2024-2025 Year in Review

2024-2025 Year in Review

 

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) at the George Washington University has continued to advance its mission through the steady, meaningful work of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff. This year has been one of focus and foundation-building, as we deepen our commitment to excellence in education, research, and community engagement.

We continue to be inspired by the steady dedication of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff, whose efforts sustain our mission every day. We also thank our donors, partners, and the entire GSEHD community for your ongoing support—you make our work possible.

Our Vision

Education is the greatest determinant of improved quality of life for individuals and society. GSEHD prepares leaders for the many professions that advance teaching, learning, and human development as ingredients in the recipe for expanded opportunity and progress.

GSEHD's Driving Mission

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development, strategically based in the nation’s capital and serving the global community, develops informed and skilled leaders through innovative teaching and learning that engages in scholarly inquiry that raises the level of academic excellence by enriching theory, policy, and practice across the life-span; promotes leadership, diversity, learning, and human development reflective of changing global societies; creates public and private partnerships; and advocates continuous self-examination and critical analysis towards excellence.

Our Values

Today’s political climate has created new uncertainties, tensions, and anxieties for our students, faculty, and staff. As we go about our work in this stressful environment, I believe it is incumbent on us to keep our values and principles in mind ... It is my hope that in GSEHD we will:

  • Reinforce our commitment to civility and respect;
  • Encourage our learning community to promote social progress through education;
  • Double-down on our insistence that factual knowledge and credible research evidence are needed inputs to improved education policy and practice; and
  • Protect all our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, assumed or known political leaning, citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity—as members of the GSEHD family.

Dean Michael Feuer

Read Dr. Feuer's full statement regarding our values >

 

   Charting the Next Chapter 

This year marked a leadership transition for GSEHD as we expressed our gratitude to Dean Michael Feuer for his years of service and welcome Dr. Lionel Howard as Interim Dean. As Dr. Feuer returns to the faculty, we celebrate his impactful tenure and look ahead with confidence under Dr. Howard’s guidance.

 

2024-2025 Year in Review
2024-2025 Year in Review

 

 

   Global Impact

Our "think global, act local" mindset has provided opportunities for GSEHD faculty and students to leave their mark in their communities as well as around the world through international outreach. Efforts include forming new partnerships with international educational institutions, strengthening ties to underserved communities, tackling critical issues in our global society, and promoting education as the key to economic prosperity, personal dignity, mental health, and well-being.

 

 

 

   Research & Scholarship

Our faculty and students advance knowledge through rigorous research that improves policy and practice. Committed to the ideals of equity and justice, GSEHD research is relevant, timely, and contributes to the goal of social progress through education.

 

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2024-2025 Year in Review

GW University Seminar Grant Awarded to REAL Lab

International Education faculty, Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser and Dr. Jihae Cha, along with the students in the Refugee Educational Advancement Laboratory (REAL) have been awarded a GW University Seminar grant for their project, "DMV Regional Community of Practice on Refugee Students in Higher Education.”

 

Dr. La

GSEHD PhD students Heather Jorgenson (C&I), Chenxi Zhou (C&I), Mariam Alothman (HTC), and Ani Meliksetyan (HTC) collaborated with Dr. Ryan Watkins and SEAS colleagues to conduct research on an AI Mentor pilot project where 16 faculty from across GW integrated customizable GenerativeAI tools (such as, ChatGPT augmented with course readings and syllabus) into their courses during the Spring semester.  The research team observed, interviewed, and surveyed faculty and students to learn more about how course-specific AI can be used across disciplines.

 

