Education Research – Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development

Simmons 2025 Outstanding Alumni Honored at Awards Ceremony

Posted on May 23, 2025Updated: May 23, 2025

Left to right: Julie Sorrels, Sarah Guthery, Cynthia Barajas, Blanca Oliver.

Seven distinguished alumni were honored during the annual Simmons Outstanding Alumni and Student Awards Ceremony on May 15. Simmons School of Education and Human Development is proud to celebrate and acknowledge the past and current accomplishments of the honorees who serve to better their communities both locally and across the country. Dean Stephanie Knight and Simmons Department Chairs presented the awards.

Canyon Kyle is a distinguished Sport Performance Leadership graduate from the Department of Applied Physiology and Sport Management. He graduated Cum Laude from SMU with a BS SPL and a minor in Sport Management in 2021 and advanced his academic and professional journey by earning a master’s degree in Sport Management from Columbia University.

He now serves as Assistant Baseball Coach and Associate Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education at Columbia, where he leads athletic recruitment, manages prospective athlete development, and teaches senior-level undergraduate courses. Canyon’s unwavering commitment to student-athlete growth and leadership through sport directly reflects the values he cultivated at SMU.

Julie Sorrels graduated with a Master of Science in Counseling from SMU in August of 2020. She currently serves as the Mental Healthcare Clinical Manager at Resource Center in Dallas where she provides counseling services to the LGBTQIA+ community. She is fully licensed both as a Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist and is certified by the American Board of Sexology as a Clinical Sexologist.

At Resource Center Dallas, she serves as an internship site supervisor and mentor for current SMU students and is also a member of the SMU Counseling Department Advisory Board. Her service and community impact are the reason she is the recipient of the 2025 Department of Counseling Alumnus of the Year award.

Dr. Greses Perez had an established career as a civil and environmental engineer in her native Puerto Rico before graduating from the SMU Accelerated School Leadership Master’s Program in 2014. Greses met the challenge of producing a 30 plus page capstone project, working diligently with supportive faculty to improve her academic writing. She did this while teaching science to elementary school bilingual students.

Greses went on to Stanford where she would graduate in 2021 with a PhD in Engineering and Science Education and Learning Sciences. She is now the McDonnel Family Assistant Professor in Engineering Education at Tufts University. The Education Policy & Leadership Department is proud to have Greses as its 2025 Alumni of the Year.

Blanca Oliver, a migrant from Mexico, developed persistence and a can-do attitude in her childhood that carried her forward into a career as a successful paralegal.

Blanca received a Master’s in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management in the Department of Human Centered Interdisciplinary Studies in 2021, where she excelled in the experiential learning environment. After graduation, Blanca entered her first political race and won. She is now a Justice of the Peace in Denton County. Blanca believes her time at SMU helped shape her as an effective communicator and leader which benefits her greatly in her position today.

Dr. Sarah Guthery, a PhD in Education, Class of 2017, is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration, Curriculum and Supervision at the University of Oklahoma. A former teacher and school leader, she uses econometric methods to study teacher and leadership pipelines. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and has received grant funding in excess of $200,000.

According to her PhD advisors, what most distinguishes Sarah is her inventive teaching and her dedication to mentoring emerging scholars. For example, she uses a statistics escape room and gamification of statistics to help students unlock their passion for research.

Dr. Dawn Woods received her PhD in Education in 2018 from SMU and is now an assistant professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University. She recently received a five-year, $781,196 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in support of her research, entitled Sparking Number Talks to Strengthen Mathematical Identities.

Dr. Woods’ research focuses on cultivating and strengthening productive mathematical identities so that students will believe the effort in learning mathematics pays off. Her project has the potential to improve kindergarten to third grade mathematics education for students from persistently marginalized groups. Her research has been published in a variety of prestigious math education and STEM education journals.

Cynthia Barajas, B.A. in Psychology Class of 2012, is the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumni Award from the Teaching and Learning Department. The award recognizes her leadership and impact through SMU’s Alternative Teacher Preparation Program in partnership with Teach for America (TFA). She currently serves as Senior Managing Director of Partnerships for TFA Dallas-Fort Worth.

