Simmons is proud of the many outstanding students studying in the six departments that make up the School of Education and Human Development. But one of these students has been honored as a bona fide hero.
Magdeline Pike is studying for her doctorate in Learning Sciences in Simmons Human Centered Interdisciplinary Studies Department. Today she was awarded the SMU Police Department’s Citizens Commendation Award for helping save the life of a man outside Ford Stadium on Nov. 30. SMU Police Chief Jim Walters presented the award at a special ceremony. Donzeal Curry, an SMU security guard who called 911, also received the award.
Pike was on the boulevard tailgating when she saw a man who was unresponsive. The Air Force veteran sprang into action, and along with an unidentified man worked together to administer CPR until EMS arrived. Pike said it was a stressful couple of days until she learned that he survived.
Chris Anderson, his wife Elaine and their two little girls attended the awards ceremony and were able to thank their heroes in person.
Pike says she is grateful that she, the unidentified man, and Curry were able to work together to administer lifesaving aid. She says she is humbled by the recognition and is happy she was in the right place at the right time to help.
The holiday season is a time of celebration, joy, and connecting with what truly matters. But let’s face it – it’s easy for stress to overshadow the magic of the season.
By embracing simple, intentional practices, you can create a holiday season that feels calmer, more meaningful, and true to your values. Psychotherapist Farnoosh Nouri in the Department of Counseling at SMU suggests these five ways to bring quiet into your holidays and nurture your mental well-being:
Stay Focused on What Matters
The holidays can devolve into a whirlwind of events, gift shopping, and family obligations that leave you drained. Take a step back and ask yourself: What truly matters to me? Whether it’s meaningful connections, honoring your spiritual values, or simply slowing down, channel your energy into what aligns with your priorities. For example, instead of stressing over extravagant gifts, consider heartfelt gestures that bring connection and peace.
Put Your Health First
Don’t let self-care fall to the bottom of your list. Your mental, emotional, and physical well-being are the foundation of a peaceful holiday season. Carve out time to recharge – whether it’s a mindful walk, a warm bath, journaling, or getting enough sleep. Staying active and eating balanced meals (with room for holiday treats, of course) can help you maintain your energy and mood. Remember, caring for yourself is the best gift you can give to others.
Embrace Healthy Connections
Holidays are a time to foster bonds with people who lift you up. Spend time with friends and family who bring positivity into your life. Simple actions like sharing a laugh, giving or receiving a hug, or enjoying a moment of gratitude together can do wonders for your mental well-being. Activities like exercising together, playing a game, or even completing a small task as a team can boost those “feel-good” chemicals in your brain and create lasting memories.
Create Quiet Moments
Amid the noise and activity, prioritize moments of stillness. Quiet reflection – whether through meditation, a cup of tea by the window, or simply sitting in silence – can calm your mind and unlock new perspectives. These moments aren’t just a “break from busy”; they’re a chance to feel grounded and open to the beauty of the season.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun!
Laughter, playfulness, and joy are the ultimate stress-busters. Use this time to try something new—whether it’s tasting a dish you’ve never made, visiting a new place, or starting a playful family tradition. Positive emotions like joy and excitement aren’t just fleeting—they energize and uplift you, helping you step into the new year refreshed and ready.
SMU’s Dr. Tony Cuevas, Ph.D., assists West Dallas STEM School students with VR technology in the classroom. Students at WDSS are exposed to a variety of innovative learning techniques thanks to the public-private partnership through Toyota USA Foundation, SMU and Dallas ISD.(Courtesy Toyota)
The program is part of Toyota USA Foundation’s Driving Possibilities initiative, which seeks to provide for the interconnected needs of students through investment in educational programming.
By Meg Townsend, Dallas Morning News
When Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA) moved into its new headquarters in Plano in 2017, it did so with a plan to do more than simply create jobs in North Texas — being a responsible corporate partner and creating a positive impact within the D-FW community has always been the goal.
