Sara Rimm-Kaufman
Commonwealth Professor of Education
- Ph.D., Harvard University, 1996
- M.A., Harvard University, 1993
- B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990
Rimm-Kaufman conducts research on elementary and middle school classrooms with the goal of using evidence to improve the quality of schooling experiences for teachers and students. There is no simple formula for creating excellent schools. Yet, the majority of efforts focus on curriculum, content knowledge and accountability, not the psychological experience and social interactions of students and teachers within them. Over the past twenty years, Rimm-Kaufman has led a dynamic team of researchers, project managers, post-docs, students, and staff toward improved understanding of the systematic ways that classroom social and psychological experiences are productive (or not productive) environments for child and youth development. In doing so, her research considers the diversity present in schools, respects the challenges that teachers face every day, and recognizes the complexity of school improvement. In all of her work, she has a steadfast commitment to educational equity.
Dr. Rimm-Kaufman has studied a wide range of programs and approaches including Connect Science, EL Education, Leading Together, Responsive Classroom, RULER, Valor Collegiate & Compass and beyond. She and her team have received numerous grants from National Science Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, and private foundations (e.g., Carnegie, Templeton) and have authored more than 100 chapters, articles, blogs, and websites. One persistent challenge in education is that researchers have extensive knowledge about social and emotional learning but rarely share it with teachers in an accessible format. This concern led her to prepare, SEL from the Start, a new book for teachers published by Norton Publishing in November 2020. Rimm-Kaufman also serves in a research advisory capacity for the World Bank Group, EL Education, New Schools Venture Fund and other organizations. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 15) and American Psychological Science.
Rimm-Kaufman co-directs the IES-funded Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) doctoral training program since 2004 and has directed the IES-funded VEST post-doctoral training program since 2008. She coordinated the graduate programs in Educational Psychology-Applied Developmental Science for 11 years and advises masters and doctoral students in this program. Rimm-Kaufman teaches undergraduate courses in Learning and Development, Educational Psychology, and Social Development. See www.socialdevelopmentlab.org for information about research conducted by Sara Rimm-Kaufman and her team in the UVA Social Development Laboratory based at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.
Professor Rimm-Kaufman will not be accepting a new doctoral student for the 2022 academic year. However, many of her colleagues will be accepting applicants. Those applications are due Dec 1. Interested applicants may find program information on the EP-ADS doctoral program site and fellowship information on the VEST fellowship site.
Professor Rimm-Kaufman will be taking on one post-doctoral fellow pursuing research on English Learners to begin in Summer 2022. For information about the posting, please see this link and search posting number R0030894.
Sample recent publications:
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Merritt, E. G., Lapan, C., DeCoster, J., Hunt, A. & Bowers, N. (2021). Can service-learning boost science achievement, civic engagement, and social skills?: A randomized controlled trial of Connect Science. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101236
Merritt, E. G., Harkins, T. & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (2021). Empowering elementary students through environmental service-learning. CLEARING: The Journal of Community-Based Environmental Literacy Education, 8-11.
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. & Jodl, J. (2020). Educating the whole learner: Mobilizing whole child advocates behind the neuroscience of learning and development. Educational Leadership, 77(8), 28-34.
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. & Merritt, E. G. (2019). Let’s power our future: Integrating science and social and emotional learning to improve collaborative discourse and science understanding. Science and Children, 57(1), 52-60.
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Donnan, M. F., Garcia, D., Snead-Johnson, M., Kotulka, E. & Sandilos, L. (2018). A partnered approach to school change in a rural community: Reflections and recommendations. Foundation Review, 10(4), 103-118. 10.9707/1944-5660.1446
Molina, E., Pushparatnam, A. Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. & Wong, K. K. (2018). Evidence-based teaching: Effective teaching practices in primary school classrooms. World Bank Group: Policy Research Working Papers. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-8656
Sandilos, L. E., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Cohen, J. J. (2017). Warmth and demand: The relation between students’ perceptions of the classroom environment and achievement growth. Child Development, 88(4), 1321-1337.
Research Interests
- Development of Self-Regulation
- Children's Self-Control
- Teacher Interactions with Students
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Teacher Development
- Mathematics Education
- Elementary School Classrooms
Resources
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- Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) Predoctoral Fellowships
- Engaging Students in an Environmental Community Service Learning Intervention
- The Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study
- The Social and Academic Learning Study
- The Early Learning Study
- The Mathematics Learning Study
- Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) Program for Post-Doctoral Fellows
- Becoming Ethical People: Character Development Among Students in EL Education Schools (ExCEL)
- Examining the Efficacy of RULER on School Climate, Teacher Well-Being, Classroom Climate and Student Outcomes
- Connect Science
- Alleghany Highlands
- Leading Together
- The RULER Project
- Compass Model Early-Stage Evaluation
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- Faculty Earn Top Honors
- Faculty Kudos
- Study: Academic Growth of African American Students Fostered Best by High Expectations
- U.Va. Among the National Leaders in 2015 Education Science Grant Awards
- CASTL’s Jeff Kosovich Publishes on Carnegie Commons Blog
- Curry Early Childhood Researchers Sign Consensus Letter to Support Increased Investments
- Members from VEST participate in key roles at CRC
- New Student at CASTL Awarded Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from Carnegie Foundation
- A Community Service Learning Project Launches at CASTL
- CASTL Awarded Over Four Million in Grant Funding to Pursue New Lines of Education Research
- Curry IDEA Grants Awarded to Three CASTL Researchers
- UVA SURP Intern Discusses the Contagious Work Ethic at Curry & How It’s Changing Him
- $10M in Funding Awarded to CASTL Researchers in 2018
- UVA Researches Student Character Development in EL Education Schools
- CASTL Researchers Have Strong Presence at SRCD Meeting
- CASTL Researchers Present Work on Social & Emotional Learning at SREE 2019
- Summer Internship Program Brings Diversity to Education Research
- 2020 Connect Science Energy Institute Open for Registration
- UVA Researchers Ask: How Does This Popular Social-Emotional Learning Program Benefit Teachers and Students?
- Building a Career in Educational Research
- Q&A: Professor Pens Guide for Teaching SEL in Elementary School
- Ten UVA Scholars Ranked in 2021 EDU-Scholar Public Influence Rankings
- Simulator Provides Students Fail-Safe Opportunities to Teach, Lead, Mentor