Advancing Knowledge. Fueling Innovation. Driving Impact.
The College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) is a vital engine of research excellence at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As UTSA ascends to the top tier of research institutions—earning Carnegie R1 status for “Very High Research Activity” and positioning itself for Association of American Universities membership by 2028, COEHD continues to play a central role.
COEHD faculty consistently rank among the university’s leading recipients of competitive research awards. Their success reflects not only their scholarly rigor but also their commitment to developing practical solutions to educational and social challenges that matter locally and nationally.
What distinguishes COEHD is the extraordinary depth and breadth of its faculty’s interests, expertise, and experiences. From early childhood development to adult learning, behavioral health to digital equity, educational leadership to community-based programming, our faculty engage in wide-ranging research that bridges disciplines, leverages innovative methodologies, and produces real-world results.
COEHD faculty researchers actively partner with school districts, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies throughout Bexar County and beyond. These collaborations ensure that research remains responsive to community needs and adaptable to today’s rapidly changing educational landscape.
COEHD Research supports faculty throughout the entire research life cycle—from conceptualizing grant proposals and securing funding to implementing projects and conducting evaluations. Our role is to help translate strong ideas into funded initiatives that advance knowledge, improve practice, and expand opportunity.
At COEHD, research is viewed as a catalyst for meaningful change. Through scholarship and collaboration, we are helping shape a future where education is innovative, effective, and relevant to the world we live in.
Contact
Professor, Curriculum & Instruction (Math Education), Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs
Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching
Research Spotlights
Project SELFIES: Empowering Educators to Support Multilingual Learners
Project SELFIES (Secondary English Learners and FamilIES) is a National Professional Development (NPD) Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). This initiative equips secondary educators with the skills and credentials needed to enhance instruction for multilingual learners. Through the project, educators earn Texas supplemental certification and a Master’s degree in Teaching ESL or Bilingual Education, while participating in instructional coaching and a professional learning community. By strengthening educator capacity, Project SELFIES helps schools improve academic outcomes and prepare students to be high-performing, globally competitive contributors to the 21st-century workforce.
Project BEAMS: Strengthening School-Based Mental Health Capacity
Project BEAMS (Behavioral, Emotional, and Mental Supports in Schools) is a grant-funded initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, through the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program. This innovative university–school district partnership is designed to expand access to high-quality mental health services in schools by preparing the next generation of school psychologists. Project BEAMS enhances the mental health infrastructure at Southwest Independent School District (SWISD) while helping to build a workforce equipped to support student well-being and academic success. By increasing the number of trained professionals in the field, Project BEAMS addresses critical needs in education and contributes to stronger, more resilient learning environments.
Workforce Development for Neurodevelopmental Disability (WD-NDD): Aligning Employer Practices with Untapped Talent
Funded through a multi-year initiative from the US Department of Education Disability Innovation Fund, Workforce Development for Neurodevelopmental Disability (WD-NDD) is a research-driven project that addresses critical gaps in workforce inclusion by equipping employers with practical tools and strategies to successfully recruit, hire, and retain individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD). This project focuses on employer-centered practices to improve workforce integration in high-growth sectors identified by Texas Workforce Services, including technology, production, manufacturing, and information services. WD-NDD aims to support long-term employment success by advancing evidence-based protocols for workplace outreach, hiring, onboarding, and accommodations—helping employers tap into an often-overlooked talent pipeline.
Affirming Multivocal Humanities: Advancing Scholarship in Mexican American Studies
This three-year Andrew Mellon Foundation-funded project (2023–2026) enhances the research, teaching, and public engagement activities of UTSA’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) program. Drawing from a 30-year legacy of scholarship rooted in the city’s rich historical context, the project strengthens UTSA’s capacity to foster humanities-driven inquiry and cross-disciplinary research focused on the Mexican American experience. Located in a region shaped by a deep cultural and historical connection to the Tejas-Mexico borderlands, the MAS program offers four areas of emphasis—History, Music, Social Justice, and Cultural Studies—through which students develop analytical skills and conduct research that contributes to public understanding, historical scholarship, and applied humanities practice. The program has produced a high rate of double majors with fields such as History, English, Spanish, Anthropology, and Political Science, positioning graduates for further academic study and careers in education, research, and public service. Through these efforts, the MAS program deepens its impact as a center for rigorous humanities scholarship, fostering research that responds to contemporary challenges while broadening our understanding of American history, culture, and civic life.
Understanding Students' Pursuit and Attainment of STEM Degrees Across Race and Gender Intersections
Supported by the Spencer Foundation, this project (2025–2026) investigates the academic experiences that influence students’ decisions to major in and complete degrees in mathematically-intensive STEM fields—Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science (PECS). Using longitudinal data from the Texas Education Research Center, the study follows multiple cohorts of Texas high school graduates (2014–2020) into postsecondary education to analyze how specific courses, performance, and achievement scores impact students’ progression toward PECS degrees. The research applies model selection techniques and logistic regression analyses to identify factors that support or hinder
degree completion, particularly across intersections of race and gender. This study moves beyond general indicators to pinpoint course-level experiences and milestones that are most predictive of persistence in STEM. The goal is to generate actionable insights for high schools, colleges, and workforce development partners seeking to strengthen student pipelines into high-demand STEM sectors. Findings from this project will contribute to broader efforts to understand and address the structural factors shaping STEM degree outcomes and help inform more effective guidance, course sequencing, and support systems in both secondary and higher education.
Morgan’s Multi-Assistance Center
UTSA and Morgan’s Multi-Assistance Center (MAC) recently co-hosted the 2024 San Antonio Disability Research Forum. Among the attendees were UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and Gordon Hartman, founder of the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and Morgan's MAC.
The forum was an opportunity to showcase impactful disability-focused research headed up by Leslie Neely, associate director of the UTSA Brain Health Consortium and associate professor in the UTSA Department of Educational Psychology, and Erica Sosa, associate dean for research success and professor in the UTSA Department of Public Health.
