Rightpath Center

Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Foster for receiving the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship Award at the USF Faculty Honors and Awards Reception on April 14. 🏆

This award recognizes faculty members who have made significant contributions to the development of undergraduate research skills and the mentorship of undergraduate researchers.

Dr. Foster is an Associate Professor within one of our research divisions, Rightpath Center.

Full list of award winners can be found inside the article: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/news/2026/cbcs-faculty-and-staff-recognized-at-2026-usf-faculty-honors-and-awards-reception.aspx

Great connecting with Glazer Children's Museum at their holiday party at Columbia Restaurant. Dr. Noé Erazo with Nila Johnson, Pam Hillestad, Keisey Santos, and Dr. Megan Kirby. Glazer has the best curriculum designers and songwriters ever!

Carla Zayas-Santiago, a PhD student in the Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition (TESLA) program at the University of South Florida’s College of Education, received a graduate student travel grant from the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) to attend the SREE conference. She is a graduate research assistant on Dr. María Carlo’s Institute of Education Sciences study and presented her dissertation findings based on transcripts of teacher–child instructional conversations collected through Carlo’s project.

Professor Anthony received a contract from the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County to conduct a process improvement study and program evaluation of the coalition’s Summer Boost program designed to enhance school readiness among at risk children entering kindergarten. Pictured: Drs. Fred Hicks and Jason Anthony.

USF student Joanna Agrinsoni, mentored by Associate Professor Matthew Foster, PhD has secured competitive funding to advance bilingual education research. She’ll be diving into data literacy, intervention strategies, and AI-powered STEM reading while leading the next phase of the Story Champs program. Her work is shaping the future of language education! USF Child & Family Studies USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences

Congratulations Dr. Erazo!

Noé Erazo, who earned a doctorate in behavioral and community sciences from the University of South Florida today, was a speaker at 's commencement ceremony this morning.

"As part of my dissertation, I conducted a series of studies on how children learn the Spanish alphabet — establishing norms, examining test fairness, and identifying what makes certain letters harder to learn. The topic was especially meaningful to me," Erazo said. "As a child growing up in Houston, I nearly failed the first grade because I couldn't read in Spanish. My mom stepped in and she taught me herself — thank you, Mom! So now, to be the author of studies on Spanish alphabet knowledge, it feels like things came full circle."

Congratulations to Noé and to all of our amazing graduates!

Special camps and group programs have helped children understand a family member's cancer, reducing worries and improving wellbeing—with no evidence of harm. How can we better support families facing cancer?

We had so much fun at the USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences USF Child & Family Studies Fall Luncheon! RCMA Wimauma Community Academy Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County 🍂🥧🧡

Congratulations to Dr. Thanh Pham for his outstanding statistical and measurement work on early childhood research at Rightpath Center! We appreciate you!

Congratulations to RCMA Wimauma Community Academy Director Heather Hanson and Principal Cristina Vega for their community partner award from USF Child & Family Studies and Rightpath Center!

Congratulations to Dr. Fred Hicks from Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County for the community partner award from USF Child & Family Studies and Rightpath Center.