Research Projects
Faculty members in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development have attracted external funding from sources that include the U.S. Dept. of Education, National Science Foundation, Texas Instruments Foundation, Istation and other sponsors. These innovative research and professional development projects are designed to have real-world impact on regional and national education and applied physiology.
SMU University Research Council PI: Dr. Candace Walkington Co-PIs: Elizabeth Stringer, Deputy Director - Academics, SMU Guildhall June 2019 - Ongoing
This interdisciplinary grant proposal seeks to build and test a “proof of concept” prototype of an augmented reality simulation environment for learning high school geometry. This grant is a collaboration between a faculty member in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development (Candace Walkington) and a faculty member in the SMU Guildhall Videogame Design Program (Elizabeth Stringer). With this grant, we seek to: (1) Design geometry simulations that utilize the Microsoft HoloLens 2 Augmented Reality (AR) system, (2) Create simulations that allow for hands-free, collaborative (multi-person) coordinated manipulations of geometric objects, (3) Test the simulation’s usability with pairs of middle and high school students working together to explore a single virtual geometric object, and (4) Assess what participants learn about geometry from using the simulation.
Back to Top
American Educational Research Association (AERA), Education Research Service Project (ERSP) PI: Dr. Candace Walkington Co-PIs: Dr. Koshi Dhingra, Min Wang June 2019 - June 2020
WalkSTEM is an initiative in Dallas, Texas, that was launched and is run by the non-profit organization TalkSTEM. In walkSTEM after-school clubs, students meet weekly to create their own mathematical "stops" for a walk around their school or community. Students then lead an audience (other students, parents, teachers) on their walk, acting as docents who explain how mathematics is integrated into the surroundings. For this project, we will film a walkSTEM after-school club’s activities, and utilize interviews and surveys with participants to explore students’ problem posing activities. Through this research, we seek to inform the non-profit’s future implementation of both the walkSTEM afterschool club and the walkSTEM model more generally, including identifying important supports for success, key characteristics of the model, and persistent issues that must be considered and addressed. We also seek to document the impact of the model and the kind of problem-posing work students do as they engage with the club.
See a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO5g6S9s3DY&feature=youtu.be
Wend Ventures / Lumin Education PI: Dr. Jan Mallett Co-PI: Hiba Rahim February 2019 - December 2021
A grant from Wend Ventures, formerly the Walton Family Foundation, was awarded to SMU Simmons CORE and Teaching and Learning. The project will fund research that will evaluate how the Lumin Education model of starting young, involving parents, and offering Montessori education results in improved academic achievement, emotional well-being, and executive function for its students. The study will build evaluation capacity and provide formative data to Lumin for continuous quality improvement. If possible, Lumin students will be compared to other students in the Dallas area.
The goal of the collaboration between Lumin and The Simmons School collaboration is to answer emerging questions about the effects of Montessori education and the Lumin practices of starting young and involving parents. Also, the project will equip Lumin with additional tools and resources related to data collection, usage, and reporting that will serve as proof points to gain additional financial support and to sustain Lumin programming. Jan Mallett, PI, Hiba Rahim, CoPI, Elisa Gallegos, and Harvey Luna represent SMU Simmons on the project.
National Science Foundation (NSF) PI: Candace Walkington Co-PIs: Dr. Matthew Bernacki (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) Dr. Harsha Perera (University of Nevada Las Vegas) Dr. Neil Heffernan (Worcestor Polytechnic Institute) August 2018 - July 2021
This project examines how to engage students taking foundational mathematics courses by connecting math to STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers. Using ASSISTments, students will watch videos, read stories, and solve example problems about how the math they are learning connects to careers that interest them, and then will pose and share their own math problems.
U.S. Deptartment of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) PI: Dr. Akihito Kamata July 2018 - June 2020
The Early Learning Department of the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) and the Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) are engaged in A Research Partnership to Improve the Quality of Pre-K Classroom Practices and Child Outcomes in a Large Urban School District. The research partnership focuses on providing high-quality pre-K programs to all children in the Dallas ISD. The purpose of the research partnership is to systematically improve overall pre-K quality through professional development (PD) Dallas ISD provides to instructional specialists (i.e., coaches) and pre-K classroom teachers. The partnership will focus on differentiating PD for teachers based on teacher need, focusing on high-quality teacher-child interactions aligned with the CLASS observation instrument and associated PD system. The partnership will also focus on improving PD for teachers in Instruction Support domain, which remains a particular challenge in pre-K classrooms. The research partnership will focus on all pre-K programs in the district.