Faculty Grants

New External Competitive Research Funding

  • GSEHD has received a $2.4 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to launch the Forum on Democracy and Education. Dr. Michael Feuer will lead the project which will consist of a series of forums, masterclasses, briefs and a website where educators can share best practices on civic education.
  • Dr. Joshua Glazer and Dr. Matthew Shirrell received grants from the Spencer and Walton Foundations to host a conference at GW marking the 50th anniversary of Dan Lortie’s seminal book on the sociology of the teaching profession, Schoolteacher. The conference will engage researchers from across the US in considering the implications of Lortie’s book for the contemporary challenges confronting the teaching profession. 
  • Dr. Ryan Watkins received NSF seed-funding through the Trustworthy AI in Law and Society (TRAILS) initiative to do research titled, Operationalizing Trustworthy AI: LLM Development in Academia. The project aims to examine how Trustworthy AI frameworks are operationalized within the development of customized classroom and research applications that utilize open source Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Dr. Benjamin Jacobs received new funding from The Naomi Foundation, the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, and the Wilf Family Foundations for a third cohort of the Fellowship and Summer Institute on Antisemitism and Jewish Identity in Educational Settings. 
  • CASJE, directed by Dr. Arielle Levites, received a new grant from the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation to support the launch of a research digest offering expert analytic summaries of research of relevance to leaders of Jewish communal organizations. CASJE also received a grant from The Jewish Education Project for collaboration on a study that investigates the priorities and educational decision making of parents raising Jewish tweens. 
  • In addition, the Collaboratory: A Center for Jewish Education at GW, which Dr. Jacobs co-directs with Dr. Arielle Levites, received grants from the One8 Foundation, Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, UJA Federation of NY, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation, Lubetzky Family Foundation, and Anonymous, for a pilot project to convene and build a network of organizations and professionals that provide resources, materials, and professional development to K-12 public and private schools around antisemitism and Jewish history/identity education.

New Internal Funding for Competitive Faculty Awards

  • Dr. Jihae Cha received a Honey W. Nashman Center Faculty Development Grant for her project, "Integration of Afghan Students and Families in Northern Virginia: Community-engaged Approaches to Educational Inclusion." 
40+ Publications

Recent Journal Articles

 

Recent Reports

 

