Ego alert

Today, the Education Schools Project released Educating Researchers, a report that “focuses on the need for quality education research and on the preparation of the scholars and researchers who conduct it.”

Part II of the report is entitled “An Excellent Program”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the chapter is written entirely about Vanderbilt’s Special Education department. It details the structure, competency requirements, aggregated faculty accomplishments, and other unique facets of the program. It is meant to describe what may be considered the “gold standard” for Ph.D. production.

In light of this report and recent U.S. News rankings, I wonder how much praise a department can get before they need to build a new building just to accommodate the increased mass of people’s heads -

I, for one, am in the market for a new hat to accommodate my swollen pride. Sure, I understood that I would be attending a world-class research institution when I arrived at Vandy in August of 2005, but this is more than I expected. The report focuses mostly on the faculty and on student requirements, but as a student, it’s clear to me that the aspects of the program that are lauded as essential for producing good researchers are actually doing their job…

- Peter Beddow

Previous: If it’s U.S. News…it must be April

When doc students drink

This should give you an idea of what Special Ed doc student parties look like. This picture was taken at the home of Dr. Karen Harris during our end-of-semester gathering after an arduous but rewarding journey into the world of theoretical deep thinking (SPED 3930 – Leadership & Theory in SPED 2007). From left: Paul Morphy, Leslie Rogers, Mary Brindle, and first-year prodigy, Madelynn (they recruit them younger and younger, don’t they?)

- Peter Beddow

When you hate to have the publicity

Maury Nation, in the Department of Human and Organizational Development, conducts research on bullying and the prevention of school violence. It’s the kind of work you wish no one had to do. Following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, I imagine we all would hope for that even more.

Maury’s been quoted a fair amount in the media since April 16 and done television interviews, as well. The latest mention is in USA Today:

Maury Nation, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University who studies school violence, said there is “no way to predict absolutely” who will follow through on threats of violence. “It’s much better to overreact,” he said, than to assume such threats are bluffs.

This following a spate of threats in schools around the country.

In Africa, $25 = a year of school

In Nashville, my guess is that $25 hardly covers a text book.

This statistic applies to a specific school (pictured above) in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. This $25 purchases the 8 school books, 2 uniforms and pair of shoes that are necessary for a child to attend school in Africa.

Kibera — featured in recent media from The Constant Gardner to last week’s “American Idol Gives Back” — is stricken with poverty. Some statistics describe this 1 square mile area as home to more than 800,000 residents. Children live alone. People die every day from disease.

Yet kids still go to school. They want to. And while I haven’t been to the area myself, good friends of mine have, and can testify to the spirit these youth hold to receive an education.

Can’t think of greater dedication than that.

~Kristen Hayner

In the interest of full disclosure, I volunteer for a 5K race to take place on June 23, 2007 in Nashville that has raised over $40,000 to benefit kids at this school as well as other relief efforts in Africa.