She has overseen the certification and onboarding of hundreds of TFA corps members, improved certification rates for underrepresented groups, and strengthened district partnerships. Her leadership has helped expand SMU’s partnership with Teach for America across Texas, supporting thousands of aspiring teachers and addressing the state’s teacher shortage.

International Symposium Offers Spirited and Valuable Exchange of Ideas

Posted on May 7, 2025Updated: May 8, 2025

Scholars from universities in South Korea and Taiwan joined SMU Simmons faculty at the 2025 International Visiting Scholars Symposium hosted by Simmons. The event, spearheaded by Dr. Jiun-Yu “Jerry” Wu, included a number of thought-provoking discussions of research projects done by the educators.

The event featured interdisciplinary talks from 12 distinguished scholars from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan and Sookmyung in Korea. Topics included exploring education, medical humanities, digital learning, AI, and disability studies. The talks touched on the popularity of Care Robots in South Korea, Exploring Why adolescents Experience Loneliness, Dialogic Reading Training to support Social and Emotional Communication, and Social Solidarity with People with Mental Illness and more.

The purpose of the symposium was to bring together leading scholars across disciplines to foster global academic collaboration. The event highlighted Simmons’ and SMU’s commitment to interdisciplinary research, international partnerships, and community engagement.

Dean Stephanie Knight expressed gratitude to the visiting scholars who traveled thousands of miles to participate in the symposium. The participants said it gave them a valuable opportunity to engage in conversations about important global issues and research innovation.

Directors and Center announced to Advance Interdisciplinary Research in Technology Enhanced Immersive Learning

Posted on March 12, 2025Updated: March 12, 2025

In a move to encourage interdisciplinary research and multidisciplinary collaboration across SMU, two prominent faculty researchers have been named to lead the SMU Technology Enhanced Immersive Learning (TEIL) cluster and oversee the new TEIL Center.

Dr. Tony Cuevas, Simmons Assistant Dean of Technology and Innovation, has been appointed by Dean Stephanie Knight as Co-Director of the Technology Enhanced Immersive Learning (TEIL) Center at SMU. Dr. Eric G. Bing, Dedman Department of Anthropology and Simmons Department of APSM, has been appointed Co-Director by Dedman Interim Dean, Nathan Balke.

Dean Knight says she is excited about the impact Cuevas and Bing will make. “Dr. Bing and Dr. Cuevas are truly a dynamic duo. Their leadership will guide the cluster as it expands interdisciplinary research and development in immersive learning, emerging educational technologies, and transformative pedagogical approaches.”

The TEIL research cluster was created by SMU leaders to bring together researchers, scholars and practitioners with an interest and expertise in immersive learning and AI in education and society to address large-scale questions that require interdisciplinary approaches.

Bing is a professor of global health with joint appointments at SMU in the Department of Anthropology in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of Applied Physiology and Sport Management in Simmons. He has expertise in global health, interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and innovative education. Bing says, “I’ve had the privilege of leading cross-sector collaborations, research initiatives, and strategic partnerships that advance technology-enhanced learning. I look forward to helping lead this multidisciplinary effort that continues to integrate immersive and experiential learning methodologies to enhance education with real-world application.

Cuevas, Assistant Dean for Learning Technology at Simmons and a clinical professor, expressed his excitement about the work ahead. “The new TEIL Center will formalize and further expand on the work of the TEIL research cluster.” Located in the existing lab space in Harold Simmons Hall, the new center will be dedicated to the work of the cluster. According to Cuevas, “It will also provide a space to promote transformational interdisciplinary research in technology-enhanced immersive learning, including basic and applied research, and engaging policy issues to improve our understanding of the interfaces among educational technology and immersive and intelligent learning systems.”

Cuevas has a deep background in educational technology, immersive learning environments, and applied research, and has been instrumental in integrating emerging technologies into pedagogy. His leadership in program development, faculty engagement, and research initiatives will be vital in advancing the cluster’s mission and ensuring its practical impact.

