Faculty – College of Education and Human Development

Howorth talks with CNN about AI in K-12 schools

ckelly — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:58:22 +0000

Associate Professor of Special Education Sarah Howorth was interviewed by for a story on how K-12 student might use artificial intelligence (AI) during this school year. “AI is a little bit like fire. When cavemen first discovered fire, a lot of people said, ‘Ooh, look what it can do,’” Howorth said. “And other people are like, ‘Ah, it could kill us.’ You know, it’s the same with AI.” Many AI-powered tools can also aid in accessibility, Howorth said, such as talk-to-text and text-to-speech tools that help those with visual impairments or dyslexia. However, she added that while some AI tools are helpful for people with different needs, the technology still doesn’t have solutions for certain disabilities. Talk-to-text features, for example, can still get tripped up by people with stutters or accents.

Cuba helping Portland schools improve services, support for multilingual students with disabilities

ckelly — Fri, 17 May 2024 22:41:00 +0000

University of Maine assistant professor of special education Melissa Cuba and Adai Tefera, an associate professor of special education at the University of Arizona, have been awarded $50,000 from the William T. Grant Foundation for a collaborative study with Portland Public Schools. Their work aims to reduce administrative burdens and reimagine engagement with families of multilingual students who receive special education services in the schools.

The two year project will examine the policies and practices that lead to inequities for multilingual families and their children with disabilities. In addition, it will explore ways that immigrant and migrant families can codesign better approaches for serving their children. Another goal of the study will be to look at intersections of disability, language, immigration and migration to better understand how they contribute to administrative burdens.

Starting this fall, Cuba and Tefera will work to build connections between scholars, families and educators in Portland schools.

“We’re thrilled to have the support of the William T. Grant Foundation for this project and we look forward to working with families, educators, schools and communities to center the needs of multilingual learners in special education,” Cuba says.

Cuba and Tefera recently published a study in that applied an intersectional framework to data about multilingual students with disabilities in Virginia, where Cuba completed her doctoral studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. More information about Cuba’s research is available online.

COEHD faculty, students present innovative research at annual NEERO conference

ckelly — Thu, 09 May 2024 15:25:35 +0000

Several students and faculty members from the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development attended the recent (NEERO) Conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The three-day conference featured researchers, practitioners, activists, policymakers, students and teachers exploring the theme “Empowering the Pursuit of Educational Justice by Looking Back and Imagining Forward.”

Here’s a look at some of the presentations featuring members of the 91�� College of Education and Human Development community:

Emily Hamby, a child development and family relations major, presented a project titled “Teacher Perspectives Post-Covid Amidst Anti-Woke Policies” at a roundtable session on “Improving Student and Teacher Support Systems in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” Hamby also participated in a presentation on “Integrating Social Justice Into Instructional Planning: An Analysis of Teacher Educator Feedback” at a roundtable session on “Research Topics on Teacher Perceptions and Underrepresented Populations.” Hamby, of Andover, Massachusetts, is the recipient of 2023-24 fellowship from the University of Maine , and has been working with faculty mentor Rebecca Buchanan, associate professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction.
Melissa Lyons-Vitalone, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Breaking Down Barriers to Inclusion for Students.”
Nicole Hatch, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Enhancing Teacher Supervision Through a Therapeutic Lens: A Holistic Approach to Professional Development.”
Ben Greenlaw, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on his dissertation research, “What Makes a Constructive Relationship Between a Principal and Superintendent?”
Steffany Tribou, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Motivating the Future Workforce: High School Extended Learning Opportunities.”
Sue Sydnor, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “School Exclusionary Practices: Why Are We Still Suspending Kids?”
Janet Hicks, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Supporting Students of Color in a Predominantly White, Rural School System: Support and Facilitation of an Affinity Group for Students of Color.”
Kim Andersson, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “How Top-Down Reform Efforts Impact Teachers as Adult Learners.”
Janet Corcoran, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Paraprofessional Supports and Student Outcomes.”
Amy Sullivan, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “SEL Initiative Implementation and Teacher Buy-In.”
Heather Mitchell, an Ed.D. student in educational leadership, presented on her dissertation research, “Supporting Teachers to Support Students: Studying the Impact of Staff Professional Development in the Engagement, Satisfaction, and Retention of Students in Rural Public Schools.”
Orlina Boteva, a doctoral student in higher education and director of the Office of International Programs at 91��, along with associate professor of higher education Leah Hakkola, presented a study titled “Addressing Secondary Trauma and Burnout in Higher Education Through an Embodied Social Justice Approach,” part of a roundtable session on “Higher Education Journeys: Mentoring, SEL and CAO Stories.”
Assistant professor of special education Melissa Cuba, Buchanan and Hakkola presented on “Supporting DEIB Endeavors Through a Research-Practice Partnership.” The session covered both the process of developing a research-practice partnership (RPP) between the College of Education and Human Development and a school district in Maine, as well as the emerging findings of the project. The RPP was established to strengthen the district’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts. Cuba, Buchanan and Hakkola are leading a collaborative equity review that provides meaningful analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to inform future DEIB efforts within the school district. In addition, the researchers offer a series of professional development opportunities that explore aspects of intercultural competence, culturally sustaining practices and equity-oriented advocacy.
Assistant professor of educational leadership Esther Enright participated in the presentation of a study titled “Herding Cats: Learning 91�� Shared Governance From Faculty Senate Presidents,” part of a session on “Agency and Impacts, Governance and Belonging, the Human Side of Higher Education.”

