When Vanderbilt researcher Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens learned about a new all-girls secondary school, located not far from Vanderbilt University, she quickly saw how its mission aligned with her own work. She set about fostering a collaboration that would connect young learners to her studies on technology in education.
Beyond Excellence (B.E.) Academy for Girls is a private school offering a rigorous STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) curriculum that strives to boost leadership skills in girls. The academy's income-based sliding tuition, as well as state funds and private financial supports, put a science-driven education within reach for those seeking it.
Since linking up with B.E. Academy in 2024, Arastoopour Irgens, assistant professor of human-centered learning technologies at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, has become highly involved, partnering with sixth- through eighth-grade students for her research, leading a weekly Girls Who Code afterschool club, and recently joining its board of directors.
"Being able to pursue innovative curriculum and approaches to STEAM education with a focus on girls-that was a really exciting opportunity," said Arastoopour Irgens. "The school was looking for more ways to integrate technology-driven curriculum like robotics, computer science, those kinds of things. And that's what I do."
Arastoopour Irgens's work invites learners to see AI as a human-made system shaped by values and choices. She aims to foster technical skills while prompting consideration of AI's social and ethical implications.
Over the past several semesters, she and her research team have introduced B.E. students to SPOT (Solving Problems of Tomorrow), a game-based module she designed to teach critical thinking about machine learning. "We had a participatory design structure where they would give us a lot of feedback, working as co-designers," said Arastoopour Irgens. Next, the students will explore another program under development, Adventures in AI.
THOUGHTFUL COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS
Arastoopour Irgens approached the collaboration as she does all research practice partnerships: with relationship-building front of mind. "I spent a lot of time hanging out at the school, getting to know the girls, getting to know the families, the community-before ever doing any kind of research," she recalled.
With that trust firmly established, students in the school have become a powerful sounding board for researchers working to design impactful curriculums.
"We trust each other, and they are interested in the project-the girls, the teachers, the community. The girls are learning, but they're also at the cutting edge of this research, which is really exciting for them."
"Vanderbilt's team doesn't come in with a 'fix-the-school' mindset. They come in with a mindset of curiosity, respect and innovation." -Tanisha Wilson, B.E. Academy
"Vanderbilt's team doesn't come in with a 'fix-the-school' mindset," explained Tanisha Wilson, B.E. Academy's founder and CEO. "They come in with a mindset of curiosity, respect and innovation. Our partnership gives us access to high-level research while honoring the lived experiences of our students. It feels good to collaborate with people who believe in culturally responsive, project-based learning the way we do, and who see the brilliance in our girls and help us build systems that amplify it."
Not only has the collaboration helped students see measurable gains in reading and math, said Wilson, but "the girls now believe in themselves. They see themselves as creators, innovators and problem-solvers."
The academy opened last year with 13 students and has grown to 39 students in grades 5 to 9. With a waiting list exceeding 200 girls, the school will add another grade level each year until it serves learners all the way through 12th grade. "B.E. Academy is proof that when you design school through the lens of the students you serve, extraordinary things can happen. Our partnership with Vanderbilt has been a major part of that story-and we're just getting started," said Wilson.
Less than two years into its establishment, the school has been recognized by the Yass Foundation for Education as a finalist for the $1 million Yass Award. "Being nominated for the Yass Prize has been surreal," said Wilson. "There are thousands of applicants across the country, and to be named a 2025 contender-especially as a new, Black-founded all-girls school in Nashville-means the world to us."
The award, to be announced December 4, honors institutions which the Yass Foundation believes elevate the next generation of education changemakers. Whatever the outcome, B.E. Academy's early success is already making a difference in the lives of Nashville girls, while serving as a model for thoughtful STEAM-oriented education.
Vanderbilt Peabody College offers its students meaningful community engagement and future-looking degree programs that integrate technology and AI. As assistant professor in the Peabody Department of Teaching and Learning, Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens is a pathmaker in this area, serving as a leader at Peabody's IDEA Lab, and core faculty in the LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator.