National Science Foundation (NSF) PI: Anne Garrison Wilhelm Co-PI: Dr. Scott Norris Collaborators: Regina Nippert June 2018 - May 2019
This Noyce Capacity Building project focuses on helping to meet the need for secondary mathematics teachers in the Dallas area. The project will work to create a circular pipeline through which local students attending DCCCD would attend SMU, participate in a community-focused training program, and then return to teach in high-need schools in their home communities. As DCCCD has a highly diverse student body, this project also seeks to enhance the diversity of teachers in the Dallas-area. The project aims to educate and support the student scholars so that they will be well prepared to teach in the area schools and be more likely to stay in those schools. For more information, click here.
Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1758435&HistoricalAwards=false
Toyota Foundation PI: Dean Stephanie Knight June 2018 - June 2021
A generous gift from the Toyota USA Foundation has enabled SMU Simmons, Dallas ISD, and Toyota to form a partnership to develop a STEM-focused School in West Dallas. The School will feature an evidence-based, industry-informed STEM curriculum and community services that include extracurricular academic programming and student and family counseling.
Link: https://www.smu.edu/simmons/AboutUs/ModelSchool
Teach for America (TFA) PI - Dr. Annie Wright Co-PIs: Dylan Farmer, Yetunde Zannou April 2018 - December 2018
CORE was awarded an evaluation contract to evaluate Teach for America Corps Member and Alumni Impact in Texas. The purpose of the evaluation is to measure the impact of TFA corps member and alumni teachers across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio. Specifically, the evaluation will estimate the impact on student achievement of TFA member and alumni teachers in Texas from 2012 to 2018 as measured by STAAR exams. The evaluation includes extensive public information request directly from Texas Education Agency followed by a collaborative and iterative analysis procedure. Findings will indicate how TFA members and alumni compare to teachers with other training, as well as the impact of consistency and saturation of TFA members and alumni. Sustainability of effects as well as the influence of other district, school, teacher and student factors will be explored. The anticipated completion month is December 2018.
U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) PI: Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller Co-PIs: Dr. Erica Lembke (University of Missouri), Dr. Sarah Powell (University of Texas, Austin) January 2018 - December 2021
The long-term goal of this model demonstration is to contribute empirical evidence on the effectiveness of a system of instructional practices for supporting the algebra-readiness of middle school students with specific learning disabilities in mathematics. Click here for more information.
James S. McDonnel Foundation PI: Dr. Lynsey Gibbons (Boston University) Co-PI: Dr. Anne Garrison Wilhelm (Southern Methodist University) Co-PIs: Andrea Bien, Eve Manz, Catherine O’Connor, Beth Warren, Ann Rosebery, Eli Tucker-Raymond (Boston University and TERC): January 2018 - December 2022
In this 5 year project, we are focused on understanding how elementary teachers use discussion practices in their classrooms, across content areas. In the first phase, we are interested in describing teachers’ practice and understanding teachers’ decision-making. In the second phase, we will focus on designing learning opportunities for teachers to leverage their existing strengths to improve their discussion practice as they aim to support disciplinary learning and equity.
U.S. Dept. of Education PI: Dr. David Deggs October 2017 - September 2022
McNair Scholars Project provides research and other scholarly support to SMU students annually who meet program eligibility criteria. Participants receive academic support services and participate in research and graduate school workshops. Participants also participate in the McNair Summer Research Institute that includes a research methods course and culminates in the execution of an undergraduate research project. The project serves 26 SMU students annually.
Two projects (STEM & SOAR) were awarded for the new grant cycle from 2017 to 2022. These two grants serve 124 students primarily in Dallas ISD high schools.
American Educational Research Association (AERA) PI: Dr. Denisa Gandara Co-PI: Dr. Amy Li October 2017 - October 2019
Dr. Gandara has received one of 3 AERA research grants awarded in 2017 to study free college or "Promise" programs with co-PI Dr. Amy Li (University of Northern Colorado). Promise programs, which cover college tuition (and sometimes other costs) for all eligible students in a geographic region, have proliferated across the United States, with recent adoptions in New York, California, and Dallas County. Dr. Gandara and Dr. Li's study is the first to examine -at a national scale- which groups of students benefit most from these programs. Specifically, the study examines how enrolments change at community colleges that are subject to Promise programs, and how effects vary by Promise program design features.
Istation PI: Dr. Paul Yovanoff September 2017 - August 2022
This is a 3-year project funded by Istation. This project investigates the validity and other psychometric properties of curriculum-based standardized learning and assessment systems in order to assist their effort on psychometric designs and analyses, such as test design, test equating, item calibration and growth model analysis.
