Literacy – College of Education and Human Development

Abdur Rehman Tariq: Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture

ckelly — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:00:01 +0000

Abdur Rehman (Amman) Tariq of Sargodha, Pakistan is the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture in the 91�� College of Education and Human Development. Tariq is graduating with a Ph.D. in Education (Literacy Education concentration). His dissertation is titled “Developing a TESOL Teacher Training Program for the Outer and External Circles: A Curriculum Design and Development Project.” Tariq has also authored or co-authored multiple journal articles and other scholarly publications during his time at 91��.

Why did you choose 91�� for graduate school?

I served as a Fulbright Foreign Language Instructor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics during the 2019–2020 academic year. During that time, I also took several courses as a non-degree student in the College of Education and Human Development. It was a deeply enriching experience, both in and outside the classroom, as I had the opportunity to teach, learn and engage meaningfully with students and colleagues at 91��. That period played an important role in shaping my academic and professional journey and inspired me to pursue my Ph.D. at this beautiful university.

Have you collaborated with a mentor, professor or role model who made your time at 91�� better, and if so, who are they and how have they impacted your time at 91��?

During my time at 91�� as a graduate student, many faculty members helped me develop both academically and professionally. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. William Dee Nichols, Dr. Susan Bennett-Armstead and my advisor Dr. Timothy Reagan for their continuous support and guidance throughout my time at 91��.

What has 91�� enabled you to explore beyond academics?

I was given the opportunity to teach and get involved in different research projects to prepare myself professionally. As an educator and researcher, I appreciate the opportunity to work with Dr. Catharine Biddle, who introduced me to rural education in Maine. I also got to meet many people, including school administrators, principals and teachers across Maine.

What advice do you have for incoming graduate students to help them get off to the best start academically?

Set small goals, be consistent with them and keep recalibrating. Trust the process and you will love the outcome.

What’s on the horizon? What are your plans for after you graduate?

I plan to stay in Maine. I will begin working for the 91�� at Augusta in fall 2026 as a postdoc scholar.

Special thank you message:

My heartfelt thanks to my parents, my wife and children for their unconditional love, patience, and for believing in me even when things felt overwhelming.

Virginia Dearani: Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture

ckelly — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:29:52 +0000

Virginia Dearani of Auburn, Maine is the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture in the 91�� College of Education and Human Development. An Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, Dearani earned her Ph.D. in PreK-12 Education with a concentration in literacy education. Her dissertation was titled “What is Your Metaphor? Disrupting Wholeness in Teacher Education.” Previously, Dearani was a visiting faculty member in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the 91�� at Farmington.

Why did you choose 91�� for graduate school?

I was working within the 91�� System at UMF and wanted a doctorate to extend my opportunities to teach in higher education and consult internationally. 91�� has a good program in literacy that aligned with my research goals.

Have you collaborated with a mentor, professor or role model who made your time at 91�� better, and if so, who are they and how have they impacted your time at 91��?

I collaborated with Dr. Susan Bennett-Armistead throughout my four years. As a fellow early childhood educator and scholar, she provided a lot of great insight, support and guidance on my path. She was best at keeping me grounded when I felt overwhelmed with the process. She reminded me why I started the journey and to stay focused on my personal goals as I moved through the program. I also had the honor of moving through my cohort with many fabulous professionals in Maine. Marwa Hassanien in particular has been an inspiration and support along our journey. Huge thanks and shout out to my fellow graduate!

What has 91�� enabled you to explore beyond academics?

I’ve been able to attend and present my research at various conferences.

What advice do you have for incoming graduate students to help them get off to the best start academically?

Remember to trust the process and reach out with any questions along the way from your professors as well as your cohort members.

What’s on the horizon? What are your plans for after you graduate?

I am currently a member of the faculty at Thomas College. I wanted to remain in Maine to pursue my professional goals and to give back to this great state.

Special thank you message:

Huge thanks to my family — my husband and two sons — who rode the roller coaster of doctoral dreams with me, always being patient with my process. Their belief in me inspired me to stay on track and complete my doctorate. I am blessed to have them with me on this journey.

