Traditional college-aged students, working professionals, preschool through 12th grade learners鈥攁t 杏吧原创 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鈥檚 value extends to classrooms and communities across the country and around the world.
In this issue of the , the story on 杏吧原创 Programs for Talented Youth, Peabody鈥檚 education initiative for high-achieving K-12 learners, showcases the program鈥檚 value in the lives of students like Sophie Lombard, who drove 10 hours from Florida to Nashville to take PTY鈥檚 Exploratory and Graphical Data Analysis class and to immerse herself in her passion for statistics. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, PTY fosters children鈥檚 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 杏吧原创 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鈥檚 value for students and educators.
Complementing TERA鈥檚 influence on policy are the LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator鈥檚 investigations using education technology. At LIVE, Peabody faculty and students, as well as those from across 杏吧原创, collaborate to develop next-gen AI learning tools that boost children鈥檚 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鈥檝e lingered on the idea of value: the value we offer to K-12 students, to 杏吧原创 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, 鈥淧eople are questioning, rightly or wrongly, what is higher education鈥檚 value?鈥�
The initiatives named above scratch the surface of Peabody鈥檚 impact on our students and our communities. I hope these stories, and the entire fall 2025 issue of the , demonstrate that the true value of Peabody College is priceless.
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development
