We conduct research aimed to promote student learning by utilizing efficient, effective, and culturally affirming behavioral supports for youth and vested partners. Our scholarship is primarily applied and behavior analytic in nature, aligned with the UMB College of Education and Human Development commitment to anti-racism and community-engaged research.
UMB Supports and Intervention for Learning (SAIL) Lab
Researchers at Boston Public Schools' Behavioral Health Services Department's Summer Research Retreat held at UMASS Boston in August 2025.
​The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) highlighting research by lab member and doctoral student Diana Laenen in August 2025.
Project Beacon Fellows with Dr. Fallon and Dr. Tracy Paskiewicz visiting the Capitol building in Washington, DC as part of the NASP Public Policy Institute in July 2025
Updated 9.10.2025
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Welcome Abby Furey and Brian Rozumny to the lab! Both Abby and Brian are incoming school psychology doctoral students working with Dr. Fallon and Dr. Brian Daniels, respectively.
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Dr. Fallon as Director of the Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) at UMASS Boston on September 1, 2025. Learn more about the Center here.
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Fourth-year lab member, Diana Laenen, recently had her work featured by the National Association of School Psychologists. Her research related to appreciative inquiry is highlighted in the photo to the left.
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Congrats to recent alumni lab member, Andrea Molina Palacios, for starting her APA-approved doctoral internship at White Birch Educational Services based in Portsmouth, NH!
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Congrats to alumni lab member, Dr. Patrick Robinson-Link, for completing his post-doctoral fellowship with Innovations for Youth (i4Y) at UC Berkeley. Dr. Robinson-Link recently began his new position as a school psychologist with Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in Norristown, PA!
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Learn about lab members under the "Team" tab.
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In August 2025, Dr. Fallon and second-year doctoral student and UMB-SAIL lab member, Juan Hernandez, joined the Boston Public Schools' Behavioral Health Services Department for their Summer Research Retreat held at UMASS Boston to plan research activities and goals for AY25-26. The retreat also included researchers from Northeastern University and Boston University (see photo left).​
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In July 2025, several Project Beacon Fellows visited Capitol Hill advocating for school mental health and a fully-funded Department of Education. Fellows met with Congressional staffers for Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Katherine Clark, Seth Moulton and Stephen Lynch. See photo on the left.​
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Lab members Elisa Cabral and Ray Ali were honored at the College of Education and Human Development's (CEHD's) Annual Award Ceremony with the CEHD Anti-Racism Award in May 2025. Congrats, Ray (left) and Elisa (right)!
Our Projects
This four-year study is a Development and Innovation (Pilot) project to develop Advancing Equity (AE), a training and coaching intervention to center equity in the design and implementation of Tier 1 multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for social-emotional-behavioral (SEB) health. AE will consist of four components: Team Coaching Protocol, a series of online Staff Training Modules, an Observation and Feedback Form, and a Procedural Fidelity Inventory.
This project is to develop and validate a teacher self-assessment, the Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS). The ACCReS assesses the extent to which educators use evidence-based culturally and contextually relevant academic and behavioral practices, make data-based educational decisions, and have access to training/support systems to promote the use of these practices. (Please note that this project ended in 2024, however manuscripts related to data collection continue to be disseminated.)
Project Beacon is an innovative training partnership between the Brockton, Lawrence, and Quincy Public Schools (three high-need local education agencies) and University of Massachusetts Boston (UMASS Boston; a minority serving institution [MSI]). This partnership will prepare 50 mental health service providers from diverse backgrounds to work in high-need schools.
Project BAMH and BAMHS will support efforts to recruit, retain, train, and place over 240 students in behavioral health positions in the City of Boston. Transforming BAMH/BAMHS will prioritize preparing youth-facing practitioners with cultural, linguistic, racial, and other minoritized identities to serve Boston communities.
Managing Resistance
The purpose of this project is to understand how Faculty of Color engaged in racial justice work at urban serving institutions to navigate institutional- and individual-level resistance to anti-racism efforts. Qualitative interviews are currently being coded for dissemenation.
Dissemination Products
Meet the Lab Members
![Elisa Cabral Profile Twitter[73].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d17ded_a99faf3015204a5bbcd732dc6e76841e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_113,h_127,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Elisa%20Cabral%20Profile%20Twitter%5B73%5D.png)
Thanks for your interest in the lab's work! To share a bit about my mentorship style, I value a collaborative, supportive approach that endeavors to build students' skills and carve out a clear path for them moving forward. I try to have clear guidance and expectations while being available to answer questions and problem-solve when barriers arise. I strive to encourage my mentees to find balance between personal and professional responsibilities and goals. I appreciate that the lab is fantastic at encouraging one another and being there to support each other.
A Message from Dr. Fallon