91�� researchers share work at annual NEERO conference

ckelly — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:33:13 +0000

Several 91�� faculty members and graduate students presented their research at the 56th annual conference of the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO), March 26-28 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The conference included researchers from across the region sharing studies on a variety of education topics, including curriculum and instruction; diversity and sociocultural perspectives; higher education; human development and learning; leadership, policy and educational reform; measurement, assessment, evaluation and research methods; professional development; teaching and teacher education; and technology in education.

Presentations by 91�� faculty and students included:

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Esther Enright chaired a roundtable session on “Leadership: Style, Actions, Policies as Influencers.” Enright and Sarah Walton, 91�� assistant professor of sociology, presented their study “Building Infrastructure Amidst Poverty: A Case Study of A Youth Justice Collaboration” as part of the roundtable.
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) students in educational leadership Kelly O’Brien-Weaver and Patricia Clark presented their doctoral research as part of a session on “Tackling Tough Problems Through Leadership and Policy.” O’Brien-Weaver’s study was titled “Rural School Counseling Programs: Learning From Them, Not Just About Them.” Clark’s study was titled “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Empowering Women Aspiring to Leadership.” Clark also chaired a practitioner roundtable session on “Supporting Educators’ Continuous Development,” which included a presentation from Ed.D. student Nicole Benham titled “Unifying Voices: The Role Professional Development Can Play in Effective Communication Between Educators.”
Alan Howen Chang, graduate research and teaching assistant and Ph.D. student in PreK-12 education with a concentration in literacy in the College of Education and Human Development, presented his research, “Exploring Teachers’ Perspectives and Experiences with Teaching in a Bilingual Program to English Language Learners with Technology Aided Instruction and Intervention,” as part of a session titled “Today and Tomorrow – Exploring the Narratives and Perspectives of Classroom Teachers.”
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Lindsey Kaiser presented her study “School-Based Racial Equity Collaborations: White Principals Implementing an Active Anti-Racists Stance” as part of a research paper session on “Variables, Actions and Practices to Promote Equity and Justice.” Kaiser also chaired a research paper session on “Teacher Leadership, Collaboration, and Capacity Building Practices’ Influence on School Success.”
Sue Sydnor, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented her doctoral research, “Student Perspectives on School Exclusion: A Narrative Inquiry,” as part of a session on “Challenging Oppression and Misperception Through Stories – Perspectives of Learners, Mothers, and Educators.”
Associate Professor of Higher Education Leah Hakkola and 91�� Director of International Programs Orlina Boteva, a Ph.D. student in higher education, presented their study, “Exploring Secondary Trauma and Burnout Amongst Higher Education Professionals Engaged in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” as part of a session titled “Inspiration and Agony: The Work, Strife, and Resilience of Faculty in Higher Education.”
Janet Corcoran, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, chaired a roundtable session on “How Roles and Perceptions of Teachers and Leaders Influence Success.” Corcoran presented her doctoral research, “Paraprofessional Training and Supervision: Policy and Perception,” as part of the session. Two other 91�� Ed.D. students, Amy Sullivan and Rebekah Drysdale, presented their doctoral research as part of the session. Sullivan’s presentation was titled “A Case Study of Teacher Roles as Intermediaries For a Social-Emotional Learning Initiative.” Drysdale’s study was titled “The Special Education Administrator and Principal Connection: Exploring Key Relationship Components for Inclusion.”
Ed.D. students Allison Woodard and Suzanne Joyal presented as part of a session on “Wrestling with Issues in Curriculum and Instruction.” Woodard’s study was titled “Teacher Decision Making About Reading Instruction.” Joyal’s presentation was titled “Cultivating Literacy Through Cultural Roots: A Multi-Tiered Arts-Based Storytelling Approach For First Graders in After-School Spaces.”

91�� alumna Throckmorton named Maine Teacher of the Year finalist

ckelly — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:31:02 +0000

91�� College of Education and Human Development alumna Emilie Throckmorton has been named a finalist for 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year. Throckmorton, an English language arts teacher at Bangor High School, holds both a Master of Education and a Certificate of Advanced Study degree in literacy education from the university. She was named 2024 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year earlier this year.