National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award No. 1721100) PI: Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller Co-PI: Dr. Lindsey Perry September 2017 - August 2021
The primary purpose of the Measuring Early Mathematical Reasoning Skills project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is to develop the Measures of Mathematical Reasoning Skills system comprised of two universal screening tools: Tests of Numeric Relational Reasoning (T-NRR) and Tests of Spatial Reasoning (T-SR). These screeners will measure students' abilities in two foundational and predictive mathematics constructs, numeric relational reasoning and spatial reasoning, in Grades K-2. These screeners will assist teachers in understanding and monitoring their students' numeric relational reasoning and spatial reasoning abilities, leading to informed instructional decisions and curricular interventions.
U.S. Dept. of Education PI: Dr. David Deggs Classic I & III: September 2017 - August 2022 Classic II: June 2017 - May 2022
Upward Bound is a pre-collegiate program that works with students through high school to prepare for college by providing academic support services. Upward Bound support services include high school course tutoring, preparation for SAT and STAAR, high school and initial college course advising, financial aid and scholarship application assistance, and career planning.
Three projects (Classic I, II, & III) were awarded for the new grant cycle from 2017 to 2022. These three grants serve 225 students primarily in Dallas ISD high schools.
U.S. Dept. of Education PI: Dr. David Deggs STEM: September 2017 - August 2022 SOAR: September 2017 - August 2022
Upward Bound Math Science is also a pre-collegiate program that works with students through high school to prepare for college. Upward Bound Math Science services are similar to Upward Bound and are designed to help students recognize and develop their potential to excel in math and science. Students are provided hands-on learning experiences in classes such as engineering, robotics, biomedical sciences, 3-D printing, and information technology.
U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Vanderbilt University PI: Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba August 2017 - July 2021
The Mindset study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant, seeks to examine a reading intervention for fourth grade students with reading disabilities that integrates the psychosocial component of mindset with the academic component of reading. Specifically, we will examine the extent to which integrating mindset improves student response to reading intervention.
King’s College London / Medical Research Council PI: Dr. Eric Bing Co-PI: Dr. Tony Cuevas April 2017 - Ongoing
The Virtual Reality Surgery Simulator project aims to reduce the time and cost required to train surgeons by using an innovative virtual reality simulation designed to run on off-the-shelf video gaming equipment. The immersive surgery simulator is designed to help trainees acquire the psychomotor skills, sensory acuity, and cognitive planning required to perform complex surgical tasks. When combined with clinical training, this technology has the potential to significantly reduce the time and cost of achieving surgical proficiency in resource-constrained settings. Learn more here.
U.S. Dept. of Education PI: Dr. David Deggs, Project LAUNCH, Project LIFT September 2016 - August 2021
Education Talent Search (ETS) identifies and assists high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. ETS program staff provide academic advising, career planning and guidance, and mentoring services to students. The program is designed to support students as they graduate from high school and transition to college. ETS staff also assist students complete financial aid applications and manage the college application process. The program serves a total of 1,000 students annually between two projects (Project LAUNCH & Project LIFT).
U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) PI: Dr. Paige Ware Co-PIs: Dr. Karla del Rosal, Dr. Diego Román September 2016 - August 2021
This $2 million project, funded by the Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), seeks to increase the number of ESL-certified teachers in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). Over the next five years, Project CONNECT will prepare 180 pre-service and in-service teachers by offering on-site graduate courses focused on English Learner instruction and family outreach into an area of Dallas called The School Zone (TSZ), an established coalition formed among the School of Education at SMU, the Dallas Independent School District, and 29 non-profit community providers. We will work with families at the community centers, and teachers will create a publicly available website featuring ideas for how to engage with multilingual resources about teaching and family collaboration.
Southern Methodist University / U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) PI: Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba Co-PIs: Dr. Jill Allor, Dr. Paul Yovanoff, Dr. Aki Kamata July 2016 - June 2019
This project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (Goal 1), aims to identify and examine a key set of malleable variables (those that can be changed by the school) that are associated with outcomes for students in Tier 3 or in special education with reading disabilities. The study is being conducted in more than 7 states in collaboration with faculty and doctoral scholars from the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention. The team of SMU-based researchers includes PI Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, Co-PIs Dr. Jill Allor, Dr. Paul Yovanoff, and Dr. Aki Kamata, as well as Dr. Brenna Rivas, Dr. Francesca Jones, Dr. Pooja Shivraj, Margaret Pyffer, Dominique Lyons, Damaris Florez, and Miriam Ortiz. Click here for a video describing the project.
