UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students, staff and faculty members from Penn State's College of Education share recent research and career achievements.
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Renee Carbonara, financial planning analyst in the College of Education, was recently recognized for her contributions as a “reliable and dedicated partner on our team” in Penn State’s recurring “We Are!” feature.
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Julie Coder, a post-comps graduate student in science education, is lead author of a paper, “Evaluating Generative AI-Assisted Studying in an Undergraduate Aeronautics Course, published by American Society for Engineering Education.
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Erica Frankenberg, professor of education and demography, co-authored a brief, “A Second Look at the 2023–24 Civil Rights Data Collection: Early Findings on Advanced Coursework, Discipline, and School Staffing,” on the Advanced Equity website.
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Jason Griffith, associate professor of children’s and adolescent literature studies, co-authored a blog post, “Mapping Book Banning Resistance: Who is involved and what are they doing? (Part 1),” as part of a series for Penguin Random House.
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Kevin Kinser, professor of education policy and leadership, was appointed as a graduate student ombudsperson with the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. In this role, Kinser will help Penn State graduate students navigate academic concerns, connect with support resources and consider their options in a safe, confidential and impartial environment.
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Gerald LeTendre, Harry L. Batschelet Chair of Educational Administration, was quoted in a Scientific American article, “Alpha School wants AI to teach a billion kids. Should it?”
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Esther Prins, professor of lifelong learning and adult education, co-authored these recent publications: “Literacy Before It Counts: Legibility and Recognition of Adult Literacy Beyond Standardized Assessment,” (co-authored with graduate student Tara Jewell) in Education Sciences; “Education for Social Change or the Status Quo? Gender, Curriculum, and the State in Soviet and Post-Soviet Belarus (co-authored with graduate student Kate Antonovich),” in The University of Chicago Press Journals; "Using the Smithsonian’s Digital Talk with Me Toolkits to Support Family Engagement in Public Libraries" (co-authored with Heather Toomey Zimmerman, department head of learning and performance systems and professor of learning, design, and technology), in Public Library Quarterly; and “Building Museum-University-Library Partnerships for Family Learning and Engagement: Lessons from the Talk with Me Toolkits,” in Journal of Museum Education.
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Priya Sharma, associate professor of education (learning, design, and technology) and faculty director for AI Literacy and Innovation, has been named one of Penn State’s 2026–27 AI-Aware Faculty Leaders.
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Evelyn Wu, a doctoral student in education policy and leadership and dueal title Ph.D. in comparative and international education, had an article published online on Aug. 30 in Policy Design and Practice (Q1, 5-year IF:4.9), examining how four K–12 school districts have governed AI over the past three years and published another article introducing educational AI auditing as part of her broader research agenda on AI governance and accountability. Additionally, she secured a grant and designed a program at the Penn State Arboretum to help children question and verify AI-generated information through observation in nature. The first session was held on September 21, with another planned for October and three additional sessions from March through May 2027.
"College of Education News" highlights accomplishments by faculty, staff and students in the College of Education, including publications, research presentations at conferences and workshops, and awards and fellowships. Please share your news with us and your colleagues by emailing edrelations@psu.edu.