According to a from the Maine Department of Education: “Throckmorton connects with and motivates students at all levels of academic success and prides herself on creating a classroom environment that fosters inclusion and belonging. Using a student-centered approach and focusing on choice, Throckmorton believes strongly in helping all students find a love for reading and cultivating a voice in writing. Outside of the classroom, Throckmorton works closely with students by advising the LGBTQ+ kids in Q+ Club, and has been the advisor for the school’s literary magazine Mosaic for over 20 years. She has also served as a Class Council advisor, a Graduation Coach, a member of the Student Support Team, and the coordinator of the school-wide Poetry Out Loud contest. Throckmorton is passionate about mental health awareness and how teachers can support students by normalizing discussion about mental health in the classroom.”

Character, Courage, Community: Kelsey Stoyanova is a rising star

ckelly — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:36:16 +0000

This story originally appeared in Maine Alumni Magazine, a publication of the 91�� Alumni Association. To read it on their website, .

It’s after the last bell at Bangor High School on a Friday afternoon and most of the students have gone home for the weekend. Kelsey Stoyanova is sitting in her classroom when a teenage boy enters.

“For you,” he says, handing her a card for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Stoyanova stands up to give the boy a hug.

“Thank you so much,” she says. “That means a lot.”

After they wish each other a good weekend and the boy leaves, Stoyanova reads aloud from the card: “You make my days better with your positivity and happiness. Thank you for bringing great topics to class and making them interesting. People don’t usually ask how you are doing in the morning, but you do which shows you care about us. So thank you so, so, so much.”

“This is it,” she says. “This is what it’s all about.”

Spend time in Stoyanova’s classroom and you’ll witness some of the qualities that the student mentioned in his card: Positivity, happiness, care, and, of course, a knack for making learning interesting and fun. All of these attributes and more helped make her the 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year. They’re also among the reasons that she was named this year’s Rising Star Award recipient from the 91�� Alumni Association.

Character

A few hours earlier, Stoyanova is in her element, teaching to a classroom full of first-year high school students who have been reading Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” for the past few weeks. However, today she’s leading them through a lesson on embodying a character in their choice books, which as the name implies are books they have chosen to read as opposed to being assigned.

“What lessons can we learn from the characters in the books we’re reading?” Stoyanova asks her students to consider.

She leads them through a series of exercises designed to get at the heart of that question. First, the students sit at their desks quietly writing down answers to questions about their characters. Later, they stand up and talk to each other in the roles of their characters for five minutes before returning to their desks. They spend a couple of minutes writing words that define their characters on one side of a note card and an inspirational quote reminiscent of their characters on the other side. The students then talk to each other about why they picked their quotes. The note cards with the quotes on them will be decorated and posted on a bulletin board in Stoyanova’s classroom for the rest of the year, inspiring them to finish the year strong.

After all the students have left, I ask Stoyanova to reflect on what she hoped they had taken from the class.

“When you show kids that authors write books to teach us lessons, and then you ask them to think about what a character learned from something that happened in the book, they start to recognize, ‘Oh, this is for more than just my entertainment,’” she says. “And hopefully they can apply that to other situations, like recognizing that different people go through different things, and ‘How can I be an empathetic citizen? How can I learn from other people’s experiences to make the world a place where everybody gets to thrive?’”

It’s important, Stoyanova adds, that the lesson used the students’ choice books.

“My goal as an educator is to help students see themselves in the places and spaces that they want to be,” says Stoyanova. “Part of that is giving them a choice and a voice. That’s why I have them talk to each other as their characters, so they’re passing the lessons along.”

“The idea,” she says, “is that they are all productive citizens within the classroom, and they can apply that same knowledge to being a productive citizen in their community, whatever that community looks like — whether it’s a sports team, or a job, or when they graduate and are out on their own. How can we share knowledge and grow and learn together? That’s why choice is so important.”

