Traditional college-aged students, working professionals, preschool through 12th grade learners-at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, we teach all of them and advance discoveries that improve their educational experiences. While much of this work takes place on campus, Peabody's value extends to classrooms and communities across the country and around the world.
In this issue of the Peabody Reflector, the story on Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, Peabody's education initiative for high-achieving K-12 learners, showcases the program's value in the lives of students like Sophie Lombard, who drove 10 hours from Florida to Nashville to take PTY's Exploratory and Graphical Data Analysis class and to immerse herself in her passion for statistics. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, PTY fosters children's academic, social and emotional growth, the value of which is felt throughout their lives.
Research at Peabody also influences state and regional education policies and practices. For nearly 10 years, the Tennessee Education Research Alliance has brought together researchers from Vanderbilt and across the country to collaborate with the Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee school districts, advocacy organizations and other state agencies to make a difference for children through evidence-based policies and practices. In this story, hear directly from members of partner organizations to learn the true measure of TERA's value for students and educators.
Complementing TERA's influence on policy are the LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator's investigations using education technology. At LIVE, Peabody faculty and students, as well as those from across Vanderbilt, collaborate to develop next-gen AI learning tools that boost children's learning through interactive, embodied simulations, facilitate caregiver-child conversations during story time and offer an online community resource for responsible AI use. Read the story about LIVE to learn more.
You may have noticed that I've lingered on the idea of value: the value we offer to K-12 students, to Vanderbilt students to engage in research and innovation, to our broader community of educators. As my colleagues, Will Doyle, Brent Evans and Emily House make clear in this article, all institutions need to communicate their value. Not only do we face a shrinking college-aged population, but, as Emily said, "People are questioning, rightly or wrongly, what is higher education's value?"
The initiatives named above scratch the surface of Peabody's impact on our students and our communities. I hope these stories, and the entire fall 2025 issue of the Peabody Reflector, demonstrate that the true value of Peabody College is priceless.
Camilla Persson Benbow
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development
