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
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.

Michael J. Feuer, dean of GSEHD, Will Return to the Faculty This Summer
Dr. Michael Feuer, who has led GSEHD since 2010, announced his decision to step down from his role as dean, effective July 1. He will remain a tenured full professor of education in GSEHD.

Dr. Lionel Howard, GSEHD academic dean and professor, has broad administrative leadership experience in the school and is a leading applied developmental psychologist.
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.
GW UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development Celebrates 10th Anniversary
This milestone celebration underscored GW’s commitment to being a leader in international education and a partner in creating a more just and sustainable world.

GSEHD Community Hosts 2nd Annual International Inclusive Education Symposium (IIES) in Ghana
The hybrid symposium encouraged more than 50 educators to explore best practices for students with exceptionalities through hands‑on labs that highlighted student voice, culturally responsive methods, and adaptable classroom tools.

Dr. Laura Engel Panelist at "Unlearning Intolerance: Global Citizenship Education and SDG 16"
The Unlearning Intolerance series was launched by the United Nations in 2004 to examine means of preventing manifestations of intolerance and violent extremism along with promoting respect and understanding among people.

GW Professor Sheds Light on Resilience of Afghan Women Amid Oppression
In a compelling feature published by GW Today, Dr. Mary DeRaedt, Clinical Assistant Professor of Counseling and Human Development at GSEHD, shares powerful insights from her work with Afghan women navigating life under Taliban rule.
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.

GSEHD Receives $2.4 Million Grant to Launch Forum on Democracy and Education
The goal of the initiative is to bring together educators, policymakers and scholars to strengthen democratic values in education.

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.”
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.