Courage

Last year was something of a homecoming for Stoyanova, who graduated from Bangor High in 2010. Her first and only other teaching job after graduating from 91�� in 2014 with a degree in secondary education was at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden, where she was for nearly a decade.

“What I love about high school,” she says, “is that you have these really resilient kids who are finding their place in the world, unapologetically, and they’ve invited you along for the ride.”

It’s no secret that being a teacher in this day and age is not an easy task. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated preexisting challenges facing K–12 schools and those who work in education, causing many veteran teachers to retire or pursue other career opportunities. Nationwide, the past two decades have seen fewer young people choose careers in the classroom, contributing to teacher shortages that many observers have likened to a crisis.

Despite all of this, Stoyanova has remained steadfast in her commitment to the profession. Being Maine Teacher of the Year gave her something of a platform to advocate for her fellow educators, a role she admits took some adjusting to.

“When you are named Maine Teacher of the Year, at first you feel a little imposter syndrome,” she says. “There are so many amazing educators. How did it become you? And then you recognize that your role is not to celebrate what you’re doing, but to champion and share what your students are doing and what other teachers are doing.”

In addition to teacher shortages, one of the major challenges facing K-12 schools right now is criticism from people outside the profession about what it means to be a teacher and the best ways to educate students. In part because she’s in the public eye so much, Stoyanova has been personally subjected to such commentary that all teachers face on some level.

“There are some people who would put teachers into a box,” she says. “I would say those people don’t understand how kids grow and develop as human beings. Yes, I am here to teach my students to read and write and I will do that. But I will also teach them to be compassionate humans and find their place in the world.”

Emilie Throckmorton has known Stoyanova since she was a teenager. When they met, Throckmorton, who’s also in the English Language Arts department at Bangor High School, was Stoyanova’s freshman English teacher. Later, Stoyanova was teaching at Reeds Brook when Throckmorton’s two children were students there.

“She is an incredibly gifted teacher,” Throckmorton says. “She’s really natural with kids, which is sort of the unteachable part of it. But she works really, really hard at her craft.”

As their relationship has grown from teacher-student to parent-teacher to colleagues, Throckmorton says she’s watched in admiration as Stoyanova has received accolades for her work. She says the impressive thing is how humble Stoyanova has remained.

“She’s won all these awards, but it’s not like she carries it around,” she says. “She’s constantly working to become a better teacher; she lifts up other people all the time and is open to new ideas.”

In terms of the adversity that Stoyanova has faced from being the public face of educators and education in Maine, Throckmorton has one word to describe her response: “brave.”

“Some of the things that she’s had to deal with, nobody would blame her if she hid in her classroom and tried not to bring attention to herself,” Throckmorton says. “But she just has this courage and confidence that she’s right and that it’s worth it to keep advocating for her colleagues and for kids.”

Recently, Throckmorton was named the 2024 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year. The person who nominated her: Stoyanova.

Professor Emeritus of Literacy Education Richard Kent worked with Stoyanova and Throckmorton, who both earned certificates from the Maine Writing Project, a long-running professional development program for teachers at 91��. Kent also taught Stoyanova as an undergraduate and a master’s student.

“We’ve had some shining stars at 91��, and it’s just a pleasure to be associated with Kelsey and Emilie and watch them support each other,” says Kent, who was Maine Teacher of the Year in 1993 before becoming a faculty member at 91��’s College of Education and Human Development.

“Having been Maine Teacher of the Year, I know the pressure that comes with the job. You’re representing not just yourself, but educators across the state,” Kent says. “It takes a special person, and Kelsey has done it beautifully. It’s so exciting to watch, because she inspires everyone around her to want to do more.”

Community

In April, when she accepted the 91�� Alumni Association’s 2024 Rising Star Award at the annual Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony, Stoyanova gave a heartfelt speech in which she began by saying, “I am continuously humbled by the tremendous community that I have alongside me.”

“I specifically say alongside me and not behind me,” she added, “not because they wouldn’t stand behind me should I need them to, but because the only way to forge a path forward is to first stand side by side with those you trust with your ideas, your vision, your values, and your mission.”

