SE Faculty Seed Grants | George Mason University

Every year CEHD supports new or emerging interdisciplinary research projects through the seed grant initiative.

Here is a list of CEHD seed grants for 2026-2027 with Special Education faculties.

Name of Investigators (Bold indicates PI)	Title of Proposal/Abstract or Summary of Aims
Christan Pankiewicz (Coogle) Lisa Tullo Kristen O’Brien Holly Glaser CEHD Research Cluster(s): Education for All and Disability Research Teacher Preparation and Professional Learning Research Technology Design and integration George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All	MaintAIn: Teacher Candidates’ Development and Maintenance of Evidence-Based Classroom Management Practices through Generative AI and Self-Evaluation Aim: We will examine whether combining generative AI with structured self-evaluation will improve teacher candidates’ implementation and maintenance of evidence-based classroom management practices. Using a convergent mixed methods design, we will analyze changes in practice and perceptions across internship and maintenance phases to determine the feasibility, effectiveness and sustainability of AI-supported planning and structured self-evaluation
Grace Francis Gilbert Gimm (CPH) CEHD Research Cluster(s): Human Development and Well-being George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Improving Health and Well-Being for Patients with Disabilities Across the Lifespan: An Exploratory Study of Health Care Needs, Barriers, & Facilitators Aim: The aims of this exploratory project are to: (a) evaluate the unmet healthcare needs of people with disabilities through an examination of National Survey on Health and Disability data and (b) investigate the healthcare experiences of people with disabilities and family caregivers to understand factors that forestall or facilitate access to equitable healthcare.
Daniel Espinas Joan Bristol (CHSS) Phil Capin (Harvard) CEHD Research Cluster(s): Education for All and Disability Research George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All	Reasoning and Writing About Sixth-Grade World History Aim: Aim 1 is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the instructional units using teacher and student surveys, interviews, and instructional observations. Aim 2 is to assess the preliminary efficacy of the intervention for improving students’ historic reasoning and writing. An exploratory aim is to examine whether intervention effects are moderated by students’ reading ability and epistemic beliefs.
Colleen Vesely Bethany Letiecq Vivian Motti (CEC) Amanda Sanchez (CHSS) Jung Yeon (Ellie) Park CEHD Research Cluster(s): Technology Design and Integration Emerging Trends in Education and Human Development George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All Driving Responsible Digital Innovation and Sustainable Infrastructure	Family-Led Systems Change: Co-creating an Artificial Intelligence-supported Navigator Tool to Advance Equity in Early Care and Education Aim: We propose building a prototype of an AI-based Early Care and Education (ECE) system navigator tool. Specific Aim 1: Develop a prototype ECE navigator tool that includes clear, timely information on ECE options. Specific Aim 2: Examine families’ experiences of tool prototype and how it shapes their access to ECE information.
Audra Parker Betsy Levine-Brown Divya Varier Meg Mascelli (FCPS) CEHD Research Cluster(s): Human Development and Well-being George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Before Burnout: A Pilot Mixed Methods Examination of Teacher Well-Being Across the First Years of Teaching Aim: Retaining teachers begins with understanding working conditions and why teachers leave the profession. The relationship between well-being and educator retention remains understudied in early career teachers (0-3 years). Using a longitudinal mixed-methods approach, our study seeks to understand early career PK-12 teachers’ well-being through an examination of their preparation pathways.
Dawn Hathaway Jung Yeon (Ellie) Park April Mattix Foster CEHD Research Cluster(s): Technology Design and Integration George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All Driving Responsible Digital Innovation and Sustainable Infrastructure	Reimagining Online Learning Quality in the AI-Enabled Era: A Design-Based Research Study Aim: This design-based research study revalidates and reimagines the Online Learning Quality Model (OLQM) and Inventory (OLQI) in a post-pandemic, AI-enabled higher education context. Using archival data, stakeholder feedback, and pilot testing, the project generates updated, student- centered quality indicators to guide responsible AI integration and evidence-based online course design.
Maggie Daniels Min Park Stella Liu CEHD Research Cluster(s): Human Development and Well-being Health, Human, and Sport Performance Management Emerging Trends in Education and Human Development Research George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Anthropogenic Noise Measurement, Resident Perceptions, and Management Strategies at Theodore Roosevelt Island Aim: The overarching purpose of this project is to conduct primary research specific to anthropogenic noise measurement, resident perceptions of noise, park satisfaction levels, and soundscape management strategies at Theodore Roosevelt Island in order to maximize the stress-reducing capacity of this urban park.
Tiphanie Rafegeau Jatin Ambegaonkar Emily Ihara (CPH) Catherine Thompkins (CPH) Jacqueline McDowell CEHD Research Cluster(s): Education for All and Disability Research Human Development and Well-being Health, Human, and Sport Performance Management George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Balance for Wellness: An Intergenerational Initiative and Community-Academic Partnership for Fall-Prevention Aim: In an aging society, promoting lifelong mobility is of utmost importance. George Mason University’s Balance for Wellness (BFW) is an interdisciplinary intergenerational community-academic partnership program that provides free health assessments to regional older adults, benefitting them in the present and contributing to high-impact research in the future. We propose to add a Spanish language component and share preliminary results with the public to expand BFW into a larger initiative that delivers multi-lingual community-based older adult programming.
Rachael Goodman Maribel Tohara Nakamatsu Colleen Vesely Amanda Sanchez (CHSS) Alejandra Alazar Salame CEHD Research Cluster(s): Education for All and Disability Research Human Development and Well-being George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Between Fear and Learning: Supporting the Mental Health and Education of Children from Immigrant Families in an Era of Heightened Enforcement Aim: This project leverages a trusted community partnership to document immigrant parents’ and educators’ current concerns supporting children’s mental health and education amid intensified immigration enforcement, and to identify collaborative, practice-relevant supports to build family-school partnerships and inform development of a competitive external grant proposal focused on actionable community priorities.
Divya Varier Jori Beck (W&M) CEHD Research Cluster(s): Human Development and Well-being George Mason GCI Solution Area(s): Advancing 21st Century Education for All Human Health, Well-being, and Preparedness	Enhancing Family Engagement and Impact on Social Emotional Learning in Schools Aim: Despite widespread adoption of social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, caregivers remain largely excluded from their design and implementation. Using a mixed methods participatory action research approach, this study engages caregivers in one Virginia school division to examine their understanding of SEL data and co-produce equity-centered guides to strengthen family-school partnerships around SEL programming.