College of Education and Human Development celebrates past and future at Legacy Tea, retirement celebration

ckelly — Wed, 08 May 2024 16:57:24 +0000

Several retirees from the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development joined current members of the college community for a Legacy Tea and retirement celebration, May 2 at Buchanan Alumni House.

In her remarks, Dean Penny Bishop said past faculty and staff have laid the foundation for many of the college’s recent accomplishments, as well as those to come. She also talked about the shared commitments to care, quality and career across all of the programs and schools in the college.

“These commitments are cornerstones of our programming and they guide our decisions as we continue to steward and expand on your good work,” Bishop said.

Two retired members of the college community received Glass Apple Awards at the Legacy Tea.

The Service Apple Award for ongoing service to the college beyond retirement went to professor emeritus of literacy Education Richard Kent, who retired in 2021.

Before beginning a career as a professor, Kent was a high school English teacher, athletic coach, writing center director and high school administrator in Maine and Los Angeles. He was the Maine Teacher of the Year in 1993 and recipient of a Milken Educator Award while at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, where he also was founder and executive director of the Rumford Learning Center.

As a faculty member at 91��, Kent was director and later director emeritus of the Maine Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project. His research examined athletes’ writing and its effect on training and performance. He is the author of 19 books, and has collaborated with and co-authored athletic team notebooks and journals with Olympic gold medalists and national team coaches, college coaches and other academics. He created and manages the resource website . In addition to his academic books, he has written two young adult novels and a chapbook of poetry.��

Kent continues to contribute to 91�� and College of Education and Human Development by serving on the President’s Council of Retired Employees and advising graduate students in the literacy education program.

The Giving Apple Award for ongoing philanthropy to the college went to Janice Kristo, who joined the 91�� faculty in 1982 and retired in 2015. During that time, Kristo inspired scores of students and raised the visibility of the university through her exemplary research, scholarship and public service. She received the Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award in 2000 and the Distinguished Maine Professor Award in 2008. In 2016, she and her husband Dana Smith, established a planned gift through the University of Maine Foundation. The Janice V. Kristo and Dana G. Smith Fund will support faculty research, as well as scholarships and other support for graduate students and graduate assistantships in the College of Education and Human Development. It will also help support general operations at the Page Farm and Home Museum on the 91�� campus.

In addition to the planned gift, Kristo has given generously to six different funds through the 91�� Foundation that support students and programs in College of Education and Human Development. That includes two funds that honor her former colleagues, the Robert “Bob” A. Cobb Scholarship Fund and the Anne E. Pooler Scholarship Fund.

Following the Legacy Tea, the college held a retirement celebration for current members of the faculty and staff who are retiring this year: Associate dean for graduate education, research and outreach Jim Artesani; associate professor of literacy Susan Bennett-Armistead; lecturer in child development and family relations and coordinator of the Katherine Miles Durst Child Development Learning Center Margo Brown; lecturer in human development and family studies Ian Cameron; professor of family relations and human sexuality Sandra Caron; and Kathie Wing, administrative specialist for the University Training Center for Comprehensive Literacy.