For evidence of the company’s impact, look no further than the Dr. Elba and Domingo Garcia West Dallas STEM School. Planning for the school began in 2018 with a public-private partnership between the Toyota USA Foundation, Southern Methodist University, Dallas Independent School District and the West Dallas community. Together, they’ve engineered a transformational school in an area where students have long experienced poverty, injustice and lack of resources.
What began as an educational initiative has expanded into a comprehensive community partnership that addresses both the learning and essential needs of children. It’s all a part of Toyota USA Foundation’s Driving Possibilities initiative that brings together educators, local and national nonprofits, industries and communities to prepare youth for the careers of tomorrow.
“Every program, every intervention that we are doing on this project, across the board, is intentional,” says Karen Pierce, an SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development staff member who serves as the project manager for the West Dallas STEM School and has experienced firsthand the impact of the public-private partnership.
The West Dallas STEM School opened in 2021 and was designed to serve Pre-K through eighth grade, though grades will be added progressively. For the 2024-2025 school year, grades PK3, PK4, kindergarten, and first, second and third grades are available. The school will be fully expanded to eighth grade by the 2029-2030 school year. Programs provided by Dallas ISD and The Budd Center at SMU have transformed education and introduced students to STEM in new, effective ways. The partnership between Toyota USA Foundation, SMU and the public education system has yielded on-site support, innovative educational programming and teacher development that help improve student outcomes.
Replication as the ultimate goal
What makes this program unique is the goal of replication, Pierce says. Providing students with improved educational experiences is an immediate outcome but the long-term outcome of the program is to create a model that can be transferred to other local schools in the West Dallas community — and many more beyond. “We recognize the need to pilot programs and develop processes but then share that in a way that is transferable,” says Pierce.
Though the school is still in its third year of operation, impact is already measurable. Improving family and community involvement at the school, and in the children’s education, was one of the primary goals. Only a small number of parents attended activities like the Family Learning Hub, PTA meetings and STEM nights at the time the school was launched, but now that number has doubled to 33%. In the 2023-2024 school year, 86 students improved academic performance, and 234 students improved school attendance, according to The Budd Center at SMU.
“We’re able to take our discoveries and share those abroad and even go and implement some of our programming that’s being piloted at West Dallas STEM School with other Pinkston feeder pattern schools,” says Toni Harrison-Kelly, the executive director of The Budd Center at SMU. Through this initiative, more than 900 program resources have already been developed or enhanced to serve hundreds of additional students throughout the area.
Providing for a student’s whole experience
Nonprofit and after-school program community partners are other critical components of students’ success. Brother Bill’s Helping Hand runs a food pantry onsite where families can shop, plus a learning garden that’s used to teach students about growing food.
“Almost anything that we’ve asked to do for the people of West Dallas, Toyota’s been right there to support us,” says Blane Rogers, site director of the Brother Bill’s Helping Hand onsite food pantry at West Dallas STEM School. The food pantry is structured to provide a shopping experience, giving clients a self-serve option that enables them to support their families. “This partnership is just another way that we can ensure that anyone in the community that’s coming to us or coming to the school for help can do so in a dignified way,” Rogers says.
Girl Scouts work on creating a model for their egg drop project, a popular STEM learning activity that teaches students about gravity and the science behind impact.(Courtesy Toyota)
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is another community partner that provides after-school programming for students. Destinee Merida, community youth development manager for the organization, says the school’s work primes the girls to explore STEM at a deeper level in their extracurricular programs because they can build on what was learned in school.
Early data shows that these programs are reaching students. Pierce says that all students at the West Dallas STEM School participated in sci-tech learning labs offered, as well as enrichment activities at the learning garden. This ecosystem of community support makes the impact sustainable because each organization fills gaps and meets needs. “Being able to be part of this wraparound service has really been beneficial because [if girls come to us with] needs that are far bigger than what we can actually do, we’re able to then refer them to those other community partners,” Merida says.