Bing and Cuevas will oversee strategic planning, research initiatives, and the development of collaborative partnerships, ensuring TEIL’s emergence as a leader in immersive and technology-enhanced learning.

Vision for the Research Cluster

The Technology & Immersive Learning Research Cluster will serve as a hub for multidisciplinary collaboration across SMU and beyond. It will:

Advance interdisciplinary research at the intersection of immersive learning, technology, and education.
Support faculty and student initiatives in research, development, and implementation of cutting-edge learning solutions.
Foster partnerships between academia, industry, and community stakeholders to drive innovation.
Help secure funding and resources to sustain the long-term impact of the center’s work.

SMU Researcher Awarded $14 Million Grant to Improve Math Learning Loss Nationwide, Setting SMU Record for Highest Single Award Total

Posted on March 3, 2025Updated: March 3, 2025

Leanne Ketterlin-Geller’s grant represents the highest single total dollar amount in SMU’s history, aiming to help students prepare for their future by learning fractions

SMU professor Leanne Ketterlin-Geller was awarded a $14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to nationally scale a math intervention designed to help students improve their fraction skills – the highest single total dollar amount in SMU’s history. The five-year project will provide support to 4^th and 5^th graders in rural settings and out-of-school programs across the United States.

“A limited understanding of fractions is a major problem in schools because fractions are the gatekeeper for future success in algebra,” said Ketterlin-Geller, professor of education policy and leadership in SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development and the Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education. An internationally recognized math and special education researcher, Ketterlin-Geller also leads Simmons’ Research in Mathematics Education program.

“Recent data suggests that compared to reading, more students struggle with math, especially for underserved populations,” she said.

As principal investigator of SCALE UP, Ketterlin-Geller’s largest grant to date, the SMU researcher will work with partners at six universities to examine how a fraction intervention program can be used in rural schools and in community-based afterschool settings. This program, called Fraction Face-Off!, was developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University. Students work in small groups with their educator or tutor to learn about fractions during 36 sessions.

$Cassandra working with students on fractions$ “Understanding proportions, ratios, algebra and higher levels of math begins with an understanding of fractions,” Ketterlin-Geller said. “Just memorizing procedures is not enough, students need to understand the ‘why’ of fractions.”

Before beginning the new SCALE UP project, Ketterlin-Geller and partner researchers worked with Fraction Face-Off! In diverse settings through the SCALE project. They found students who completed the program showed measurable improvement in their understanding of fractions. The new project expands the intervention to include more students and educators in additional settings.

“Educator training and coaching is a key part of the program’s effectiveness,” Ketterlin-Geller said. Rural school educators and community-based providers often have limited access to effective interventions and professional training. The program provides them with online training and ongoing coaching, she said.

SMU will lead the SCALE UP project with implementation partners including the University of Missouri and The University of Texas at Austin. Collaboration partners include the University of Virginia, the University of Hawaii, Georgia State University and the University of California, Riverside. WestEd is the independent evaluator.

Simmons Dean Stephanie Knight says the research is much needed. “This history-making grant to develop more effective ways of supporting fraction learning is essential to the ever-growing number of students who struggle with math. I am appreciative that Dr. Ketterlin-Geller’s work is being rewarded and proud that her research at SMU Simmons has the potential to make a significant impact in improving the math trajectories for students across the country.”

The contents of this announcement were developed under grant S411A240014 from the U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program as part of a financial assistance award of $13,990,544 funded by EIR (90% of total project costs) and 10% funded by non-governmental sources. The Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this announcement may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this announcement does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of, or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by, any Federal agency.

Program Created by SMU Simmons PhD Candidate Awarded Presidential Award for Excellence

Posted on January 17, 2025Updated: January 21, 2025

President Joe Biden has selected the local nonproﬁt, The GEMS Camp (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science), as a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). The award recognizes individuals and organizations who have made signiﬁcant contributions to mentoring and have enhanced the participation of individuals including persons with disabilities who might not otherwise have considered or had access to opportunities in STEM disciplines and professions.