Cuba’s research addresses complex needs of multilingual learners in special education

ckelly — Wed, 01 May 2024 01:41:00 +0000

Having grown up in a multilingual family, Melissa Cuba knows firsthand what school is like for students who have multifaceted identities and come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

As an assistant professor of special education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, Cuba’s research focuses on a particular subset of — those with disabilities who also require special education services. It’s a growing population across the country and she says more families, teachers, administrators, policymakers and other education stakeholders will need information about how they can best meet these students’ academic, linguistic and social-emotional needs.��

“As students in special education, they have a right to a free, appropriate public education and a plan to individualize instruction for them that meets their disability needs,” Cuba says. “They’re also legally entitled to language development services under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to meet their language needs.”

Cuba, who is Peruvian-American, recalls some of the challenges she faced not only as a student who relocated to the U.S. at a young age, but later as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and special education teacher, prior to becoming a professor and researcher.

In 2022, she helped the Maine Department of Education develop a for educators to support these students. She has also been named to the department’s .��

Although federal policies require schools to come up with two plans for multilingual learners with disabilities — one for their special education needs and another to meet their language needs — Cuba says often that does not happen.

“There’s a perception that special education supersedes language acquisition services or that the language plan is optional, and that’s not the case,” Cuba says. “So we need to make sure we are informing education stakeholders and schools that they need to be having conversations about the importance of both sets of services and bring educators and other school professionals to the table to understand why.”

As immigration and refugee resettlement patterns shift, Cuba says more communities will see their numbers of multilingual learners with disabilities grow in overlooked spaces.

“In Maine, for example, places like Portland and Lewiston already have robust refugee resettlement programs for families with wraparound services for things like employment and housing,” she says. “But there are also what are called new-immigrant destinations in suburban and rural areas. They might not have seen many multilingual learners with disabilities in the past, let alone those who solely need language acquisition services.”

Although there are growing numbers of multilingual learners with disabilities, Cuba says the research also points to problems with disproportionality, where these students are either over- or underrepresented in special education for various reasons.

“For example, research shows students of color are over-identified and more likely to be segregated in self-contained or life-skills classrooms for special education services compared to their white peers with the same disability, particularly when it comes to subjective categories such as emotional disturbance, intellectual disability and specific learning disability,” Cuba says. “That has implications for learning opportunities, including modified and reduced curricula, which impacts access to content and skill development.”

Cuba and her colleague Adai Tefera from the University of Arizona published a study in that applied an intersectional framework to data about multilingual students in Virginia, where she did her doctoral research at Virginia Commonwealth University. Examining statewide education statistics, they attempted to obtain a more nuanced understanding of how relationships between race or ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and other social categories influence educational practices and policies, as well as the extent of disproportionate representation of multilingual learners in special education. To paint an even fuller picture, Cuba also interviewed teachers and staff from one Virginia school district, as well as officials from a state education agency who work with multilingual learners with disabilities.

The study showed that multilingual learners from kindergarten through grade five in Virginia were neither over- nor underrepresented in special education, but they were overrepresented in grades six through 12, which Cuba says contradicts and at times confirms previous research.

“Using an intersectional framework for the statistical analysis revealed disparities that a more one-dimensional approach might obscure, while the interviews helped us better understand why these disparities occur and contextualize how multilingual learner policies and practices are communicated and implemented within schools,” Cuba says.

The interviews also provided some interesting insights, such as educators grappling with how their perceptions of immigrant families impact the services offered to and educational outcomes achieved by multilingual learners. For instance, one teacher said he had seen his immigrant students experience racism, yet he still used stereotypes when discussing those students. He described them as “children of very hardworking parents, and they’re very hardworking,” while adding that they “don’t always know how to translate hard work into learning.” On the other hand, a state education official talked about the need to address deficit thinking among educators, in which they blame their students’ failures on their linguistic diversity rather than deficiencies of the systems and structures that surround them.

Overall, Cuba says the study shows the importance of context and nuance when it comes to supporting multilingual learners.

“All of these issues are contextual,” she says. “How our educational systems function, who informs them and who is at the table, as well as the historical context of communities.”

Moving forward, Cuba is focusing her work on schools and communities in Maine, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and developing tools and interventions to better serve multilingual learners in special education.