Partnership with Toyota also gives students in the program exposure to careers in STEM fields and potential future opportunities. Toyota is a unique collaborator in this regard, Pierce says, because the organization has a view of workforce readiness, and the skills youth need to develop to prepare for careers in the coming decades. This, in turn, helps educators like those from SMU and those working in Dallas ISD refine programs to ensure that students are prepared for the workforce. “We want to make sure that when we graduate a kid […], they are equipped to accomplish whatever that career trajectory was for them,” Pierce says.
Cross-industry collaboration continues to address key indicators of student success like providing field trips, creating a place for social belonging and other industry-informed learning opportunities. Now that the school is established, the work is to expand its impact, document the model, adjust as needed, and track the impact on students across their educational careers. Supporting students remains the program’s primary goal and children in the program get an all-encompassing learning experience that prepares them for their future.
Practicing on avatars in mixed reality, teachers use unique SMU lab to learn how to navigate complex classroom conversations.
What happens when you bring together a class of student teacher and early-career teachers, a self-proclaimed puppeteer and five teen avatars? You create an effective practice environment for educators to work on de-escalating classroom disagreements and facilitating classroom discourse of controversial topics.
Every day, teachers lead classrooms filled with pupils of different backgrounds and beliefs. When tempers flare, the learning environment can suffer. In SMU’s Mursion Simulation Environment, located in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development, undergraduate and graduate students learn to manage those conflicts and advance student understanding by interacting with teen avatars.
Their names? Ava, Dev, Ethan, Jasmine and Savannah. But the secret behind the avatars’ distinctive personalities is not merely clever programming – it’s assistant director of the Simmons Center for VR Learning Innovation and simulation specialist Stacy Ann Strang. Before coming to SMU, this “digital puppeteer” and simulation designer worked as both an actress and voiceover artist.
Avatars as unpredictable as their human counterparts
When early-career teachers enter the mixed reality simulation environment, they are introduced to the five on-screen avatars in a classroom setting. The simulation can see the teachers and, more importantly, their facial expressions and body language as they interact with the avatars.
It’s Strang, combined with artificial intelligence, designing how the avatars’ engage in the educator’s lesson – meaning the simulation can be adjusted and respond in real-time. And these digital teens are just as unpredictable as their human counterparts. They fall asleep, sneak looks at their cell phones or suddenly become overwhelmed when one of their avatar classmates says something they perceive as offensive.
“In feedback, teachers often cite classroom management as a big challenge, but it’s a skillset difficult to develop using real kids,” said Strang. “Practicing in the simulation environment gives future and current teachers opportunities to develop their interpersonal skills to keep kids on track for learning. Having to address a misbehaving or upset avatar pushes educators out of their comfort zone and they can see how well their chosen strategy works.”
Learning classroom management without the intimidation factor
Prior to using the Mursion Simulation Environment, student teachers could only practice conflict resolution or classroom management through role playing with peers. The eventual transition to real classrooms can feel extremely intimidating for first-timers. Strang collaborates with several faculty members across the SMU campus, including assistant professor Jeanna Wieselmann, at various stages of simulation planning and execution.
“I like to bring sections of my class into the lab to observe a peer teaching the avatars so we can then pause the simulation at different times for reflective discussions” said Wieselmann. “We look at which responses worked well, those that fell short and ways to improve. Even my faculty peers and I use the simulation from time to time so we can model research-based educator moves for successful teaching. Each classroom situation is unique, but this practice responding to students can help build teacher’ skills for when they are confronted with new challenges.”
In addition to classroom management, the Mursion Simulation Environment is used for other areas of academic training, leadership, counseling, and more.
About SMU
SMUis the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.
Simmons School of Education and Human Development has produced outstanding leaders who are making a mark in the field of education. The following are just a few of the individuals who have taken what they learned in Simmons graduate programs to go on to lead and shape the schools and learners where they serve.
Dr. Susana Cordova received her EdD in Educational Leadership last May 2024. She now serves as Commissioner of Education for the State of Colorado. In that role, she is the chief state school officer and executive officer of the Colorado Department of Education.
