From early August to just after Labor Day, children across the United States are returning to school in hopes of a productive 2025-26 academic year.
The K–12 education system offers a path for students’ advancement, but significant challenges persist.
Florida State University has experts in various educational areas, including student mental health, artificial intelligence in schools, and language and literacy development.
The following experts can be reached via email for interviews on their areas of research:
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
Lyndsay Jenkins
- Email: lnjenkins@fsu.edu
- Michael and Jean Shahnasarian Endowed Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems.
- Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
Jenkins serves as the program director of the M.S./Ed.S. School Psychology program and is also director of the Seminoles ASPIRE and STRIDES programs which help provide mental health services to youth in local schools. Her work includes research on bullying and childhood trauma prevention.
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
Sonia Cabell
- Email: scabell@fsu.edu
- Keith and Patricia Duggins Sigmon Endowed Professor.
- Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and Florida Center for Reading Research.
Cabell is a dual faculty member whose research focuses on the prevention of reading difficulties among young children who are at-risk, particularly those living in poverty. Her work spanning pre-kindergarten through second grade consists of how to strengthen children’s language and literacy skills that serve as precursors to both successful reading comprehension and word recognition.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SCHOOLS
Secil Caskurlu
- Email: scaskurlu@fsu.edu
- Assistant Professor of Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies.
- Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
Caskurlu’s research focuses on the design, development and evaluation of technology-rich learning experiences to enhance student outcomes including learning and engagement. She has designed, developed and taught various face-to-face, blended and fully online graduate courses focusing on different topics ranging from instructional design to advanced research in instructional design and technology, motivation, learning theories and online teaching and learning.