Recent Book Chapters

125+ Conference Presentations
  • Faculty, students and alumni presented in 37 session at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Additionally, several led or chaired sessions and discussions. See full list of presentations >
  • The Human and Organizational Learning (HOL) Department’s faculty, students, and alumni presented their work in 38 presentations and were recognized for their scholarship at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) International Conference held in Arlington, VA, February 21-24. See the list of presentations >
  • Dr. Deniece Dortch presented, "Navigating Fear: Understanding African American Doctoral Students in Higher Education," at the 2023 International Conference on Education and New Developments in Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Dr. Rob Froehlich presented, "An overview of the 2023 revisions to the CRCC Code of Professional Ethics for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors," at the National Rehabilitation Association Annual Training Conference.
  • Dr. Jaehwa Choi presented, "Integrating Generative AI in Assessment Engineering: Hands on Training with ChatGPT," at the 2023 Northeastern Educational Research Association Conference.
  • Dr. Dwayne Wright presented at the 69th Education Law Association Conference in Reno, Nevada, on the topic, "Judicial Arrogance, Epistemic Injustice, and the Overturning of Affirmative Action," as part of the annual Social Justice and Education Law Panel.
  • Dr. Ryan Watkins presented about "LLMs (large language models) in Social Science and Humanities Research" at the NSF Center for Integrative Research in Computing and Learning Sciences (CIRCLS) 2023 Convening.
  • Drs. Leslie Trimmer and Abe Tekleselassie presented, “Enhancing Leadership Course Development with an Equity-Centered Focus,” at the International Society of Educational Planning 2023 Annual Conference.
  • Dr. Rob Froehlich presented a breakout session entitled, "Counseling Foreign Service Professionals: Needs, Trends, Interventions," along with GSEHD alumna Dr. Kelli Sanness (Ph.D., Counseling), and Dr. Tami Nelson at the Virginia Counselors Association Annual Convention on November 9, 2023. Dr. Froehlich also co-presented a session entitled, "Supervision Ethics: Beyond the Basics."
  • Dr. Sandra Vanderbilt and DJ Ralston, Sr. Technical Assistance and Research Analyst with GSEHD's Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research and Education (CRCRE) and doctoral candidate in Human and Organizational Learning, presented as part of an author roundtable at the National Council for Teachers of English Convention in Columbus, Ohio. They presented on their book chapter titled, "Young People Reading and Writing the World through Meme Curation, Creation and Critical Conversation," which is included in the book Critical Memetic Literacies in English Education: How Do You Meme?
  • Dr. Yoshie Nakamora presented a number of sessions at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) Conference in Arlington, VA, along with doctoral students from Human and Organizational Learning, including Theresa Hernandez, Ying Lu, Deyang Yu, Rebecca Burns, and Zhuqing Ding.
  • Dr. Ryan Watkins presented on AI and Ethics at the Association of American Universities (AAU) 37th annual Public Affairs Network conference in Washington, DC.
  • Dr. Scott Beveridge recently presented a study, "The American Board of Vocational Experts Longitudinal Salary Survey," in Memphis, Tennessee at the ABVE Annual Conference.
  • Dr. Natalie Milman presented, "Designing for Powerful Differentiated Instruction with Technology," at the ACSD Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
  • Faculty, alumni and students from the Department of Special Education and Disability Studies presented at the Division on Career Development and Transition's (DCDT) 2023 International Conference held in Reno, Nevada.
    • Dr. Joan Kester, alumnus Dr. Matthew Flanagan (Ed.D., Special Education and Disability Studies), and Erin Black presented "Transition Discoveries: From Theory to Practice in Youth Empowerment and Community Partnership!"
    • Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher, together with doctoral students Karly Ball (Education and Inequality CRT) and Aljawharah Aljunaydil (Special Education and Disability Studies), presented, "Preparing College Students with Disabilities for Post-College Employment: Disability Service Professionals Perspectives."
    • GSEHD PhD candidate Karly Ball (Education and Inequality CRT) presented, "Students with Chronic Illnesses Navigating the College Transition: A Thematic Analysis."
    • GSEHD alumnus Dr. Matthew Flanagan (Ed.D., Special Education and Disability Studies) presented as part of the DCDT pre-conference session titled, "Using Virtual Community Resource Maps to Enhance the Transition Process and Improve Student Outcomes."
  • GSEHD's Counseling and Human Development Department attended the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference in Denver, Colorado with presentations by faculty and students.
    • “Harnessing the Transformative Power of Anti-racist Research in Counselor Education” - Tiffany Perry-WIlson
    • "Ready, Willing and Able: Disability in Counseling Leadership" - Helen Starkweather and Emily Decker
    • "Mindfulness in Clinical Supervision: A Preventative Approach to Counselor Burnout" - Samantha Long and Claudia Nguyen
    • “Pre and Post-Migration Experiences of Asylum Seekers in the United States” - Dr. Mina Attia, Sravya Gummaluri, Brook Fulton-DeLong, and Emily Decker
    • “Supervision of School Counseling Leadership for School Counselors in Training” - Dr. Harvey Peters and Hanyun Li
    • "How Do We Teach Social Justice? A Cross-Disciplinary Synthesis of Social Justice Andragogy" - Dr. Bagmi Das
    • "Principles of Anti-Oppression: A Critical Analytic Synthesis and Application within Counselor Education" - Dr. Harvey Peters, Barb Dos Santos, Samantha Long, Sravya Gummaluri, and Kelly Farrish
  • Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser and Jacqui Hatch, student co-leader of GW's Refugee Educational Advancement Laboratory (REAL), gave invited virtual remarks for the Students for Change: Reforming University Humanitarian Policy conference at the University of Edinburgh.
  • Dr. Rob Froehlich, doctoral candidate Nichole Tichy (Counseling), and Helen Froehlich presented an invited Pre-Conference Session at the Virginia Collaborations Conference in Norfolk on January 3. The session was titled, "Start 2024 Discussing Some Contemporary Ethical Issues."
  • Dr. Brian Casemore accompanied six GSEHD doctoral students to “Curriculum Camp” at Louisiana State University (February 23-24) where the following students presented:
    • Amanda Baker (Ph.D. in Ed., Comparative and International Education) presented a paper (co-authored with Dr. Laura Engel), “Collaborative Cosmopolitan Capital in In-Service Teacher-Led K-12 Study Abroad Programs.”
    • Sam Burmester (Ph.D. in Ed., Education and Inequality) delivered a talk, “Epistemic Openness in Elementary Science Education: A Multimodal Interaction Analysis.”
    • Carola Goldenberg (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) delivered the talk, “The World Language Classroom as a Site of Exploration and Self-formation: Subjectivity in the Encounter with Difficult Knowledge.”
    • Leslie Smith Duss (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) delivered a talk, “How to Play: A Creative Enactment of ‘Negative Capability’ During Dissertation Data Collection in the Form of Collaged Playing Cards.”
    • Benjamin Tellie (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) delivered a talk, “Artful Reflections in Qualitative Research: Currere and Visual Art Making in the Autobiographical Interview.”
    • Catherine Wigginton Greene (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) delivered a talk on her emerging research, “Does ‘Difficult’ Dialogue Have to Be So… Difficult?”

