News and Events
Upcoming Events
May 27, 2025 - MATSOL
Professor Rachel Theodorou: Starbucks, Oranges & Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching
How can ordering coffee at Starbucks & eating oranges model culturally and linguistically sustaining SEI? In this workshop we will use these common yet complex topics as models for “jumpstarting” your teaching. By unpacking sociocultural context, language demands, and discipline-specific expectations, participants will learn routines and resources for impactful instruction.
May 20, 2025 - MATSOL
Professor Rachel Theodorou: Pillars & Practices for Assets-Based Immigrant Origin Education
Participants explore and grapple with knowledge of history and policy, critical introspection of positionality, and culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy build capacity to enact asset-based education for multilingual immigrant-origin students. Participants will closely study existing program models and create maps to envision future multilingual programming full of possibilities and hope.
May 20, 2025 - MATSOL
Professor Rachel Theodorou: SEI Indicators, Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Teaching & Educator Development
The 2024 MA PSTs/CAP include SEI Indicators that offer opportunity for educators to teach and be evaluated on culturally and linguistically sustaining practices. Professionals from educator preparation, PK-12, and professional development share current examples and future possibilities for meeting the guidelines including collaboration, actionable feedback, and building upon strengths.
Faculty, Student and Alumni News
Spring 2025
Professor Ziva Hassenfeld’s new book, reviewed:
The Second Conversation: Interpretive Authority in the Classroom
She also has a new article in Religious Education: Negotiating the Task of Translation: Modern Orthodox Students Read the Hebrew Bible, and a soon to be published article in Contemporary Jewry.
Professor Jasmine was interviewed for Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development Talk Series-"Conversations for Change: Social Justice in Action" on March 19th, 2025
Professor Rachel Theodorou has a forthcoming Article in MATSOL Currents Fall/Winter 24-25 Developing Educators of “All Kinds” to Work with Multilingual Youth and Adults Explaining the development and continued work of ED 75 Waltham Speaks: Multilingualism, Advocacy, and Community.
Professor Rachel Theodorou is a panelist for "Unlocking Academic Opportunities and Pathways - Gen One" which aims to empower first-generation and low-income students with guidance on academic and professional opportunities. This event will take place on March 31, 2025 from 5:00-7:30 PM in the SCC Atrium.
FALL 2024
Professor Ziva Hassenfeld was awarded 2024 Harry S. Levitan Prize for Excellence and Leadership in Education at Brandeis University.
Professor Jasmine Alvarado was awarded 2024 Outstanding Reviewer for one of AERA’s (American Educational Research Association’s) premier journals: Review of Educational Research . In addition, she was interviewed for JCEL Jabber podcast-a podcast that is hosted by the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. She discussed the implications for educational leaders based on her article, “A Family-School Liaison’s Negotiation of Racialized Scripts for Family Engagement,” which highlights how educational policies and practices reify racialized perceptions of families and whiteness as a norm in schools.
Professor Jasmine Alvarado published several articles this semester:
- Equity and Excellence in Education - Latina Mothers Reclaiming “Competence” in a Two-Way Dual Language Bilingual Program.
- Answerability in Dual Language Bilingual Education - Protecting, Learning, and Connecting: A Portrait de Una Familia Bilingüe en Lenguaje Dual—Flor, Samuel, y Melanie.
- Journal of Family Diversity in Education, Winter 24 issue - Beyond “Engaged/Involved”: Latina Immigrant Mothers’ Negotiations of Family-Bilingual Program Relations During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
She also participated in the interview A Family-School Liaison’s Negotiation of Racialized Scripts for Family Engagement.
Past Events
SPRING 2025
March 19, 2025 - 6 pm
Professor Jasmine Alvarado was a panelist for "Conversations for Change: Social Justice in Action."
February 27, 2025 - 4:00-5:30 pm
Professor Rachel Theodorou was a panelist for "Patriotic Education and the Attach on DEI" at the Rapaporte Treasure Hall.
FALL 2024
December 6, 2024 - 1:00-2:00 pm
Professor Ziva Hassenfeld delivered the MACURE Lecture for the Massachusetts Reading Association.
Spring 2024
March 19, 2024 in BC Law: "God Bless the Child That's Got Her Own" (Profile of Taisha Sturdivant, B.A. Urban Education '11)
March 7, 2024 in GSAS News and Events: A Transformative Journey: An Interview with Marcie Brewer, AGS '19 and EdM '20 in Teacher Leadership
February 16, 2024 in Brandeis Stories: Zaire Simmonds '26 selected as global award finalist
Feb. 12, 2024 in GSAS News and Events: Ongoing Impact: An Interview with Genevra Valvo, AGS '17 in Teacher Leadership
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March 13, 2024: The Second Conversation: Interpretive Authority in the Bible Classroom A Conversation with author Ziva R. Hassenfeld
CLICK THE LINK TO SEE RECORDING ***IF AVAILABLE*
Fall 2023
November 1, 2023: Making Americans: A Discussion with author Jessica Lander
September 7, 2023: Teaching Reading in Contentious Times