Established by current SMU Simmons Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant Saki Milton in 2010 when she was a classroom teacher, The GEMS Camp empowers underrepresented and underserved middle school girls through immersive informal STEM education opportunities, leadership development, and mentorship. The organization’s innovative programs integrate culturally aﬃrming, real-world applications of STEM and career mentorship to inspire conﬁdence and foster academic success. The GEMS Camp has empowered more than 1,300 underrepresented girls through year-round programming and summer camps hosted at major universities with the next one planned for SMU this summer.

GEMS has achieved an impressive 85% retention rate since 2015. Its ﬁrst cohort of 7th graders has now graduated from high school, and 80% of them became STEM majors or pursued careers in STEM. This success aligns with the PAESMEM program’s goal of highlighting exemplary mentoring eﬀorts that broaden participation in STEM ﬁelds.

Milton says her direct work with girls in the Dallas community led her to SMU to pursue a Ph.D. in STEM education to apply theory to practice. She says her faculty advisor, Dr. Candace Walkington’s research projects aligned well with her interest in informal STEM learning, especially informal mathematics. “Since I’ve been at Simmons, my knowledge base has expanded tremendously giving me an in-depth understanding of educational equity, particularly for Black and Latina girls who have been historically marginalized in STEM subjects. I have been able to incorporate my work with The GEMS Camp into my research interest, while learning qualitative and quantitative methods to study interventions like The GEMS Camp.”

Milton went on to say, “We are honored to be part of the national movement aimed at expanding access to high-demand, high-paying STEM careers and inspiring the next generation of women leaders in STEM.” Simmons Dean Stephanie Knight offered her congratulations. “We at Simmons are so proud of Saki and honored to help her continue to elevate the GEMS program through research and learning.”

Administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House Oﬃce of Science and Technology Policy, the Presidential Award celebrates mentors who provide critical guidance outside of traditional classrooms, shaping the future of the STEM workforce. Each Presidential Awardee receives a certiﬁcate signed by the President of the United States and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. Milton plans to attend the award ceremony in Washington, D.C. later this year.

For more information visit www.thegemscamp.org.

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

Posted on August 30, 2024Updated: October 15, 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: October 15, 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.

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.

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.

Middle School Math Gets a Boost from Virtual Reality

Posted on May 6, 2024

Middle school math students struggling to catch up with their peers benefited significantly from tutoring via virtual reality according to new research by SMU math education pioneer Candace Walkington. The first researcher to develop and analyze VR tutoring, Walkington found the strategy offered students the benefits of face-to-face tutoring in addition to virtual immersion into the world of math.

Walkington, professor of teaching and learning at SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development, presented her research recently at the American Educational Research Association meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To conduct the study, Walkington and her team recruited 38 seventh- and eighth-graders from after-school programs at two Dallas urban schools. Ten miles away on the SMU campus, SMU undergraduate student tutors met their students remotely as avatars in a virtual math classroom where student avatars could stretch, condense, and even crawl inside the prisms, pyramids and other geometric shapes they were studying.

“VR is this very immersive environment where things happen that can’t happen in the real world,” Walkington says. “You can have a cube floating in the air in front of you and there’s no gravity to make it fall to the ground.”

Students are drawn to the playful aspects of VR tutoring, Walkington says, but research shows they also benefit from embodied learning, or the movement the technology enables that illustrates mathematical concepts, she says.

“When we move we do mathematics,” she says. “Students intuitively understand math in a spatial and embodied way. They will spontaneously use gestures and movements to explore concepts.”

It’s important to note that the study also exposed some limitations to VR tutoring. Despite upgrades to school Internet connections, students and remote tutors regularly experienced connection problems while working in the virtual world. It also took time for students to learn to use the VR headset and goggles, creating delays.

According to a recent study conducted by Harvard and Stanford, students in the U.S. have made up about a third of COVID math learning loss, but the $122 million federal aid education package to support tutoring and summer school for those with COVID learning loss expires in September 2024.

“As technology continues to advance, we believe VR tutoring will become commonplace, given its strengths of embodied learning, dynamic interaction and collaboration,” she says.

Walkington’s research was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Co-authors of her paper include Max Sherard, Prajakt Pande, LeaAnne Daughrity and Anthony Cuevas.