Dr. Deniece Dortch’s research highlights the emotional toll of navigating racial inequities and calls for deeper structural changes to foster genuine inclusivity.
- 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
- Dr. Mina Attia, Dr. Bagmi Das, and colleagues published an article titled, “Integrating Multicultural Competencies in Ethical Decision-Making with Immigrant Populations,” in the journal Counseling and Values.
- Dr. Mina Attia, Dr. Bagmi Das, and counseling doctoral students Shiyu Tang, Hanyun Li, Yuqing (Angie) Qiu, and Claudia Nguyen published an article titled, “Post-Traumatic Growth and Resilience of LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers in the United States,” in The Counseling Psychologist.
- GSEHD alumnae Dr. Hallie Fox (Ph.D., Education and Inequality) and Dr. Heather Walter (Ed.D., Special Education and Disability Studies), along with GSEHD doctoral candidate Karly Ball, recently published the article, "Methods used to Evaluate Teacher Well-being," in the journal Psychology in the Schools.
- Drs. Joshua Glazer and Matthew Shirrell, together with Dr. Megan Duff and GSEHD alumna Dr. Dryw Freed (Ed.D., Education Policy), published an article entitled, "Walking a Tightrope: Navigating Principal-Agent Dilemmas in Research-Practice Partnerships in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis" in the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA).
- Drs. Matthew Shirrell and Joshua Glazer, together with Dr. Megan Duff and GSEHD alumna Dr. Dryw Freed (Ed.D., Education Policy), published an article entitled, “The Winds of Changes: How Research Alliances Respond to and Manage Shifting Field-Level Logics,” in American Educational Research Journal.
- Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher, together with colleagues at the University of Kansas, published, "Finding Common Ground: Tips to Promote Self-Determination in Inclusive Contexts for High School General and Special Educators," in the journal Inclusive Practices.
- Dr. Jihae Cha co-authored the article, "Stories told by refugee youth: alternatives to dominant narratives," in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
- Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser published a co-authored paper, “Classifications and Clarifications: Rethinking Education’s Shifting Role in International Student Mobility and the Voluntariness of (Im)migration,” in the journal, Globalisation, Societies and Education.
- Dr. Christine Nganga and Dr. Kim Jamison published an article titled, "Learning to Lead for Equity and Social Justice through Critical Reflection and Autobiography," in the Urban Review Journal.
- Dr. Rebecca Thessin co-authored an article titled, "Learning Together to Lead Together: Designing Professional Learning to Strengthen Principal and District Leadership for School Improvement," in the American Journal of Education.
- Dr. Susan Swayze and GSEHD doctoral candidate Nadia Butt (Human and Organizational Learning) published a chapter titled, "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices to Support Muslim Americans at Work," in the Handbook of Workplace Diversity and Stratification.
- GSEHD alumna Dr. Nicole DeVaul (individualized master's) and Dr. Ellen Goldman published, "The Medical Student Experience with Prework," in the Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development.
- Dr. Natalie Milman and Ph.D. student Karly Ball (Education and Inequality CRT) co-authored, "Navigating online coursework with a disability: Tips for students," in the journal Distance Learning (Volume 20, #3).
- Dr. Maggie Parker, GSEHD alumna Alex Ostrander (master's, School Counseling), doctoral candidate Emily Decker (Counseling), and Dr. Sarah Ray published an article in the Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation titled, "Teachers’ Referral Practices: Opportunities for School Counselor Advocacy."
- Dr. Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura, with doctoral student Jessica Hinshaw (Human and Organizational Learning) and colleague Mayuko Horimoto, published the article, "From Tradition to Transformation: The Social Entrepreneurial Journey of Japanese Women," in the New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development Journal.
- Drs. Laura O'Neill (GW MD and GSEHD Master Teacher Leadership Program), Priti Bhansali (GW MD and GSEHD Master Teacher Leadership Program), and Ellen Goldman published, “'Can you help me think this through?' How pediatric hospitalists learn from informal peer consultation," in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
- Dr. Sarah Ray co-authored a paper with Dr. Wendy Wagner from GW's Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, and Lisa Bagby, OTD, OTR/L, MHA, titled, "Democratic Civic Engagement in Occupational Therapy," accepted for publication in the Adult Learning Journal.
- Dr. Sarah Ray co-authored two papers in the special issue of New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development Journal. The first is co-authored with Dr. Chitvan Trivedi, titled, “Equity, Empowerment, and Social Justice: Social Entrepreneurship for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals.” The second paper, co-authored with doctoral student Jessica Hinshaw (Human and Organizational Learning), Dr. Trivedi, and MPH graduate Gayatri Malhotra, is titled, “Supporting WFN Collective Social Entrepreneurship Through Social Movement Learning and Critical Participatory Action Research."
- GSEHD alumna Dr. Sharon L.B. Beery (Ed.D., Human and Organizational Learning) co-authored a manuscript, “Pushed out to pasture: Gendered ageism through the eyes of women working in the U.S. federal civil service,” which was published in the journal Cogent Gerontology with her dissertation chair Dr. Susan Swayze.
- Dr. Maggie Parker published a manuscript with GSEHD alumna Dr. Courtney Glickman (Ph.D., Counseling), Dr. Kara Carnes-Holt, and Dr. Kristin Meany-Walen in the International Journal of Play Therapy. The study is titled, "Qualitative Exploration of the Duality of Mothers who are Play Therapists: A Feminist Perspective."
- Dr. Mina Attia, Dr. Maggie Parker, and GSEHD students Shiyu Tang (Ph.D. in Counseling), Margaret dePont (master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling), and Kuan-I (Lester) Wu (Ph.D. in Counseling), published an article titled, “A Critical Analysis of Immigrant Children and Adolescents in U.S. Professional Counseling Literature,” in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling.
- Drs. Bagmi Das and Maggie Parker, along with GSEHD alumna Sarah Litt (master's, Clinical Mental Health Counseling), published an article entitled, "Relationships of Empathy and Color-blind Attitudes on Counseling Students’ Critical Consciousness," in Teaching and Supervision of Counseling.
- Dr. Tiffany Sikorski and Brandon Lee, GW alumnus, published an article in The Physics Teacher titled, "Repurposing Concept Inventories to Help Students Find Gaps in Explanations."
- Dr. Lionel Howard and colleagues at Stanford University and UCLA published an article titled, "Understanding Teachers' Ethnic-Racial Socialization Practices with Students in School: A Qualitative Inquiry," in Urban Education.
- Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser co-published an article in International Higher Education conceptualizing a new approach to international student mobility and migration: "International Student Mobility, Opportunity, and the Voluntariness of Migration: A New Conceptual Approach."
- Dr. William Dardick co-authored an article titled, "A Novel Numerical Method for Solving Unknown Statistical Quantities in Multivariate Regression Models," in the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics.
- Dr. Joshua Glazer, together with Adrian Larbi-Cherif and GSEHD alumna Ashley Ison (master's, Education Policy), published “Continuous Improvement in Urban Districts: Bringing Environments Back In,” in the American Journal of Education.
- Dr. Natalie Milman and GSEHD alumna Amy Vanden Boogart (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) published the article, "Differentiating Reading and Writing Instruction Across Content Areas With 1:1 iPads in an Elementary School," in the journal Computers in the Schools.
- Dr. Jonathan Eakle published the article, “Reading and Writing a Logic of Sense with Migratory Flows in the Warmth of Other Suns,” in the International Journal of Qualitative Research in Education.
- Dr. Scott Beveridge, along with Ph.D. candidate Emily Decker (counseling) and master's student Lingyi Zhu (Rehabilitation Counseling), recently published the, "American Board of Vocational Experts Longitudinal Salary Survey," in the Journal of Forensic Vocational Analysis.
- GSEHD student InJung Cho (Ph.D. in Education, Comparative and International Education concentration) published a peer-reviewed book review in the journal, International Studies in Sociology of Education about the book, The political economy of education in South Asia: fighting poverty, inequality, and exclusion.
- Dr. Matthew Shirrell, along with recent graduate Dr. Anshu Saha (Ed.D., Education Policy), published an article in Educational Administration Quarterly entitled, “All Dressed Up With No Place to Go? National Board Certification and Teacher Leadership.”
- Dr. Jihae Cha and colleagues published an article in Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees titled, "Children and Youths’ Belonging in Protracted Displacement: A Mixed-Methods Study from Kakuma Refugee Camp."
- Drs. Beth Tuckwiller and Lionel Howard, along with adjunct faculty member Karin Spencer and alumna Heather Walter (EdD, Special Education), published an article in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly titled, "A mixed methods approach to understanding early childhood special educators’ well-being."
- Drs. Beth Tuckwiller and Elisabeth Kutscher, along with alumnae Heather Walter (EdD, Special Education), Karly Ball and Harriet Fox (Education and Inequality CRT), published an article in the International Journal of Educational Research (Open) titled, "A tale of caution: Navigating special education teacher resistance to well-being professional development."
- Dr. Beth Tuckwiller and alumna Karly Ball (Education and Inequality CRT) published an article in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education titled, "Sick of subpar support: An exploratory study of chronically ill college student experiences."
- Dr. Beth Tuckwiller, along with alumnae Harriet Fox and Karly Ball (Education and Inequality CRT) and doctoral student Jerry St. Louis (EdD, Special Education), published an article in Leadership and Policy in Schools titled, "More than just a “nod” to care: Expanding Nel Noddings’ ethics of care framework to sustain educator resilience."
Recent Reports
- GSEHD master's student Jeanette Luna (Education Policy) co-wrote a report published on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's website titled, "The Education Competition Index: Quantifying competitive pressure in America’s 125 largest school districts."
- Dr. Maggie Parker, along with PhD in Counseling candidates Samantha Long and Kate Anderson, developed a policy brief titled, "Promoting Psychosocial Wellbeing through the Power of Play: Unlocking Children's Full Potential for Learning and Life."
Recent Book Chapters
- Dr. Julia Storberg-Walker, along with doctoral students Christian Earl List, Hermella G. Tekle, and Deyang Yu (Human and Organizational Learning), have published a book chapter titled, "Learning from Relational Ontologies Through Head and Heart: An Exploratory Collaborative Autoethnography" in Consciousness-Based Leadership and Management, Volume 2.
- Dr. Rebecca Thessin, along with her mentee Briana Bostic, wrote a chapter entitled, “Building Capacity to Lead Instructional Improvement in a Title I Middle School,” in the book Continuous Improvement - A Leadership Process for School Improvement.
- Dr. Jihae Cha published a chapter online titled, "Children and Youth as “Agents in the book Displacement: Young Girls' Stories of Motivation, Action, and Change in Kakuma Refugee Camp," in the book, Education for Refugees and Forced (Im)Migrants Across Time and Context: Volume 45.
- Dr. Christine Nganga co-authored a book chapter with GSEHD alumna Dr. Melissa Ledesma (Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Administration) titled, "Social Justice Leadership: Leading through Times of Deportability," in the book Advancing Culturally Responsive and Socially Just Approaches to Multilingual Family-School Partnerships.
- Dr. Julia Storberg-Walker along with doctoral students Christian List, Hermella G. Tekle, and Deyang Yu (all in the Human and Organizational Learning program) published a book chapter titled, "Learning from Relational Ontologies Through Head and Heart: An Exploratory Collaborative Autoethnography," in the book Consciousness-Based Leadership and Management, Volume 2: Organizational and Cultural Approaches to Oneness and Flourishing.
- Drs. Ryan Watkins, Natalie Milman, and Michael Corry published a chapter which they co-authored titled, "Lifelong learning as a learning and instructional design technology professional," in the book Becoming a learning and instructional design technology (LIDT) professional.
- Dr. Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura and colleagues published a book chapter titled, "Demonstrating the value of values-based education," in the Second International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing.
- Dr. Sarah Ray published a chapter titled, "Immigrant Women Entrepreneurs: Virtual Social Networks, Learning, and Culture," in the Handbook of Social Media in Education, Consumer Behavior and Politics, Volume 1.
- Dr. Julia Storberg-Walker published a book chapter titled, "Creativity in theorizing for women and leadership: a multi-paradigm perspective," in the Handbook of Research on Gender and Leadership, 2nd Edition.
- Dr. Yoshie Nakamura and doctoral students Jessica Hinshaw and Deyang Yu (both Human and Organizational Learning) published a book chapter entitled, "The role of empathy in developing ethical leadership: Neurobiology and video-based approaches," in the book Ethics and Human Resource Development.
- Dr. Susan Swayze and GSEHD doctoral candidate Nadia Butt (Human and Organizational Learning) published a chapter titled, "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices to Support Muslim Americans at Work," in the Handbook of Workplace Diversity and Stratification.
- 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.

