The Teaching Effectiveness Symposium is CTE's hallmark program for SMU faculty. This year's keynote is Dr. David Yeager. Dr. Yeager holds a PhD and MA from Stanford University, and a BA and MEd from the University of Notre Dame. He is a William T. Grant Foundation scholar, a Faculty Research Associate at the UT Population Research Center, and was formerly a Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. His research has earned awards from the Spencer Foundation, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the Society for Research on Child Development, the American Educational Research Association, the APA Science Directorate, and the International Society for Research on Aggression. He is a member of the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group and the New Paths to Purpose network at the University of Chicago.

David Yeager is the author of 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, a USA Today bestseller. Based on cutting-edge research, it reveals how parents, mentors, and leaders of young people aged 10-25 can harness their desire to be respected, resulting in breakthrough connection, enthusiasm, and cross-generational collaboration. He explains how to adopt what he calls “the mentor mindset”: a leadership style that’s attuned to young people’s neurobiological need for status and respect. The practices he offers, like asking questions instead of giving orders, are proven to improve behavior across a wide variety of areas, from purpose to mental health. Young people in this age group are poised to learn, grow, and accomplish incredible things, he says—if we can just tap into the basic systems that drive their motivation and behavior.