skills, the SMU Enigma literacy game is a mobile application that helps learners improve their reading skills when played an average of 60 minutes per week over eight weeks. The customized version of the game was developed by SMU researcher, Dr. Anthony Cuevas, with player options for middle and elementary school students.

It was piloted at the Dr. Elba and Domingo Garcia West Dallas STEM School and was initially piloted with middle school students in an afterschool program during Fall 2023. The Enigma research resulted in positive feedback from students and increases in some literacy measures.

At the request of the school, the Enigma project was extended to Spring 2024 to pilot the game with elementary students in first and second grade. The request came from some of the elementary teachers involved in the middle school pilot who believed the game could help elementary students build their foundational literacy skills. Students play Enigma for 30-45 minutes twice per week after school as part of a structured afterschool program. They play the game as an adventurer traveling around the world experiencing new cultures and history while uncovering the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis.

Players begin by discovering a tablet in their attic with clues of a great mystery and travel to the country of Egypt. They move through five levels of gameplay by completing literacy games focusing on different foundational reading skills including: letter-sound fluency; word identification fluency; and phonological decoding fluency using onset-rime. To support Spanish-speaking multilingual learners, a read-aloud dictionary is available. The skills and content in each level are reinforced through games that mimic real world tasks, such as reading documents, labels, street signs, or lists of objects. Students find artifacts and relics to decode the ancient language of Atlantis into English.

According to Cuevas, “The game maintains interest over time because it includes an interactive and engaging story that is fun and includes activities that are grounded in learning science and evidence-based literacy instruction. The students are able to improve their reading skills which provides a sense of accomplishment.”

Cuevas’ research is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. SMU continues to develop the Enigma game with financial support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and Barbara Bush Foundation. Dr. Diane Gifford and Dr. Corey Clark are Co-Investigators on the research project.