Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development has received three new grants to leverage its expertise as a leading college of education to strengthen K-12 and higher education in South Asia and the Middle East. Peabody faculty and staff will partner with universities in Pakistan and expand existing collaborations with universities in Jordan and the American University of Iraq-Baghdad.
"These partnerships reflect Peabody's commitment to sharing our expertise with educators around the world but also our desire to learn from and with international colleagues so that we can co-create transformative educational opportunities for all," said Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development.
Strengthening US-Pakistan university partnerships
Peabody College, Sukkur IBA University's Department of Education, and Beyond the Classroom Education, an organization that supports international student experiences, are collaborating to co-develop contextual, culturally relevant innovations around three broad themes: STEM curriculum design and pedagogy, faculty leadership and development, and leadership for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Supported by an 18-month, $300,000 public diplomacy grant from the U.S. State Department, the collaboration will lay the foundation for a lasting relationship between the institutions. They will hold monthly virtual seminars, complemented by in-person immersions in the United States and Pakistan during the grant period.
"We are thrilled to work alongside Sukkur IBA and BTCE in this new partnership that provides Peabody with the opportunity to continue to design and develop novel, cross-cultural approaches to teaching and learning and faculty development," said Ellen Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Education and Leadership, vice dean of Peabody College, and the grant's principal investigator.
The institutions seek to accomplish three primary objectives:
- Establish a systematic process for seeding a deep partnership for ongoing collaboration. The program will offer curriculum for each of Sukkur IBA University's participating groups (faculty leaders and student teachers)
- Strengthen transitioning to the workplace for students in Sukkur IBA University's Department of Education by enhancing post-education career competencies through a week-long immersion at Vanderbilt for faculty and a convening in Karachi for faculty and students
- Deepen approaches to and understandings of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility
On a recent visit to Vanderbilt, Qasim Aslam, the founder and chief executive officer of Beyond the Classroom Education, spoke about the promise of this partnership.
"I have always looked for ways to bridge educational opportunities gaps in Pakistan by building partnerships," said Aslam. "I am particularly excited about this Vanderbilt partnership for the possibility of bringing Vanderbilt's expertise to people working in education and in many other disciplines at Sukkur IBA and beyond."
Improving elementary education in Jordan
Jordanian universities and Peabody College are collaborating to support Jordanian-led teacher education initiatives focused on addressing low literacy rates and numeracy skills from kindergarten through third grade.
As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Early Grade Education Activity (ASAS)-an initiative led by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)- Peabody College is spearheading a one-year, $150,000 grant from USAID to support the design of curricula for early childhood and elementary programs in Jordan.
The grant builds on the work of two Jordanian delegation visits to Peabody College in 2023 to strengthen teacher training and align programs with accreditation standards.
Brian Kissel, professor of the practice of literacy, director of elementary education and early childhood education programs, and the grant's principal investigator, said, "Through this exchange, we have started the process of collaborating with Jordanian professors to review and re-envision their early childhood and elementary programs with the promise to prepare pre-service teachers to best serve the children of Jordan with a renewed focus on climate-smart education, technology integration, universal design for learning, and social emotional learning."
In fall 2024, faculty from three Jordanian universities visited Peabody for a two-week residency focused on professional development and course design. They examined how the design of Vanderbilt's elementary teacher education program meets the accreditation standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP). They also visited university classes, Nashville elementary and early grade schools, and engaged in more than ten workshops and presentations.
Advancing Vanderbilt's partnership with the American University of Iraq-Baghdad
In 2022, supported by a two-year, $2 million grant from the U.S. State Department, Peabody College partnered with AUIB to help design and launch AUIB's College of Education and Human Development. Now with a goal to further develop the college's programs, the State Department has awarded a two-year, $2.1 million grant to AUIB and Peabody College.
The new grant will support three primary objectives:
- Establish the Center for the Advancement of Higher Education in Iraq, which will train and support academic leaders, professional staff, and faculty
- Launch a master's degree at AUIB in higher education administration and leadership
- Enhance the newly established undergraduate program in teaching, learning, and design
"We are excited to continue the collaborative and transformative work between Peabody and AUIB's College of Education and Human Development," said Nancy Dickson, AUIB project director and the grant's principal investigator. "Together, we are learning from one another to build and refine culturally responsive, innovative programs for educators throughout the educational landscape."