The 91�� has been a big part of Stoyanova’s community for the past 15 or so years. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in secondary education, she earned a Master of Education in literacy education in 2018, and most recently an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in educational leadership in 2023.

“I’ve been through 91�� as a student three different times now, so it’s been a big part of empowering me as an educator,” Stoyanova says.

She became Maine Teacher of the Year while she was working on her Ed.S. degree, and says both experiences gave her the opportunity to connect with colleagues from around the state. Some of the other students in the educational leadership program were interested in moving from teaching to positions as building principals or district-level administrators in K-12 schools. But Stoyanova says her goal, at least for now, is to be a leader while remaining in the classroom.

“One of my biggest goals is to create pathways for teachers to lead in ways that go beyond the classroom walls,” she says.

The Rising Star Award is one of two early-career awards presented by the Alumni Association each year.

As she closed her speech at the alumni awards ceremony, Stoyanova talked about how she will rely on her community as she pursues her future goals and continues to advocate for teachers and kids. She likened her journey to that of Miss Rumphius, the title character of the children’s book by the late Maine author Barbara Cooney. In the book, which Stoyanova said is a favorite of her young son, when Miss Rumphius is a little girl named Alice, she tells her grandfather how she dreams of visiting faraway places before settling down to live by the sea. The grandfather tells her that these are good plans, but that she “must do something to make the world more beautiful” as well. After Alice grows up, travels the world, and moves to a place by the sea, she still wonders how she can accomplish the last thing her grandfather told her she must do. Then one day she notices the lupines outside her bedroom window and along the cliffs near her house, and it comes to her. She orders lupine seeds from catalogs and begins sowing them all over town with the help of the prevailing winds. The next spring, when the colorful lupines are in bloom she realizes that she’s done it: She’s made the world more beautiful.

“With every opportunity, every story, every seed, I can only hope that I am doing just that,” Stoyanova told the crowd at the Alumni Achievement Awards.

“But know that it is only possible with all of you, the traveling winds, that I can,” she said.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu.

Bushra Amil: Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture

ckelly — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:59:33 +0000

Bushra Amil is the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture in the 91�� College of Education and Human Development. Her research interests include language and literacy, applied linguistics, translanguaging and TESOL. Before coming to 91�� she was an English (ESL) teacher in Pakistan. You can read a Q&A with Amil below.

What difference has 91�� made in your life and in helping you reach your goals?

Photo courtesy Bushra Amil.

91�� has given me the opportunity to work in a diverse society and helped me gain the confidence to earn expertise in my field of learning and teaching.

Have you had an experience at 91�� that has changed or shaped the way you see the world? If so, tell us about it.

While working at 91��, I am able to teach and interact with a diverse group of students and people from around the world in an academic setting and this has contributed to shaping both my professional and personal identity. I find 91�� as a junction point of multiculturalism and because of the safe and friendly environment that 91�� provides, I see various cultures blossoming in harmony.

Have you worked closely with a professor or mentor who made your 91�� experience better? If so, tell us about them.

The three people I have worked most closely with are my advisor Dr. Timothy Reagan, Dr. Susan Bennett-Armistead and Dr. Shihfen Tu. They have always provided invaluable support. It’s always been Dr. Reagan whom I most identify with because of his great research insights, excellent teaching style and wonderful disposition. For the two classes I taught at 91��, Dr. Bennett-Armistead has been my mentor. She is someone I can always count on to support and mentor me, and I look to her for advice on all matters pertinent to my teaching. In addition to being a kind and encouraging faculty member, Dr. Tu has served as an inspiration to me as an administrator. She has consistently given me the encouragement and guidance I need to deal with challenging circumstances.

What advice do you have for incoming graduate students to help them get off to the best start academically?

Stay focused and work hard and you will achieve what you have aimed for.

Why 91��?

I would say why not 91��!? After all, this is an R1 university and most importantly, the College of Education and Human Development with its wonderful faculty aligns with my research interests. Other than that, who would not want to live in the beautiful state of Maine?

Favorite 91�� memory:

Going to the dance festival.