GSEHD Launches Three New Special Education Programs to Meet Evolving Needs in Education
These new offerings reflect GSEHD’s ongoing commitment to advancing inclusive, evidence-based practices in education.

Transformative Power of Play Therapy on Display at GW InnovationFest
Among dozens of engaging exhibits, the play therapy booth from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) stood out—drawing attention not just for its whimsical miniatures and figurines, but for the powerful psychological work it represents.

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.

A celebration event was hosted in October recognizing the milestone as well as the launch of the commemorative publication, Museum Change Agents Making the World a Better Place.
#3 Best Rehabilitation Counseling Program by U.S. News & World Report
#17 Best Online Master's in Education for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report
#27 Best Online Master's in Education by U.S. News & World Report

Rebecca Burns and Jessica Hinshaw (Human and Organizational Learning) received 3rd place in the Social Innovation Track of the GW New Venture Competition (NVC) for their project, Run the World - Appalachia.

Lanara will complete her fellowship working with the Office of the Provost while working toward earning her master’s in mental health counseling.

Micha Aime Awarded National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship
Aime, Master's in International Education student and UNESCO fellow, was awarded a placement in South Korea to study for a year after showcasing the parallels of migrant education in the US and Korea.

Doc Candidate Receives NYC Public Schools Career and Technical Education Teacher of Excellence Award
Amanda Deebrah (EdD Educational Leadership and Administration) received the NYC Public Schools Career and Technical Education Teacher of Excellence Award.

Jacqueline Hatch Speaks at UN Panel, Forum of Minority Issues
While serving as a UNESCO fellow in Geneva, master's student Jacqueline Hatch (International Education) spoke at the United Nations Office on a panel for the 17th session of the Forum on Minority Issues.

Doctoral Candidate Takes on Director of Educational Partnership Role at CSM
GSEHD doctoral candidate Sylvia Royster (Educational Leadership and Administration) has joined the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) as the Director of Educational Partnerships.

Doctoral Candidate Named Principal of Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School
Doctoral candidate Adaarema S. Kelly (EdD Educational Leadership and Administration) has been named the Principal of Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School in Alexandria, VA.

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

Dr. Dalphine Joppy Named Virginia Region I Superintendent of the Year
The Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) recognized Dr. Joppy for her service as the Superintendent of Charles City County Public Schools.