University of Wisconsin Madison / The Guildhall at SMU / U.S. Dept. of Education, Insitute of Education Sciences (IES) PI: Dr. Mitchel Nathan (University of Wisconsin Madison) Co-PIs: Dr. Candace Walkington, Dr. Peter Steiner (University of Wisconsin Madison) July 2016 - June 2020
This project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (Goal 1: Exploration), seeks to create a theory of embodied mathematical cognition for geometry learning. Specifically, this project examines how a Kinect-based video game can direct players to make arm motions that capture key geometric ideas and relations. The game includes a storyline where players encounter a mysterious tribe, and must form specific arm motions, detected by the Kinect camera, and then solve related geometry problems. The theory is that these directed actions will lead students to make their own co-speech dynamic gestures that show geometric transformations and relations. The team of researchers include Dr. Mitchell Nathan from the University of Wisconsin Madison, who is the Principal Investigator (PI) and his Co-PIs, Dr. Candace Walkington at Southern Methodist University and Dr. Peter Steiner at UW.
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas PI: Regina Nippert July 2016 - June 2019
The School Zone - Supporting After-School and Summer Programming addresses the need for targeted and coordinated services when addressing low-income students’ complex challenges by equipping West Dallas' social sector to work together in a targeted and coordinated manner. In so doing, The School Zone addresses the need for effective collaboration between schools and after school/summer program providers as they prepare at-risk students for success.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) PI: Dr. Annie Wright Co-PI: Dylan Farmer September 2015 - Ongoing
DallasISD’s Early Learning Department and SMU’s Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) are engaged in a longitudinal research-practice partnership aimed at supporting quality early childhood educational experiences. CLASS observations are conducted by CORE, and rapid feedback of actionable data is allowing the Early Learning Department, instructional specialists and campus leadership to provide targeted coaching to early elementary teachers (PreK to 2nd grade). This ongoing data collection also allows CORE to document how quality is changing semester over semester and year over year and to document the longer-term implications of sustained early childhood quality for student outcomes.
Link: https://www.smu.edu/simmons/Research/CORE/Sustained-Quality-in-Early-Grades
Southern Methodist University PI: Dr. Anne Garrison Wilhelm June 2015 - Ongoing
With internal funding from the University Research Council, this project aims to describe how mathematics teachers are using Twitter to learn about mathematics teaching. The goal is to understand the scope of the network of mathematics teachers on Twitter and to understand the learning opportunities for teachers who participate in this network. Dr. Wilhelm is collaborating with Dr. Michael Hahsler and Oscar Vallner from the Lyle School of Engineering to collect and mine the data from Twitter in a systematic way.
Texas Instruments Foundation PI: Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller May 2015 - May 2020
In 2016, a four-year project partnering with TI, Dallas Independent School District (DISD), and Simmons launched, aimed at increasing student achievement, engagement, and perseverance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through a STEM Teacher & Leader Academy that develops teacher ability and leadership, as well as fosters teacher skill and professional growth in these critical disciplines. This project will include a three-week intensive academy held on SMU campus each summer as well as coaching support throughout the academic year. In the summer of 2017, Grade 8 middle school teachers from six DISD schools will be the inaugural cohort and this will scale up by 2020 to collectively impact 24 schools, 24 administrators, 216 teachers, and an estimated 43,000 students.
U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) PI: Dr. Akihito Kamata September 2014 - July 2019
This is a 4-year project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences through the U.S. Dept. of Education, collaborating with the University of Oregon. The purpose of this project is to develop a new computer-based assessment system for measuring oral reading fluency for students in grades 2-4. The new assessment system incorporates a speech recognition engine for automated scoring, as well as a new psychometric model for improved estimation of reading speed. It is anticipated that the new assessment system will substantially improve currently available oral fluency measures, both from efficiency and accuracy perspectives.
Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile / Southern Methodist University PI: Dr. Maribel Granada Azcárraga (Universidad Católica del Maule), Dr. Maria Pilar Pomes (Universidad Católica del Maule), Dr. Doris Luft Baker January 2014 - Ongoing
This small-scale experimental study explores the effects of a Spanish vocabulary intervention on the literacy outcomes of second grade students at risk for vocabulary difficulties in Chile. Results of a randomized control trial indicated that children who received the VES intervention significantly outperformed children in the comparison group on their word knowledge.