Dr. Greses Pérez received her MEd from Simmons in 2014 in Educational Leadership and Administration. Today she is the McDonnell Family Assistant Professor in Engineering Education Research in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tufts University and holds secondary appointments in Mechanical Engineering and Education.
Dr. Janine Fields, a 2022 EdD graduate, serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Mesquite Independent School District where she oversees a number of high-level areas including: Accreditation, Accountability, Research and Evaluation, and the District Improvement Plan.
Dr. Stephanie Jimenez is Principal of Newman Smith High School, a large public school in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Stephanie received her EdD from Simmons in 2018 and has said that “going through the program changed her life.” She strongly believes in the program which has led her to hire Simmons graduates to serve in leadership at the school. She also comes back to speak to classes.
Learning sciences is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field that embraces cognitive science, data science, and technologically enriched learning. Learning scientists are revolutionizing how knowledge is crafted and communicated, propelling educational practices into the future.
The online Master of Science in the Learning Sciences (MSLS) program at the Simmons School of Education and Human Development prepares students to excel in this rapidly expanding field through a 30-credit program featuring small class sizes and personalized instruction from award-winning educators and leading researchers—all delivered through a convenient online format that supports working professionals.
What are the Learning Sciences?
The learning sciences discipline is a multifaceted study of how people learn, drawing from domains like cognitive science, computer science, educational psychology and more. This field examines education’s psychological, social and cultural aspects, combining theoretical foundations with the practical design of learning environments.
Students in the online MSLS program begin by developing a deep understanding of learning processes, from memory and problem-solving to the impact of educational technology and policy in the core courses that anchor the program.
Who Is This Program Designed For?
This fully online program caters to innovative educators, corporate trainers, instructional designers and professionals who seek to deepen their expertise in data science, instructional design and immersive learning technologies. Some roles for which the MSLS prepares you include:
Instructional Designer
Learning Experience Designer
Educational Technologist
Data Analyst in Education
Learning and Development Manager
Corporate Trainer
E-Learning Developer
Learning Analytics Specialist
The learning sciences offer great potential for career growth in the knowledge economy. Learning science professionals are leading innovation in educational design and assessment in settings ranging from traditional classrooms to corporate and government training departments, cultural institutions and digital platforms.
How SMU Prepares You for Success
SMU’s MSLS program offers a dynamic curriculum with core requirements accounting for 15 credits, including a robust 6-credit research methodologies course and a practical capstone project. Students can tailor their educational journey through 15-credit specializations in Learning and Technology Design, Learning Analytics, or a custom path combining elective courses.
In addition to the research methodologies course, core courses include Introduction to the Learning Sciences and Theories and Trends in the Learning Sciences.
The Learning Analytics specialization focuses on data modeling and analysis in the educational context, including examination of the consequences of using learning analytics. The Learning and Technology Design specialization immerses students in innovative design with AR, VR, and AI applications in education.
The 3-credit Applied LS Capstone Project, part of the program’s core requirements, challenges students to integrate learning by addressing a significant issue within the learning sciences field. The project encompasses a thorough needs analysis and a strategic solution design, accompanied by a detailed discussion of the theoretical foundations of the design.
Students in the MSLS can also customize their degree by combining courses from both tracks. Online program delivery supports work-life balance, with the program leading to careers in instructional design, learning analytics, and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Admissions Requirements for This Program?
Admissions requirements include an accredited bachelor’s degree, or proof of equivalent training at a foreign university. A minimum 3.0 GPA, a current resume, two letters of recommendation, and an essay response to a writing prompt are required, as are official transcripts and a $75 application fee. Exceptions to the GPA requirement may be made based on expertise or GRE scores.
Do I Need Prior Experience in Education?
While prior experience is helpful, an educational background is not strictly necessary to succeed in this program. As a student in the online MSLS program, you are paired with a student success coordinator who can help navigate the online learning environment, find successful study strategies, connect you with additional resources and assist you in many other ways.
What Makes the M.S. in Learning Sciences Different From Other Programs?
