Tessera

PhD candidates Jana Pickart and Niyanthini Kadirgamar (pictured), and PhD student Rachel Bond, have authored a new paper in Equity & Excellence in Education reflecting on the impacts of authoritarianism and imperialism on education communities and the field. Read the paper: buff.ly/ozege5N

@jackschneider.bsky.social, @katieumass.bsky.social, and Rebecca Woodland of the Center for Education Policy have published an opinion piece in @masslive.bsky.social, “Here’s what the public actually wants from AI in schools.” Read the article: buff.ly/RaKwvUT

EDUC in the Media
MassLive, May 29, 2026
"Here's what the public actually wants from AI in schools"

"What we learned is striking: Community members and education experts expressed nearly identical perspectives about AI in schools."

-- Jack Schneider, Kathryn McDermott, and Rebecca Woodland
Center for Education Policy

Professor @sallypirie.bsky.social has been awarded a 2026 Strong Research Fellowship to do archival research this summer at the 264,000 volume Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, located at the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. www.museumofplay.org/collections/...

Research Fellowships - The Strong National Museum of Play

Researchers from around the world have used The Strong's collections & archival materials to inform dissertations, books, & other scholarly works.

museumofplay.org

Assistant Professor Katrina Calhoun has co-authored a new paper in Journal of College and University Student Housing, “Pieces of Us: A Collaborative Critical Autoethnography of Black Women’s Experiences and Professional Work Cycle Within Residence Life.” Read the article: buff.ly/RBwPQcO

Katrina Calhoun, wearing black-framed glasses, a white beaded necklace, and a black knit blazer, in front of a wood panel.

Joel Arce ’26PhD was selected to receive the 2026 Antonia Pantoja Award by the Latino Scholarship Fund of Western Massachusetts, recognizing the contributions of his community-building scholarship. Read more: buff.ly/0ENI1qM

Joel Arce, wearing a gray-blue sweatshirt, against a light-gray photo backdrop.

Jack Schneider @jackschneider.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Congrats to Assoc. Prof. Marialuisa Di Stefano, who has received a Fulbright Global Scholar Award. ✈️ She will travel to Colombia, Spain, and Italy for a comparative ethnographic case study on how STEM teachers engage with dual language bilingual teacher preparation. www.umass.edu/education/ne...

Marialuisa Di Stefano, against a professional photo gray background, wearing a navy blue blazer, gold earrings, and a multicolored scarf.

If you're within driving distance of @umassamherst.bsky.social, mark your calendars. The inimitable @johannneem.bsky.social will be speaking on Sept. 16 in a public event at @umasseduc.bsky.social

Johann Neem: The Daily Life of Democracy : College of Education : UMass Amherst

In this talk, Prof. Neem will discuss who contributed to the public good during the founding of our country: men and women, free and enslaved, rich and poor.

umass.edu

@umasseduc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Justin Coles has been elected to the @ncte.org ELATE (English Language Arts Teacher Educators) Executive Committee. Read more: ncte.org/get-involved...

Elections

NCTE is guided by elected leaders at all levels of the organization. Leaders are chosen by current members with voting privileges.

ncte.org

@umasseduc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Elizabeth Broderick '26, early childhood education, is one of eleven seniors to receive a UMass Amherst Alumni Senior Leadership Award, honoring contributions by students to student organizations, campus jobs, academic excellence, and community service. Read more: buff.ly/4owBLj4

@umasseduc.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In April, with the assistance of @umassamherst.bsky.social Chancellor Javier Reyes and UMass Cheerleaders, we hosted 4th graders from Springfield International Charter School, with EDUC 508 students conducting demonstration lessons. See all photos: buff.ly/2mYMVbc

In its third annual Civic Summit, the Center for Education Policy invited MA residents to discuss AI in the classroom. Panelists included PhD student April Camuso, Professor Torrey Trust, Rebecca Mazur ‘17PhD, and former DESE commissioner Jeffrey Riley. See all photos: buff.ly/21oxVI9

Professor Carey Dimmitt has received a 2026 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Award. Nominators praised her proactive mentoring, particularly for Women of Color, and her lasting gift of collaborative, relational, and justice-oriented mentorship. See the list of winners: buff.ly/lAYRLIP

Carey Dimmitt in close-up, with books and a fabric wall hanging in the background.

Congrats to Associate Professor Ysaaca Axelrod for receiving the College Outstanding Teaching Award, and to Information Technology Manager Jim Smith for receiving the College Outstanding Staff Award! Read more: buff.ly/LEVjQ4l

Associate Professor and Associate Dean for DEI Justin Coles won two awards at the @AERA annual convention—an Early Career Award and an Outstanding Book Award for his first book, Resisting Antiblackness in Education: A Pedagogy of Black Youth Aesthetics. Read more: www.umass.edu/education/ne...

The first-ever bilingual Hub Dialogues 2026 Inaugural Workshop was hosted by the UMass Amherst Bilingual Hub in partnership with Southbridge Public Schools at Southbridge High School on March 28, 2026. Read about the event: buff.ly/y5XWjwb #EDUC #UMassAmherst #BilingualEducation

We are celebrating UMassGives today and tomorrow (April 29–30) and hope you will join us with a gift of any size to support our programs and students in need. Your gift today could be doubled or even tripled—see gift matching details and more on how to give: buff.ly/E6hMAVU

Celebrating excellence in higher education 🎉 Festus Cobena Ainoo, a second-year M.Ed. student in Higher Education, earned TWO awards at the 2026 ACPA Conference for his leadership, research and commitment to global student success.

The UMass Amherst Bilingual Hub and Southbridge Public Schools hosted the first-ever Bilingual Hub Dialogues 2026 workshop, bringing educators and community partners together for reflection, collaboration, and shared learning in bilingual and dual language education. Learn more:

The Bilingual Hub Dialogues 2026 Inaugural Workshop : College of Education : UMass Amherst

The UMass Amherst Bilingual Hub, in partnership with Southbridge Public Schools, hosted the first-ever Bilingual Hub Dialogues 2026 Inaugural Workshop.

umass.edu

Congratulations to faculty members Torrey Trust and Robert W. Maloy, and doctoral student Chenyang Xu, who received an outstanding paper award at the 2026 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) National Conference! >> Read more about their work! buff.ly/NlSb3II

Distinguished Professor Jack Schneider and second-year doctoral student Breanne Lucy have published a feature article in KAPPAN titled “Time Well Spent? Teachers’ Perspectives on Time-Saving Reforms” with co-author Ashley J. Carey. 👉 Check it out! buff.ly/AywmDSi

Dr. Jia Zhang has been selected as a 2026-2027 ISSR Scholar, recognizing her contributions to research and interdisciplinary collaboration at UMass.

We’re proud to share that LLC PhD candidate Gretchen Hohmeyer has co-authored a practitioner article highlighting the important role of backmatter in historical fiction and how it can enhance students’ engagement with history and social studies. Check it out: buff.ly/0Pbkasn