The PEDS Team

Dr. Richard Fabes is the John O. Whiteman Distinguished Professor of Child Development at Arizona State University. He also is the 2023 recipient of the Urie Bronfenbrenner APA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient. His research is focused on social-emotional development of young children with interests in peer relationships, school readiness, prosocial behavior, empathy and compassion, and in how we manage students and classrooms. With the new grant from the Administration and Families, he is the Principal Investigator of the PEDS team. In this work, he is collaborating with several faculty and postdoctoral fellows to delineate the use of exclusionary discipline with young students and in identifying and addressing the disparities that exist in its use.

Dr. Ashley McDonald

Dr. Evandra Catherine is an Assistant Research Professor and Co-Director of the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, where her work includes research and policy projects focused on building more equitable learning systems for young children, particularly children of color. Her research is focused on reconceptualizing how early childhood educators support the emotional development of children of color, especially Black children through practice-based coaching and anti-bias curriculum.