Mary Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University, Peabody College and a research affiliate with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and the Nashville Partnership for Educational Equity Research research-practice partnership between Vanderbilt University and Metro Nashville Public Schools. She is a recipient of an AERA-NSF Dissertation Grant for the 2024-25 academic year.
Factory Advisor: Sean Corcoran
Research Interests
Mary uses mixed-methods research to study students’ transitions from high school to college and career. Her research explores how policies, programs, and organizations can better support students as they enter postsecondary education and the workforce. Mary works directly with practitioners through research-practice partnerships in order to ensure that my research directly addresses the needs of stakeholders. Her current and prior work has explored K-12 career and technical education (CTE) finance, early postsecondary opportunities for high school students, and community college support programs for non-traditional students.
Before starting her graduate degree, Molly was a research assistant at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where she worked on federal contract work for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Education
Psychology and Management and Society, B.A.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018