Vivian Lynette Gadsden is an American psychologist who is an education researcher at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. Her research considers the social and cultural factors that affect learning and literacy. She is interested in intergenerational learning within African-American families.

Early life and education

Gadsden was an undergraduate student at

Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. She moved to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

for graduate studies, where she completed a doctorate of education in adult literacy. Gadsden worked as a Spencer Foundation postdoctoral fellow.

Research and career

Gadsden started her academic career studying educational psychology at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. She moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

where she was made a research analyst in policy studies. She was appointed to the

University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, commonly known as Penn GSE, is the education school of University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formally established as a d ...

(GSE) Literacy Research centre in 1988 and was made associate director in 1989. Gadsden was made Director of the National Center on Fathers and Families in 1994. In 2006 she was made the William T. Carter Professor in Child Development and Education. Gadsden's research considers the cultural and social factors that impact learning and literacy. In particular, she has focused on urban education and family literacy, and how this intersects with culture, race and gender. She is interested in how parents engage with their children's early literacy. Gadsden engages with Philadelphia's most vulnerable communities through the Penn Futures Project. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Gadsden studied the disproportionate impact of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on the educational outcomes of students of color. Gadsden seeks to improve the academic performance of students from underrepresented groups. She serves on the advisory boards of various school readiness initiatives and family literacy programs, and has provided expert advice to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

on children's reading. She served as the President of the

American Educational Research Association The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and ...

in 2016. In 2021, she was made Chair-Elect of the

Office of the Faculty Senate.

Awards and honors

* 2017 Elected to the

National Academy of Education The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elect ...

* 2020 Edu-Scholar's top education scholars * 2020 Inducted to the Reading Hall of Fame

Selected publications

* * *

References

External links

Faculty Page
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadsden, Vivian University of Pennsylvania faculty Fisk University alumni University of Michigan alumni 21st-century American psychologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)