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.

Dr. Marian Leverette Named DoDEA Europe 2025 Principal of the Year
Dr. Leverette serves as the principal of Ankara Elementary High School in Ankara, Turkey.

Museum Education Program Alumni Dominate the Smithsonian Education Awards in 2025
GSEHD alumni honorees included Ann Casper, Katie Derloshon, Tiffany McGettigan, Silvana Oderisi, Emily Porter, Nicole Webster, and Bethany Wells.

Robyn Wehrly Named Teacher of the Year in Pasadena Unified School District
Ms. Wehrly is a special education teacher at Octavia E. Butler Magnet Dual Language STEAM Middle School.

Marlies Mulckhuyse Named Frederick County Teacher of the Year
Ms. Mulckhuyse teaches at Millbrook High School and is head of the school's special education department.

Dr. Arik King and His STEM Nonprofit Featured on Kelly Clarkson Show
Located in Dumfries, VA, Future Kings provides a year-long afterschool workforce development program that guides young men in grades 6-12 from underserved communities to explore exciting career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Dr. Amy Dufrane Publishes Book, Alchemizing HR: Your Formula for the New Era
Published as the Official Guide to the HRCI Professional Development Model, it provides a detailed understanding of how HR can support institutional well-being.
- Alumni Promotions
- Class Notes
Review recent achievements of our dedicated faculty and staff members

Dr. Shaista Khilji Receives 2025 Morton A. Bender Teaching Award
The Bender Teaching Awards recognize excellent teaching of undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses at GW.

Dr. Yoshie Nakamura Honored with 2024 Assistant Professor Award from UCWHRE
This award from the University Council for Workforce and Human Resources Education recognizes an individual's research, teaching, and service accomplishments in the early academic career stage.

This national honor recognizes educators who have made exceptional contributions to teaching psychoanalytic thought to students outside of formal psychoanalytic training.

Dr. Jihae Cha Receives Honey W. Nashman Center Faculty Development Grant
Dr. Cha will be collaborating with students in GW's Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL) throughout the project, "Integration of Afghan Students and Families in Northern Virginia: Community-Engaged Approaches to Educational Inclusion."

The book provides expert guidance and an array of recommended digital tools to support efforts to become a more skillful teacher.

Dr. Doran Gresham Introduces New Model to Improve Outcomes in Special Education
Dr. Doran Gresham presented at the National Dropout Prevention Center’s annual conference in New Orleans, introducing an innovative new model designed to reduce absenteeism and improve outcomes in special education.

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.

These reports, published in Spanish, are part of a collaborative project with international and regional partners in Central America, Mexico, and Colombia.
- 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
- Dr. Natalie Milman joined the Board of the Civics of Technology which "aims to empower students and educators to critically inquire into the effects of technologies on their individual and collective lives."
- Dr. Laura Engel joined the Editorial Board of the AERA journal, Review of Educational Research.
- Dr. Yoshie Nakamura has been appointed as an Associate Editor of the Human Resource Development Quarterly journal.
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.

Research Associate Professor of Education Policy

Doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction
Enrollment
35 Countries Represented by Students
5
Academic Departments
60
Full-time Faculty
28,120
GSEHD Alumni in 75 countries
Eligible students who received a scholarship
338 Graduates
Students of color and international students
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

Episode 40: From Civil Rights to Civics - Dr. Raymond Pierce on Equity in Education
Dr. Raymond Pierce, former civil rights attorney and dynamic President and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation, addresses the ongoing challenges of achieving educational equity, highlighting the essential contribution of civics education in advancing racial justice and democracy.

Episode 41: Justice in Focus - Judge Tatel's Memoir and The Future of Education Law
Judge David Tatel, who served nearly three decades on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit shares his remarkable journey from civil rights lawyer to judicial trailblazer while offering his perspective on recent Supreme Court decisions that are reshaping the educational landscape.

Episode 42: Who Should Run America’s Schools? The Federal-State Tug of War
Education policy veterans Denise Forte and Andy Rotherham tackle one of the most pressing—and polarizing—questions in American education: should the U.S. Department of Education shrink or shift power to the states?
GSEHD Blog

Four Higher Education Administration Trends in 2025
April 7, 2025