 

Paper/Poster Presentations

  • Dr. Natalie Milman, along with Dr. Gina Adam and Dr. Hurriyet Ok from GW's SEAS and GSEHD PhD student Ani Meliksetyan (Human-Technology Collaboration) with additional SEAS students, presented Work in Progress paper, "Using virtual reality cleanroom simulation in a mixed nanoelectronics classroom," at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition in Baltimore, MD.
  • Dr. Bagmi Das presented a paper, "Support Seeking for South Asian American Survivors: A Phenomenology," co-authored by Counseling and Human Development graduate students Qi Chen, Yuqing Qiu, and Hanyun Li, at the 2023 American Psychological Association Division 45 Research Conference in San Diego, CA.
  • Dr. Dwayne Wright presented a paper titled, "Blackness As Debt: Examining Institutional Practices Devaluing Black Professional School Faculty," along with Dr. Tyler Derreth from John Hopkins University at the "Virtual Day" of the Association for the Study of Higher Education 2023 conference.
  • Dr. Yoshie Nakamura presented two posters with HOL doctoral students at the GW Diversity Summit: Examining epistemic injustice in the environmental field, including, "Exploring the ways of knowing of environmental leaders with intersectional and marginalized identities," with Daphne Pee, and "Double empathy and relational leadership in neurodiverse workplaces," with Katherine Kinnaird.
  • Dr. Jonathon Grooms and doctoral student Lauren Browning (Ph.D. in Education, Curriculum & Instruction Concentration), along with colleagues, presented four papers at the recent NARST science education conference as part of a related paper set, titled "A Partnership to Advance Earth Science across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in a Large District."
  • Dr. Ryan Watkins presented a co-authored paper,"Building Interdisciplinarity in Engineering Doctoral Education," at the mid-Atlantic American Society for Engineering Education conference.
  • Dr. Jonathan Eakle and doctoral students Xiaoyue Zhang and William Zhou presented their papers, “Moving Research on the Outside: Traveling with Desire, Buddhas, and Beats through Three Art Museums,” and “Another Present Moment: Re-Crafting and Re-Activating a Better World,” at the American Educational Research Conference in Philadelphia.
  • Dr. Yoshie Nakamura was invited to serve as a panelist for the Future Scholars and Leaders Colloquium: Writing for Publication at the 2024 Academy of Human Resource Development International Research Conference in the Americas, Arlington, VA.
  • Dr. Jaehwa Choi presented a paper, "Prompt Engineering for Adaptive and Responsible Learning (PEARL): An Introduction," at the 2023 Beyond Multiple Choice Conference.
  • Dr. Laura Engel took part in a panel discussion at the UNESCO's Education Sector international webinar, "Educating for Global Citizenship in the Digital Age," on March 19. The webinar was part of UNESCO's International Day for Digital Learning.
  • Doctoral student Leslie Smith Duss (EdD, Curriculum & Instruction) presented a paper, “A Correspondence with ChatGPT on Non-Discursive Student Expression in History Education," at the JCT/Bergamo Conference (Dayton, Ohio, October 12-14).
  • Doctoral student DJ Ralston (EdD, Human and Organizational Learning), a Sr. Technical Assistance and Research Analyst with GSEHD's Center for Rehabilitation Counseling, Research and Education (CRCRE), co-presented a paper with Dr. Sandra Vanderbilt titled, "Oh! My teacher’s hip!: Memetic Curricula in Young People’s Multiple Physical and Virtual Worlds.”
  • Dr. Ellen Scully-Russ presented a paper titled, "Broken Systems Under Repair: Weaving Ethics of Care and Human Flourishing Into the Work and Lives of Essential Workers," at the Adult Education Research Conference at the University of Georgia.

 

Keynote Address

  • Dr. Brian Casemore gave a keynote address titled, “On the Raveling of Deep Aspect: Curriculum as Subjective Place,” at the JCT/Bergamo Conference (Dayton, Ohio, October 12-14).
  • Dr. Deniece Dortch was the keynote speaker for the 7th World Conference on Future of Education (WCFEDUCATION) in Cambridge, United Kingdom on December 15-17. Her talk was titled, "Navigating The Rules of Engagement: African American Doctoral Students Experiencing the Hidden Curriculum at Predominantly White Institutions in the United States."
  • Dr. Natalie Milman gave a keynote presentation titled, "Educational technology trends and issues in higher education," for the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program: Turkemenistan.

