Our main course instructors are full-time or adjunct faculty in the international education concentration at the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Other course instructors include practitioners in early grade reading who have earned advanced degrees from UMass, Harvard and other U.S. accredited universities and who work at international NGOs such as the International Rescue Committee, FHI360, and the American Institutes for Research (AIR). All instructors have extensive experience in early grade reading projects.
Cristine Smith
Dr. Smith is an associate professor in the International Education concentration at the UMass Amherst College of Education. She specializes in literacy education, early grade reading, and teacher professional development. She has 30 years of experience in international literacy research and implementation projects, primarily in South Asia and in the U.S. More information about Dr. Smith.
John Comings
Dr. Comings is an adjunct professor in the International Education concentration at the UMass Amherst College of Education. He has managed projects and conducted research on children’s and adult literacy projects worldwide for several decades. He served as Vice President at World Education for over 20 years, directed a national adult literacy research center through Harvard University, and has served as a senior policy analyst for USAID on early grade reading. More information about Dr. Comings.
Rebecca Stone
Dr. Stone is an adjunct professor in the International Education concentration at the UMass Amherst College of Education and a Senior Researcher and literacy specialist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). She is a mother tongue-based multilingual education specialist with 11 years of experience creating and facilitating materials development, designing and delivering teacher training, and conducting research and evaluations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and South East Asia. More information about Dr. Stone.
Ash Hartwell
Dr. Hartwell is an adjunct professor in the International Education concentration at the UMass Amherst College of Education. He has over 40 years of experience working on international development education projects, primarily in Africa. He has served as an education advisor to USAID’s Africa Bureau, as well as to UNICEF, CARE and the World Bank, and he has advised on early grade reading projects in Ghana and Ethiopia, among others. More information about Dr. Hartwell.
