UNC School of Education

10/20/2026

University Research Week continues at , and the UNC School of Education is highlighting research that helps educators better understand student learning and put evidence into practice.

Jessica Rodrigues, Ph.D., who leads the Mathematics Potential Lab, studies how to identify and support K-12 students with or at risk for mathematics learning difficulties and disabilities. Her research examines evidence-based mathematics practices and interventions, including work focused on fraction understanding and broader mathematics success, while also exploring how research findings can be communicated more effectively to educators.

That focus is reflected across some of the lab’s current projects: Project KEY creates and studies concise “key abstracts” that share research-backed mathematics instructional recommendations with K-6 special education and general education teachers, while the Translational Visual Abstracts Project, developed in partnership with the Council for Exceptional Children, used a randomized controlled trial to examine how effectively those resources can diffuse research in online spaces. In addition, the lab’s Paired Open Database Project extends beyond mathematics instruction by examining demand for special education faculty across the United States and helping scholars better understand the academic job market.

Learn more about Rodrigues’ research and the Mathematics Potential Lab. https://www.mathematicspotential.com/

10/19/2026

University Research Week begins today at Carolina, and throughout the week, the UNC School of Education is highlighting how various faculty research is deepening understanding of teaching and learning to better support educators and the students they serve.

Dionne Cross Francis, Ph.D., Joseph R. Neikirk Term Professor, leads the Research on the Emotional, Social, and Psychological Influences on Teachers’ Experiences (RESPITE) Lab. Within the lab, undergraduate and graduate researchers study how teachers’ experiences and well-being shape their classroom decisions, with a particular focus on mathematics education; recent work includes Holistic Personalized Coaching, an approach that tailors professional learning to individual teachers and helps them examine factors influencing their practice.

Cross Francis’ research sits at the intersection of mathematics education, educational psychology, and teacher education, with a focus on understanding the contextual and teacher-specific factors that motivate teachers’ actions and how professional development can be designed to help them thrive.

Learn more about Cross Francis’ research and the RESPITE Lab. https://bit.ly/4hWicc3

10/16/2026

Carolina Community Academy students spent yesterday at the Greensboro Science Center, where they experienced new sights and learning opportunities throughout the day. ✨

Students encountered stingrays, fish, turtles, farm animals, and more as they moved through the center with classmates and CCA staff members, building on what they’ve been exploring at school through firsthand observation and new experiences outside of school. 🐟🐢🐄

Take a look at a few moments from CCA’s day at the Greensboro Science Center. 📸

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Kassandra Ciriza-Monreal (’26 B.A.) on receiving a 2026–2027 U.S. Student Program award from The Fulbright Program for an English teaching assistantship in Portugal! 🎊

Originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico, Ciriza-Monreal, a graduate of HOLD at UNC School of Education, shared that she is inspired by her own experience learning English to commit to advancing educational access and language learning. At , she volunteered as an English teacher at El Centro Hispano and helped students pursue higher education through the Kenya Scholar Access Program.

This fall, Kassandra will support English language instruction at Instituto Superior de Gestão in Lisbon, continuing her work to help students overcome language barriers and pursue their goals.

Learn more from the Morehead-Cain Foundation.

Quintin Gay ’24 and Kassandra Ciriza-Monreal ’26 have received 2026–2027 English Teaching Assistant awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach abroad in the Kyrgyz Republic and Portugal.

10/14/2026

As Generative AI becomes more visible in classrooms, families and educators are facing new questions about how the technology may shape the way students learn.

Jeffrey A. Greene, Ph.D., associate dean for research and faculty development and McMichael Professor, helped lead a new consensus report that brought together 30 university-based experts, including Matthew L. Bernacki, Ph.D., program coordinator for Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies and area chair for Learning, Development and Psychological Sciences. Together, the researchers examined 65 learning processes and developed guidance focused on using GenAI in ways that support student thinking while keeping human relationships central to education.

Discover what the group found and how the report can help inform decisions about GenAI in learning.

UNC School of Education faculty member Jeffrey A. Greene, Ph.D., McMichael Professor and the School’s associate dean for research and faculty development, was one of three lead coordinating authors of […]

10/13/2026

Last week, UNC School of Education faculty came together at the Rizzo Center for the School's Lightning Symposium, sharing brief presentations about their scholarship, teaching, and service.

Designed to broaden awareness of the work taking place across the School, the symposium gave faculty and members of the Carolina community time to learn from colleagues and explore connections across areas of expertise. View a recap from a day centered on sharing ideas and creating opportunities for future collaboration.

10/12/2026

Happy University Day, ! 🩵 As The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill celebrates 233 years, we’re reflecting on the ways the University’s mission continues through the people and programs shaping what comes next.

We were excited to see the UNC School of Education's newly relaunched B.A.Ed. in Elementary Education featured in this year’s State of the University video. Its first cohort started this fall, and students are already gaining hands-on classroom experience as they develop into highly effective teachers prepared to support students and communities.

Learn more from . https://www.unc.edu/story/carolina-turns-233-university-day-2026/

Video credit: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10/09/2026

At this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards on Saturday, Sept. 26, the UNC School of Education celebrated alumni whose work continues to work within education in North Carolina and beyond. 🎊🩵

This year’s award recipients included:

◻️ Distinguished Leadership Award: Carol H. Artis (’86 A.B.Ed.), assistant superintendent for Wayne County Public Schools.
◻️ Outstanding Young Alumnus Award: Terrell R. Morton (’17 Ph.D.), associate professor of identity and justice in STEM education at the University of Illinois Chicago.
◻️ Excellence in Teaching Award: Cara Faulkner Ward (’99 B.A., ’00 M.A.T.), assistant professor of social studies in the Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Learn more about this year’s recipients and how their work is making an impact through education.

The UNC School of Education honored three alumni at its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony held Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on the University […]

10/08/2026

UNC School of Education faculty members Ha Nguyen, Ph.D., and Troy Sadler, Ph.D., are beginning a new National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project focused on how AI can support high school science teaching while keeping teachers central to the learning process.

With a $750,000 NSF award, Nguyen, the project’s principal investigator, and Sadler, co-principal investigator, will work alongside science teachers to develop AI tools that help educators better understand student learning and support students’ engagement in scientific practices such as modeling. The project will begin with teachers in Missouri before expanding to educators in Missouri and North Carolina, ultimately involving 25 teachers and approximately 2,000 students.

Discover how this project will bring education research and teacher expertise together to examine productive uses of AI in science classrooms.

Ha Nguyen, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the UNC School of Education, leads work to understand how AI-powered learning technologies can support deeper student learning while ensuring those technologies enhance, […]

10/07/2026

Julia Fowlkes (’26 B.A.Ed.) entered the Human Development & Family Science at UNC-Chapel Hill program looking for a path that would enable her to work directly with people and create broader impact.

During an internship with Sexual Health for Youth in Care through the Children's Home Society of NC, Fowlkes listened as young people asked how concepts such as consent and healthy communication applied to situations in their own lives. Their questions led her to develop “Healthy Communication,” a student-centered curriculum grounded in the research skills she developed through HDFS, which later drew interest from educators and professionals in the field.

Now teaching sexual health education to young people and parents in Florida, Fowlkes continues to build on the approach she developed at . Learn how her HDFS experiences helped shape the beginning of her career.

The Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) program at the UNC School of Education is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2026-27 academic year. The following story is one of […]