 

Panel Session

  • Dr. Sandra Vanderbilt led an invited, all-conference “Provoking Dialogue” panel at the JCT/Bergamo Conference titled, “dis/Ability Justice, Curriculum, and the Classroom: Imagining More than Integration and Inclusion.”
  • Dr. Jihae Cha, along with doctoral students InJung Cho and Doo Rhee Lee (both in the Ph.D. in Education's Comparative and International Education concentration) presented as part of a panel at the Power and Politics of Localization Conference, convened by the Humanitarian Action Initiative (HAI) housed in GW's Elliott School of International Affairs.
  • Dr. Yoshie Nakamura was invited to serve as a panelist for the Future Scholars and Leaders Colloquium: Writing for Publication at the 2024 Academy of Human Resource Development International Research Conference in the Americas, Arlington, VA.
  • Dr. Lionel Howard was an invited panelist at the 42nd Annual Conference on the Black Family at Hampton University in Norfolk, VA (March 20-22, 2024). The panel was titled "Health Relationships and the Experiences of Black Men."
  • Dr. Ryan Watkins participated on a panel,"Enhancing Education with LLMs: Innovative Approaches in Engineering Pedagogy," at the mid-Atlantic American Society for Engineering Education conference.
  • Dr. Jaehwa Choi was part of a panel discussion, "AI and inclusivity: Bridging the equity gap," at the 2023 Beyond Multiple Choice Conference.
  • Dr. Ellen Scully-Russ  participated in an invited panel on the Future of Adult Education Graduate Programs at the Adult Education Research Conference at the University of Georgia.

 

   Program Updates

 

2024-2025 Year in Review

GW Education Leadership Fellows Use Data to Drive Equity in D.C. Schools

The GSEHD Educational Leadership and Administration program empowers educators to
identify equity gaps, implement school-based research projects and lead measurable change.

 

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#3 Best Rehabilitation Counseling Program by U.S. News & World Report

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#17 Best Online Master's in Education for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report

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#27 Best Online Master's in Education by U.S. News & World Report


 

 

   Student Success Stories

 

 

2024-2025 Year in Review

2025 GSEHD Student Awards + Fellowships

View recipients of GSEHD program awards presented at the 2025 commencement ceremony, other awards students received, and students that hold a GSEHD-related fellowship.

 

 

   Alumni in Action

 

2024-2025 Year in Review

2025 Outstanding Alumni Award

Dr. Elizabeth K. Eder (MAT Museum Education '83) was recognized at the GSEHD Commencement Celebration as the 2025 GSEHD Dean’s Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award recipient.

 

 

Alumni Promotions
Class Notes

  Do you have career updates, personal announcements, or other news to share with your fellow alumni? Submit a Class Note!
 

 

 

   Faculty & Staff 

Review recent achievements of our dedicated faculty and staff members

 

 

2024-2025 Year in Review

(dr. deraedt)

The paper, "Reading motivation, well-being and reading achievement in second grade students," was co-authored by Dr. Tuckwiller and a colleague at Western Galilee College and published in the Journal of Research in Reading.

 

Tenure & Promotions          -need to update
  • Dr. Shaista Khilji was named Chair of the Department of Human and Organizational Learning.
  • Dr. Maggie Parker and Dr. Richard Lanthier were named co-chairs of the Department of Counseling and Human Development.
  • Stephanie Spar was named the Director of GSEHD Admissions.
  • Christina Taylor

 

retirements/emeritus status:

Dr. Sylvia Marotta-Walters
Dr. Russell Korte
Chris Dietrich
Dr. James Williams
Dr. Sharron Dannels
Dr. Leslie Trimmer
Dr. Ellen Goldman

Faculty Board, Editor & Committee Appointments

 

   In Memoriam 

In January, our community mourned the loss of two cherished members whose impact on our school was deeply felt. We honor their memory, celebrate their contributions, and extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, and all who were touched by their lives.

 

2024-2025 Year in Review
2024-2025 Year in Review

Xuewei He

Doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction

 

 

   GSEHD By the Numbers 

 

Circle graph representing enrollment: Total number of students (1,054); Master's Students (571), Doctoral Students (382), Certificate Students (101)

Enrollment

35 Countries Represented by Students

 


 

5

Academic Departments

60

Full-time Faculty

28,120

GSEHD Alumni in 75 countries

 


 

circle graph representing 86 percent

Eligible students who received a scholarship

people icons representing 338 graduates

338 Graduates

circle graph representing 57 percent

Students of color and international students


 

 

   More to Explore 

Interested in learning more about topics related to our academic programs? Check out and share our blogs or the most recent episodes of the EdFix Podcast, hosted by Dean Feuer.

 

     EdFix Podcast 


  GSEHD Blog

 

This review includes highlights of our student, alumni, faculty and staff achievements and work from the previous year.

Explore All GSEHD News