Dr. Wawire Awarded Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship

Tallahassee, Fla. – Dr. Brenda Wawire, a research faculty member at the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at Florida State University, has been awarded a Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship. The Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship Program is a globally competitive fellowship program for early and mid-career researchers whose work is dedicated to improving the learning and development of children and youth worldwide.

Wawire's research focuses on strengthening language and literacy skills among learners from linguistically diverse communities. During the fellowship, she will examine how family traits, home environment and socioeconomic status impact education outcomes among early-grade learners in Kenya. She will develop a tool to screen for developmental dyslexia in Kiswahili, which will be used to screen learners in Kenya. Wawire aims to build evidence about how children's educational outcomes are influenced and shaped by factors outside of school, focusing on learning variability and developmental dyslexia.

 

"I am honored to be a Jacobs Foundation Research Fellow and for the opportunity to generate evidence that will contribute to understanding individual variability among learners at risk of reading failure,” said Wawire. “This research is critical as part of efforts to combat the persistent learning poverty in sub-Saharan Africa."

The Jacobs Foundation fellowships are awarded to highly talented and innovative early and mid-career researchers who have received their PhD within the past 10 years. Funding from Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowships is awarded directly to the fellow's institution in support of the fellow's research. The ideal fellow has a great research idea and significant potential as a researcher to contribute as part of interdisciplinary teams within and beyond the network of the Jacobs Foundation.

LSI is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions that bridge theory and practice in education. Our experts' advanced research provides state-of-the-art methods and a clear path for implementation. For 55 years, LSI has delivered systems that measurably improve the learning and performance of organizations and individuals in Florida and worldwide.