“Now we have to talk about solutions: reducing disparities by training education stakeholders, mitigating burdens on families, working with them so they are co-constructing and informing the solutions,” she says.

The 91�� College of Education and Human Development recently launched a graduate certificate designed for practicing teachers who want a deeper understanding of evidence-based practices and educational policies to support culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities.

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

91�� researchers presenting at 2024 AERA annual meeting

ckelly — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:39:10 +0000

The 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting will happen April 11–14 in Philadelphia, with some pre-conference events earlier in the week. The AERA conference is the world’s largest annual gathering of education researchers and practitioners, and a showcase for groundbreaking, innovative studies in a variety of areas.

Here’s a look at some of the presentations, panels and other events featuring University Maine researchers:

Wednesday, April 10

Associate professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction Rebecca Buchanan will be a panelist at a pre-conference mentoring session. Members of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision (COPIS) and leaders of AERA’s Supervision and Instructional Leadership special interest group will collaborate and develop a plan for ongoing engagement in the field of instructional supervision.

Thursday, April 11

Assistant professor of special education Melissa Cuba will have a paper featured at a roundtable session on “Emerging Issues in Latina/o/x Higher Education Research.” Cuba’s research, co-authored with Monique Evette Matute-Chavarria of New Mexico State University and Carlos Lavin of the College of Charleston, is titled “Multidimensional Backgrounds and Experiences of Latinx Scholars in Academia.”��
91�� College of Education and Human Development Postdoctoral Research Fellow Joo-Young Lee will have a paper featured at a session on “Research on Inclusive Math and Literacy Instructional Practices in Special Education.” Lee will present a study, titled “The Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development on Mathematical Writing for Students With Mathematics Difficulties,” co-authored with Jiyeon Park of Eastern Kentucky University and Elizabeth M. Hughes of Pennsylvania State University.��

Friday, April 12

Assistant professor of educational leadership Esther Enright will have research featured at a structured poster session on “Constructing Educational Possibilities for Latin* Engineering Students: Call to Action for the Institutions and Systems That Serve Them.” Enright is coauthor of a study with Diana Garza of Boise State University, titled “Differing Perspectives on Being a Hispanic-Serving College in a Predominately White Institution.”
Buchanan and associate professor of higher education Leah Hakkola, along with former 91�� educational leadership faculty member Ian Mette, will be part of a roundtable session on “K–12 Partnerships That Advance Asset-Orientation, Equity, and Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Pedagogies.” Buchanan, Hakkola and Mette will discuss a research practice partnership between the Bangor School Department and the 91�� College of Education and Human Development that included a comprehensive equity review of school district practices, as well as professional learning opportunities for administrators and teachers. The professional development was designed to help school leaders use data to address gaps identified in the equity review and better support students from culturally and linguistically non-dominant backgrounds. The study is titled “Building Partnerships: Examining Equity and Supporting Faculty Development.”
Buchanan will participate in another roundtable session, “What Now? Exploring Dilemmas of Teacher Practice.” Buchanan’s research with co-author Margaret Clark of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is titled “Watchfulness: Reflective Folk Art and the Craft of Teaching.”��
Buchanan will chair the AERA Lives of Teachers special interest group business meeting.

Sunday, April 14

Cuba, Buchanan and Hakkola will present at a paper session on “School-University Partnerships Supporting Teachers, Preservice Teachers and Students.” They will discuss their paper, titled “A Research Practice Partnership to Support Implementation of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Efforts.” The study involves a partnership between the College of Education and Human Development and a school district in Maine to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) within the district. 91�� faculty members are leading a collaborative equity review that provides meaningful analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to inform the district’s DEIB efforts. As part of this effort, a report summarizes findings and provides recommendations, and faculty offer a series of professional development opportunities that explore aspects of intercultural competence, culturally sustaining practices and equity-oriented advocacy.
Catharine Biddle, associate professor of educational leadership and director of the School of Educational Leadership, Higher Education and Human Development in the College of Education and Human Development, will participate in a symposium on “Empowering Student Voice in Educational Practice: Student Voice to Student Outcomes.”
Biddle will chair the AERA Rural Education special interest group business meeting.��
Associate professor of special education Sarah Howorth will help lead a paper session on “Inclusion and Achievements for Students With Complex Support Needs.” The session is sponsored by AERA’s Special and Inclusive Education special interest group.
College of Education and Human Development Dean Penny Bishop will have a paper featured at a roundtable session on “Learning from Teaching in the Pandemic and its Effects.” Bishop’s study, co-authored with Katy Farber of Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, is titled “Pandemic Teaching, Burnout Theory, and Perceived Teacher Efficacy.”