The SMU M.S. in Learning Sciences stands apart as a fully online program integrating cognitive and data sciences with immersive learning technology, geared towards fostering leadership across diverse educational and professional settings. An admissions outreach advisor can answer any additional questions you may have.
Administrators, teachers and researchers from SMU and Dallas Independent School District, along with local educational non-profits came together for the 2024 Conference of the Consortium on Educational Research and Improvement (CERI).
CERI is a collaboration between SMU and the Dallas ISD to work together to identify and support mutually beneficial research, evaluation and improvement projects.
Dr. Annie Wright, Executive Director of the newly renamed, The Addy Foundation Center on Research and Evaluation, says, “The CERI conference is an excellent example of the growing and unique collaboration between our two institutions and that our mutual goal is to improve outcomes for K-12 students in Dallas and beyond.”
CERI is a research-practice partnership developed to help support the next generation of SMU research by faculty and graduate students and promote the sharing of new knowledge to Dallas ISD educational leaders. One goal of CERI is to make research endeavors between the two institutions more efficient and impactful.
Dr. Michele Broughton, Dallas ISD Deputy Chief of Academics agrees, “Dallas ISD has always valued collaborative work with SMU, and it has come to fruition through CERI. The mutual benefits of this partnership work ultimately to support our teachers and students.”
Held at Pegasus Park in Dallas, the conference featured speakers from SMU and Dallas ISD as well as participants from community-based partners with topics such as: early learning, summer learning loss, Advanced Placement course enrollment, and math reasoning. Participants even got to put on Virtual Reality headsets and experience innovations in VR learning. Representatives from Dallas ISD and SMU’s respective research boards also coached participants through the process of developing collaborative research projects.
Twenty-eight leaders from 22 school districts are among the 2024-2025 Institute for Leadership Impact’s District Leadership Fellows cohort who recently attended the Fall Retreat on the SMU campus.
Dr. Eric G. Bing, Director of the Institute, says the purpose of the Fellows program is to help participants be more effective in their leadership roles. “Generally, these are superintendents or part of executive teams making decisions for entire districts. We give them the tools to collaborate and work to solve issues they have in their districts.”
Since its inception in 2016-2017, the cohort has provided training for 134 leaders from 108 school districts in 7 states. Districts have ranged in size from 150 to 63,000 students. This year the program welcomed leaders from throughout Texas and Arkansas. Leaders from ISDs and, charter schools are part of the current cohort. Superintendents like Dr. Bobbie Treviño from Zapata County ISD, says, “It was important for me to participate in a program that will elevate me as a leader so that I can go back to my district and share what I’ve learned to help build strong leadership on all levels at home.”
The program has steadily increased in diversity. The first cohort was 92% male, 100% white and all were superintendents in rural districts in Texas. The current cohort is 71% female, 46% people of color occupying diverse district leadership roles in Texas and Arkansas. While a number still come from small or rural districts, an increasing number of leaders from larger, suburban districts are attending. To best meet the needs of leaders, the program is now fully hybrid with in-person sessions at the beginning and mid-year periods, weekly interactive sessions online in the fall, and monthly online sessions in the spring.
Each year the program begins with leaders examining the mission and purpose and learning how to best utilize their individual and team strengths. The communication technique Active Listening is taught using multiple methods including Mursion simulations. Throughout the program, each leader focuses on creating impact in their district, applying the skills and techniques learned in the sessions to a problem of practice in their districts.
Dr. Bryan Williams, Community Superintendent of Secondary Schools in the Spring Branch ISD said he was excited to attend after hearing about the program from a colleague. “A leader in my school district recommended this program very highly. The program and SMU have such excellent reputations.” Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort will open in spring 2025. Contact Christine Ferguson at cjferguson@smu.edu to be added to the mailing list and notified when applications open.
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.”
“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.”
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.
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.
Simmons is proud of the many outstanding students studying in the six departments that make up the School of Education and Human Development. But one of these students has been honored as a bona fide hero.
