Florida State University Associate Professor of Special Education Jenny Root has been selected as one of about 400 scientists and engineers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), announced this week by the White House.

The PECASE award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. Root is one of 10 U.S. Department of Education recipients selected by President Joe Biden and only the third faculty member from FSU to ever receive the award.

“Dr. Root’s selection for the Presidential Early Career Award for scientists and engineers is a testament to her groundbreaking research and unwavering commitment to improving education for all students,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This prestigious recognition highlights the profound impact of her work and brings great distinction to Florida State University. We look forward to the continued contributions she will make in her field.”

Root, a faculty member in the School of Teacher Education at the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, focuses her research on instructional methods to promote academic learning for students with autism and intellectual disability.

“I am humbled and honored to receive the PECASE award,” Root said. “This recognition validates the importance of research that challenges ableist assumptions and uses evidence-based practices to redefine the norm in mathematics education for students with autism and intellectual disability.”

Root is also an affiliate faculty member with the Florida Center for Reading Research and a board-certified behavior analyst. She serves as a mentor for the next generation of education scientists and works closely with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students.

She began as an assistant professor at FSU in 2016 and has received several honors, including the FSU Graduate Teaching Award in 2023. She has taught nearly 30 courses and helped write more than 60 journal articles and books.

“I want to offer sincere congratulations to Dr. Root on this monumental accomplishment,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “She is an outstanding researcher and faculty member, and this recognition is an absolute testament to her talent and impact on the field of special education. Anne’s College is fortunate to call her one of our own.”

Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future.

This year’s awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Renamed in honor of celebrated alumna Anne Spencer Daves, Anne’s College offers a unique combination of global-class academics and a close-knit, student-focused community for an exceptional educational experience. Ranked the best education-related college in Florida, Anne’s College is home to six departments spanning a variety of subjects. From teacher education and sport psychology to exercise physiology and food science, students gain the skills they need for rewarding careers in some of the most important industries around.

Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)
Established in 2002 by the Governor’s office and Legislature, the FCRR houses several tenure-track faculty members who hold joint appointments with other colleges at FSU. The center’s research goes beyond just reading, as it studies language and literacy, genes and the brain, instruction and assessment as well as dyslexia and other disabilities.

FCRR has a wide range of research grants, contracts and projects in its portfolio. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast is an institute that works in partnership with practitioners to conduct applied research and training to support a more evidence-based education system. Its impact is felt statewide with FCRR research and professional learning occurring in every county across Florida.

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September marks National Literacy month, a time to highlight the critical role that reading plays in a child or adult’s overall development.

Helping to create advancements in the field, the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) takes an innovative approach in its constant quest to improve reading through science. The center is a leader in interdisciplinary reading-related research, developing resources that benefit learners from birth to adulthood.

Associate Professor of Special Education and FCRR affiliate faculty Jenny Root is available to speak with reporters as part of National Literacy month. She is an expert in special education, with an emphasis on evidence-based practices for students with autism and intellectual disabilities and the use of applied-behavior analysis in educational settings.

Jenny Root, Associate Professor of Special Education and Affiliate Faculty of the Florida Center for Reading Research

Jrroot@fsu.edu

About the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)

Established in 2002 by the Governor’s office and Legislature, the FCRR houses several tenure-track faculty members who hold joint appointments with other colleges at FSU. The center’s research goes beyond just reading, as it studies language and literacy, genes and the brain, instruction and assessment as well as dyslexia and other disabilities.

FCRR has a wide range of research grants, contracts and projects in its portfolio. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast is an institute that works in partnership with practitioners to conduct applied research and training to support a more evidence-based education system.

Its impact is felt statewide with FCRR research and professional learning occurring in every county across Florida.

For more information on the FCRR, visit fcrr.org.

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Teachers are preparing lesson plans and students are gathering supplies. School will soon be back in session around the country.

Florida State University’s education faculty are experts in researching the effectiveness of teaching practices and other measures to improve student success. FSU faculty members are available to answer media questions and provide perspective for reporting on education issues.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
Jenny Root, associate professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
jrroot@fsu.edu
Root teaches courses on differentiating instruction, access to the general curriculum, and transition for students with disabilities. Her research focuses on instructional methods to promote academic learning for students with autism and intellectual disability. She is the director of the General Curriculum Access lab, where she leads a team developing and evaluating strategies for teaching meaningful math skills.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY
Lyndsay Jenkins, Michael and Jean Shahnasarian Endowed Professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
lnjenkins@fsu.edu
Jenkins is the program director of the M.S./Ed.S. School Psychology program and the Combined Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology. She researches bullying and childhood trauma prevention research. One of her lab’s major projects is the IVY project, or Interventions for Victimized Youth, which is focused on developing intervention programs for children and adolescents who have been targets of bullying, sexual harassment and microaggressions.

ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
Heidi Gazelle, associate professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
hgazelle@fsu.edu
Gazelle researches the interpersonal and intrapersonal processes that forecast continuity in change in socially anxious children’s and adolescents’ developmental pathways over time. Her research is guided by a Child-by-Environment Model which focuses on how socially anxious youths’ strengths and vulnerabilities interact with interpersonal supports and stressors in their everyday environments (school, peers, and family) to influence their social and emotional development.

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Lara Perez-Felkner, professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
lperezfelkner@fsu.edu; (850) 645-8450
As a professor in FSU’s Higher Education Program, Perez-Felkner’s research uses developmental and sociological perspectives to examine the mechanisms that shape entry into and persistence in institutions and fields in which individuals have traditionally been underrepresented. In particular, she investigates racial-ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in post-secondary educational attainment and entry to scientific career fields.

LITERACY AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Sonia Cabell, associate professor, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
scabell@fcrr.org
As a member of the Florida Center for Reading Research, Cabell focuses on the prevention of reading difficulties among young children who are at-risk, particularly those living in poverty. Her work spans pre-kindergarten through second grade and consists of how to strengthen children’s language and literacy skills that serve as precursors to both successful reading comprehension and word recognition.

Shannon Hall-Mills, assistant professor, College of Communication and Information
shannon.hall-mills@cci.fsu.edu
Hall-Mills researches spoken and written language development and disorders in school-age children and adolescents. Her work aims to improve the accuracy of assessment and the effectiveness of intervention practices for language and literacy in schools. She is also interested in the effects of educational policy on practice patterns for speech language pathologists and outcomes for children with speech-language impairment.

MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
Robert Schoen, associate professor, School of Teacher Education and Learning Systems Institute
rschoen@lsi.fsu.edu; (850) 645-9926
Schoen studies the impact of interventions in mathematics and statistics classes on teachers, teaching and students. The Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics named him the 2022 Kenneth P. Kidd Mathematics Educator of the Year. He leads groundbreaking research that is identifying ways to increase student achievement and enjoyment.

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