Special Thank You message:

I express my gratitude to the faculty of the Literacy, Language and Culture program for their consideration of me for this award. I’ll do everything in my capacity to keep improving and perform better in the future. 91�� has played a big role in who I am today.

Postponed: 91�� to host free screening and panel discussion of The Right to Read film

ckelly — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 12:44:36 +0000

Note: Due to the weather forecast, this event has been postponed. We will share details on a new date as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience.

The ability to read is a foundational indicator of success and equality. When children learn to read, they are more likely to avoid negative outcomes such as dropping out of high school, incarceration, homelessness and unemployment later in life.

The 91�� College of Education and Human Development’s School of Learning and teaching, along with the Maine Department of Education, are co-hosting a free screening of the documentary “” on Thursday, April 4 at 4:30 p.m. in the McIntire Room at Buchanan Alumni House. The viewing will be followed by a panel discussion featuring faculty from the literacy, language and culture and special education programs in the School of Learning and Teaching.

“The Right to Read” shares the stories of an activist, a teacher and two American families working to improve literacy instruction in their schools and communities. The 71-minute documentary was directed by Jenny Mackenzie and executive produced by actor and director LeVar Burton, the long-time host of “Reading Rainbow” on PBS.

The free screening and panel discussion are open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP at by March 29.

For more information: Kathie Wing, katherine.wing@maine.edu.

Marwa Hassanien: Literacy education doctoral student selected for 2024 Maryann Hartman Award

ckelly — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 19:00:43 +0000

Marwa Hassanien, an alumna and current doctoral student at the 91�� College of Education and Human Development, is one of two recipients of the university’s 2024 Maryann Hartman Award this year.

The honor recognizes distinguished women in Maine and their accomplishments in the arts, politics, business, education and community service.

Hassanien, who earned her Master of Education in curriculum, assessment and instruction at 91�� in 2019, is vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Northern Light Health. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Eastern Maine Community College, where she teaches English to international students, and is working toward a doctorate in education with a concentration in literacy at the College of Education and Human Development.

In 2019, she was elected to the Bangor School Committee, which she currently chairs. Her community work also includes serving on the board of directors for the Bangor Region YMCA, Maine Multicultural Center and Good Shepherd Food Bank, as well as volunteering with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor.

At Northern Light, Hassanien helped create an educational training series in DEI to share with the system’s healthcare network and partner organizations.

“There is a common misconception that diversity is just about race, which is visible,” says Hassanien, who is Muslim. “This misconception needs to be debunked because it makes my work seem unimportant or unnecessary for predominantly white states like Maine.”

The Maryann Hartman Awards will be presented along with inductions into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame at an event to be held at Buchanan Alumni House on International Women’s Day, March 8. More information is available on 91�� News, along with a longer profile of Hassanien.

91�� alumna Baker chosen as new executive director of the National Writing Project

ckelly — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 19:14:00 +0000

91�� alumna Tanya Baker has been named executive director of the (NWP). Originally from Brewer, Baker earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from 91�� in 1990. She worked as a teacher and literacy coordinator in the Brewer School Department for several years and earned a master’s in literacy education from the College of Education and Human Development in 1999. She also taught literacy courses at 91�� and served as assistant director of the Maine Writing Project, a site of the NWP housed at the university. In 2008, she earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in literacy education. Her is titled, “Understanding and Implementing Classroom Discussions of Literature: A Case Study of One High School Teacher’s Beliefs and Practices Concerning Classroom Discussions.” Baker went on to work for the NWP, based in Berkeley, California, as director of national programs before being named executive director at the beginning of the new year.

91�� education professors take boundary-crossing approach to teacher leadership

ckelly — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:16:29 +0000

As schools nationwide struggle with staffing shortages, two 91�� faculty members are exploring ways to empower and elevate teachers as leaders in their schools and communities.

For the past two years, Rebecca Buchanan and Tammy Mills from the School of Learning and Teaching in 91��’s College of Education and Human Development have facilitated a Teacher Leadership Collaborative, a group of classroom teachers mostly from Maine, who meet regularly to discuss their teaching and the role of teachers in society.

