SESP MAGAZINE SPRING 2026

THE MAGAZINE OF LEARNING, LEADERSHIP, AND POLICY

Michelle Yin

In Brief

  • Professor Michelle Yin (above) was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance, the nation's leading nonpartisan organization focused on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and disability policy.
  • Faculty members Megan Bang and Cynthia Coburn and professor emerita Carol Lee wrote the Spencer Foundation report Enhancing the Preparation of Research for Transformative Research in Education, calling for a new approach to graduate education.
  • Research by graduate student Gautam Bisht and professor Eva Lam suggests that students who write in multiple languages can challenge English-centered norms in education and highlight often overlooked ways of learning.
  • Dean Bryan Brayboy delivered the American Educational Research Association Distinguished Lecture at the organization's annual meeting in April.
  • Susan Corwith, director of the Center for Talent Development, was elected to the National Association for Gifted Children board of directors and is a US delegate to the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children.
  • Former instructor Gail Ann Berger Darlow died in December. An inspiring and generous teacher, she taught for 15 years in the undergraduate Learning and Organizational Change program, advised on master's capstone projects, and developed courses; her honors include the Associated Student Government Faculty Honor Roll and SESP's outstanding instructor award.
  • Professor Mesmin Destin was named a Carnegie Foundation senior fellow to help define the skills students need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
  • Paul Goren, executive director of the Northwestern Collaborative for Applied Research in Education, was named board chair of the New Teachers Center, a nonprofit focused on sustaining the teacher workforce.
  • Professor Claudia Haase received the Karl Rosengren Faculty Mentoring Award for the second consecutive year, recognizing her work with Allison Kim, recipient of this year's Fletcher Undergraduate Research Prize.
  • Professors Kirabo Jackson and Terri Sabol spoke at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, where professor Zenzile Reddick participated in a panel. A working paper by Jackson and doctoral student Julia Turner showed that universal pre-K can deliver substantial economic benefits.
  • A research note coauthored by Professor Sneha Kumar suggests that, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, women who already had children wanted slightly more children as community deaths rose.
  • Professor Jolie Matthews coauthored the young readers edition of Trailblazers: The Unmatched Story of Women's Tennis with tennis legend Billie Jean King and Alexandra Badiu. The book features inspiring illustrated biographies of pioneering women in the sport.
  • Professor emeritus Doug Medin received the David E. Rumelhart Prize, the most important award in the field of cognitive science.
  • Professor Sally Nuamah moderated two conversations on the intersection of creativity and equality as part of the World Women Davos Agenda, which took place alongside the World Economic Forum.
  • Professor emerita Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, former director of the Center for Talent Development, received the Ann F. Isaacs Founder's Memorial Award from the National Association for Gifted Children.
  • Professor Sepehr Vakil delivered the keynote presentation "The Future of Education in an Age of AI" at the Institute for the Future of Education's annual conference. He also participated in a panel discussion on whether AI can truly change schools. Northwestern received a $25,000 grant from the Field Foundation to help support the second season of Vakil's podcast, A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar.
  • SESP received a three-year, $2.6 million grant from the Baxter Foundation to continue work with the Baxter Center for Science Education initiative that supports STEM educators and classrooms.