College of Education UMass Amherst

08/25/2026

Distinguished Professor Stephen Sireci is featured on Tried and Tested, a podcast published by PSI Services, in a conversation about AI and current challenges facing educational testing. Topics include validity evidence in AI-supported workflows, cultural and linguistic fairness, micro-credentials, and why validity research remains essential to the future of the testing profession. Listen to the podcast:
https://buff.ly/3yH0lX2

08/20/2026

Assistant Professor Musbah Shaheen’s honors discovery seminar, “This is America: Race and Racism in American Popular Music,” is featured in a blog post by Leila Metres, a student in the UMass Amherst Commonwealth Honors College. “Shaheen brought a warm and friendly personality to the class, encouraged us to share our perspectives, and challenged us to complicate our thinking,” she writes.

Read the post: https://buff.ly/xAqDJnB

07/31/2026

Congratulations to the 281 College of Education undergrads who made the Spring 2026 Dean's List! 🎉 To earn this recognition, a student must achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher while completing a minimum of 12 graded credits. See the full list here:

At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a revolutionary spirit runs through our veins. We seek to answer new questions, challenge old conventions, and build a world where all of us, regardless of background, have the freedom to be ourselves.

07/21/2026

Writing in the Boston Globe, Distinguished Professor Jack Schneider argues that Governor Healey and Massachusetts should turn down federal money offered through Trump's privatizing education tax credit program. https://buff.ly/hvCfDHn

Governor Healey should reject the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

07/16/2026

Welcome to our Upward Bound students for the month of July! UMass Amherst Upward Bound is a year-round college preparatory program for first-generation and/or low-income high school students from Springfield, MA—an intentionally inclusive program that celebrates diversity and each participant’s cultural and personal strengths. Upward Bound works together with youth to develop the skills they need to meet their academic and personal goals, and supports each participant’s development of a college-going identity.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/cWTq1OX

07/09/2026

Congratulations to Taghreed Alhazmi, Ph.D. for successfully defending her thesis, "Language Development in Arabic-Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants: Evidence from a Saudi Context." We sat down to ask her a few questions ...

# # Describe your experience in the College of Education in three words.

Transformative, supportive, and challenging. I developed stronger research, leadership, and professional skills, and became more confident in my ability to contribute to the field of special education.

At UMass, I received guidance and encouragement from faculty, peers, and mentors who genuinely cared about my success. Their feedback, collaboration, and mentorship helped me navigate both academic and personal challenges during my program.

This journey pushed me to think critically, manage responsibilities, and overcome many obstacles. Conducting research, balancing deadlines, and completing my dissertation required persistence and resilience, but those challenges helped me grow into a stronger scholar and professional.

# # Why is this work important to you?

I am passionate about supporting children with special needs and language disorders, especially Arabic-speaking children who are often underrepresented in research and intervention resources. Through my work, I hope to contribute to more culturally and linguistically responsive assessment and support systems that can improve children’s educational and communication outcomes.

# # What inspired you to pursue a Ph.D. in Education?

I was inspired to pursue a Ph.D. in Education after receiving a scholarship from Taibah University. I chose UMass because of its strong focus on research development and academic training.

# # What is a piece of advice or encouragement you received during the Ph.D. process that you still carry with you?

Trust the process and keep moving forward, even during difficult moments. I learned that growth in research and academia takes time, patience, and persistence.

# # What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to return to Saudi Arabia and continue working in the field of special education and communication disorders at Taibah University.

07/01/2026

Congratulations to Samuel Abora, Ph.D. for successfully defending his thesis, "Who Wrote 'SPEAK ENGLISH' on Our School Wall? A Critical Autoethnography of a Critical Educator on Neocolonial Ghana." We sat down to ask him a few questions ...

# # Describe your experience in the College of Education in three words.

Life-changing, amazing, transformative. I chose these words because my life, knowledge, perceptions, and thinking have been altered by the knowledge I’ve acquired from this great institution.

# # Why is this work important to you?

It has prepared me physically, emotionally, psychologically, and professionally for the task ahead.

# # What inspired you to pursue a Ph.D. in Education?

I was inspired by dreams, hope, ambitions, and the hope people had in me.

# # What is a piece of advice or encouragement you received during the Ph.D. process that you still carry with you?

Dr. Kofi-Charu Nat Turner always advised me to take life one step at a time, appreciate my efforts, celebrate my accomplishments, enjoy every bit of life—even the food I eat.

# # What are your plans after graduation?

I want to positively affect people’s lives and learning and contribute to the world through my education. I want to do what I can do here and return to Ghana to help train teachers.

06/30/2026

PhD candidates Jana Pickart and Niyanthini Kadirgamar (pictured), and PhD student Rachel Bond, have authored a new paper in Equity & Excellence in Education, “Urgent Issues in Educational Justice: Today’s Times in Triptych.” From the standpoints of three different academic programs at the College of Education, they reflect on the impacts of authoritarianism and imperialism on education communities and the field. Read the paper: https://buff.ly/ozege5N

06/28/2026

Professors Jack Schneider, Kathryn McDermott, and Rebecca Woodland of the Center for Education Policy have published an opinion piece in MassLive, “Here’s what the public actually wants from AI in schools.” Read the article: https://buff.ly/RaKwvUT

06/26/2026

Professor Sally Pirie 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. Learn more about the fellowships:

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