“We think of the collaborative as a boundary-crossing, semi-formal community of teachers across the career-span, across content areas and grade levels, and across geographic space,” says Buchanan, an associate professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction.

The group is premised on a teacher leadership framework that Buchanan and Mills helped develop, which among other things emphasizes continuous inquiry, social justice, and an expanded notion of the role teachers play in schools and communities.

“Inquiry is important,” Buchanan says, “because in many traditional professional development models, an expert will come to a school and say, ‘This is what you have to do to improve your practice.’ A lot of our work is based on: How do teachers learn about their practice by interrogating it themselves?”

The social justice piece envisions schools as transformative spaces that create greater equity rather than maintaining the status quo, which ties into the expanded conception of teachers as leaders, Buchanan and Mills say.

But perhaps the most novel part of the framework is the boundary-crossing emphasis. Research on teacher leadership tends to focus on particular schools, districts or grade levels, with veteran teachers seen as mentors to preservice and early-career educators.

“The collaborative is not as formal or hierarchical,” says Mills. “So, we think the conversations can be deeper and broader and more valuable, because our preservice teachers and our veteran teachers are able to learn from each other.”

In 2020, Mills and Buchanan received an internal 91�� Faculty Research Fund award to help establish the Teacher Leadership Collaborative. But both are quick to point out that their role is to provide minimal structure and let the teachers drive the discussion and collaboration when the group meets.

Initially, the idea was to have in-person meetings, but they moved online early on because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings have largely stayed virtual to accommodate the busy personal and professional lives of participants. However, there are occasional in-person gatherings. Last year, members of the collaborative presented at the Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium in Dublin, Ireland. The symposium brings together practitioners and scholars for open discussions about a wide range of issues in teaching and education.

Recently, the journal Professional Development in Education published an article co-authored by Buchanan, Mills and six members of the collaborative, all current or former 91�� education students. The article features case studies written by each of the teachers, which along with interviews, recordings of the group’s meetings, and other teacher created artifacts, were analyzed for common themes.

Ethan Mathieu, a 2022 graduate of the secondary education program at 91��, writes about the boundary crossing nature of the collaborative in his case study.

“While a similar group of teachers within your school or district could be similarly supportive,” Mathieu says, “I believe that the unique meeting of educators through the TLC creates opportunities to really expand our thinking about education. When we come from different walks of life, we each have something new to contribute to the conversation.”

One of the most prevalent themes to emerge from the case studies was the idea that teachers develop a “craft conscience” that reflects the socially agreed upon norms and values educators develop over time when it comes to their teaching practice. Buchanan and Mills note that often when teachers suffer burnout or consider leaving the profession, it’s because their craft conscience is in conflict with what they’re being asked to do in the classroom.

Bailey Edward, a veteran teacher who recently earned an education specialist (Ed.S.) in literacy education at 91��, writes about how the collaborative provided a space to examine this dynamic and find her passion for teaching again.

“I no longer feel voiceless and powerless,” Edward says. “I no longer want to quit this profession, and I wouldn’t have gotten here without the space, support and solidarity of the TLC.”

Buchanan and Mills say one of their goals with the collaborative is to elevate teachers’ voices to places like academic journals and international conferences. They hope to accompany another group of teachers to the 2024 Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium next summer in Santiago, Chile.

“That’s been one of the most rewarding aspects of this project,” says Mills. “Putting them in spaces where they are treated as the knowledgeable professionals that they are, you can see it really inherently changes how they feel about themselves as humans and as educators.”

The article, “Teacher leadership collaborative: boundary-crossing spaces for teacher empowerment,” is available .

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

Literacy – College of Education and Human Development

Abdur Rehman Tariq: Outstanding Graduate Student in Literacy, Language and Culture

Why did you choose 91���� for graduate school?

Have you collaborated with a mentor, professor or role model who made your time at 91���� better, and if so, who are they and how have they impacted your time at 91����?

What has 91���� enabled you to explore beyond academics?