College of Education and Human Development faculty, staff members recognized by 91�� women’s basketball players

ckelly — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 18:45:00 +0000

The College of Education and Human Development was well-represented at a Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night event held during the University of Maine women’s basketball game against Bryant University on February 15. Each player chose a 91�� faculty or staff member who has made a difference in their lives to recognize during a break in the game. Five members of the college community were chosen:

Jennifer McNulty, lecturer of health education and lifespan (selected by Adrianna Smith)
Faith Erhardt, director of undergraduate advising and support services (selected by Jaycie Christopher)
Tim Wakeland, physical therapist and internship supervisor for exercise science (selected by Olivia Rockwood)
Lauren Jacobs, lecturer in outdoor leadership (selected by Caroline Dotsey)
Shannan Fotter, lecturer of kinesiology and physical education (selected by Emmie Streams)

The Black Bears in the game, 80-57.

Govtech.com interviews Archer and Howorth about technology for neurodivergent students

ckelly — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:59:00 +0000

A recent article on��about educational technology for neurodivergent students featured interviews with��Connor Archer, self-advocate advisor to��Maine Access to Inclusive Education Resources��(MAIER), and��Sarah Howorth, associate professor of special education and MAIER’s director. Archer was diagnosed with autism at age three and remained nonverbal until he was five. Growing up, his mother encouraged him to type on a laptop. Archer embraced the challenge and gradually wrote a collection of short stories. During high school and college, digital translation tools helped him with foreign language assignments. Now 25, he has an MBA from Husson University and is CEO of a nonprofit he founded, the��, which supports inclusive learning projects in Maine.��“Using a pen and paper was never my strong suit. Keyboarding worked for me, but everybody’s different,” Archer said. “Results may not show in��the��minute, but they will eventually. It takes time and patience. I wouldn’t be successful without the presence of technology in my life.” Howorth says communication tools that give students a voice have been game changing. She said it’s exciting to think about the role artificial intelligence will play in assistive technology, though she cautioned that any new tool, no matter how impressive, must be a good fit with the student’s individualized learning plan and not a shortcut to achievement. “Think of the learning objectives first,” she said. “Is it [the AI-powered tool] helping the student, or just doing the work for them?”

Caron talks to BDN about how discourse around sex has evolved

ckelly — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 21:46:00 +0000

Sandra Caron, professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine and an internationally-recognized sex educator, spoke with the about the discourse of sex and how it has changed over the years. “Sex isn’t dirty or shameful. I think we, as a society, are starting to come around to that,” Caron said. “More education and more awareness about these sorts of things is always a good thing, instead of hiding it away or making it seem like it’s taboo.”

Pandiscio and Dimmel deliver Balomenos Memorial Lecture at ATMNE conference

ckelly — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 12:58:49 +0000

University of Maine associate professor of mathematics education Eric Pandiscio and associate professor of mathematics education and instructional technology Justin Dimmel delivered the Richard H. Balomenos Memorial Lecture at the (ATMNE)’s 2023 Fall Conference, October 12-13 in Portland.

The talk, “Sunshine, Public Art, and Multiplication: The Design of an Interactive Mathematical Sculpture,” covered the invention and development of the SunRule, an interactive sculpture that harnesses the rays of the sun to help users explore multiplication and division. Dimmel and Pandiscio came up with the idea for the sculpture, which was designed and built in collaboration with associate professor of art Greg Ondo and sculpture studio technician Sam Hoey through 91��’s MIRTA accelerator program.

The Balomenos lecture is named for the former chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of New Hampshire, who died in a car accident along with his wife in December 1986. Each year, ATMNE selects memorial lecture speakers who exemplify Balomenos’ devotion to thinking carefully and deeply about the improvement of mathematics education.

Pandiscio and Dimmel also hosted a workshop at the ATMNE conference titled “Multiplication by Sunlight.” 91�� 30 educators who participated in the workshop were able to build their own hand-held versions of the SunRule and learn about the design and mathematical affordances of the devices.