Simmons School of Education and Human Development - Institutes
Professor and Director Patricia G. Mathes,
Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Reading Research
Established in 2002, the Institute for Reading Research supports researchers, including those within the school and those from across the SMU campus, who are conducting and disseminating cutting-edge research related to reading and reading disabilities, language acquisition and learning. The institute provides resources such as budget management and accounting support, database building, data processing, data analysis services, graphic artistry and technical writing. Researchers affiliated with the institute have been very successful in obtaining external funding, and they provide leadership on a local and national level through the publication of research manuscripts, curricula and coursework packages and through the delivery of staff development workshops.
Current institute research focuses on:
- Determining the reading potential of students with moderate or mild-level intellectual disability.
- Scaling up scientifically proven reading interventions for effective use in public schools, including supporting teachers as they implement new innovations. A major outcome of this research has been the creation and validation of the use of technology to provide ongoing coaching to teachers.
- Examining the use of technology to support the implementation of response-to-intervention models in the public schools.
- Examining the efficacy of various models for teaching English language learners who are native Spanish speakers to read and speak in English. A thrust of this research is to examine the possibilities of developing fully bilingual, biliterate individuals, without compromising English development.
- Developing and validating continuous progress-monitoring assessment tools using computer-adaptive testing technology to pinpoint each child’s individual performance ability and track growth across an academic year.
The institute provides leadership training to future educators, researchers and statisticians through applied experiences in the execution of large-scale field-based research. It also is committed to the delivery of programs and activities that serve the reading enhancement needs of the community at large.
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Associate Dean and Senior Lecturer Katherine Hargrove,
Director
The Gifted Students Institute is dedicated to the support of the cognitive and affective development of gifted youth. The GSI offers a range of programs and services for educators and gifted youth and their families.
Gifted Education Graduate Certification Program
The GSI develops and administers the gifted education graduate study for educators, a description of which can be found in the Graduate Teacher Certification Programs section of the catalog.
Distinguished Lecture Series
The GSI offers one-day sessions that concern learning theory and the nature of giftedness and that integrate theory and practice. Lectures are delivered by guest speakers from the SMU faculty, public and private learning institutions throughout the country, and professional educational consultants.
College Experience for Gifted High School Students
High school students seeking credit for exceptional academic efforts can take advantage of GSI’s College Experience program. This unique, five-week summer program provides an opportunity for a small, carefully chosen group of highly motivated and academically able high school students to get a head start on college and an early taste of campus life. Through participation in college credit courses, students entering the 11th and 12th grades can earn up to six credit hours, which can be applied toward a Bachelor’s degree.
Talented and Gifted for Gifted Middle School Students
The GSI’s Talented and Gifted program offers intellectual challenges and exciting learning experiences to academically accelerated students completing the seventh, eighth or ninth grade. TAG teachers are either on the faculty of SMU or on the faculties of outstanding public and private secondary schools or are professionals in fields other than education with experience and knowledge to contribute to the TAG curricula. A full-time director leads the residence hall activities. College students with strong academic backgrounds serve as residential counselors. Students are assigned to a family group led by an adviser who is trained in the social and affective needs of the gifted student.
Contact information
The Institute for Reading Research
PO Box 750381
Dallas TX 75275-0381
214-768-8477
smu.edu/ReadingResearch
Gifted Students Institute
PO Box 750383
Dallas TX 75275-0383
214-768-0123
smu.edu/GSI
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