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
Lab Holiday Brunch in December 2025
Celebrating Project Beacon graduates at the College of Education and Human Development Award Ceremony, May 2026
Summer 2026
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​At the annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) in February 2026, lab member and PhD candidate Ryan Sunda and Dr. Fallon received recognition for their co-authored publication, McKenney et al. (2025), as honorable mention of School Psychology Review's article of the year! Read it here.
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In Februrary 2026, rising second-year PhD student Abby Furey was selected as a Student Editorial Board member for NASP's flagship journal, School Psychology Review (SPR). Previously, rising fifth-year PhD candidate, Emily Romero, served a two-year term on the board. Congrats, Abby and Emily!
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In the Spring 2026 semester, lab members Diana Laenen and Jacqueline Osborn proposed their dissertations. Way to go!
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In February 2026, several lab members successfully matched to APA-approved internships through the APPIC process including:
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Lillian Day: Devereux Massachusetts
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Julia Kausel: Kennedy Kreider/Johns Hopkins Behavioral Psychology
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Ryan Sunda: Boston Public Schools' Behavioral Health Department​​
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Our lab's recent publications (*denotes student/mentee co-author):
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McKenney, E. L. W., Lawson, T., Heidelburg, K., Fallon, L. M., McPherson, E. C., Rodriguez-Harris, D., *Sunda, R., Charpentier, J., Sipior, C., & Williams, S. (in press). Micro-level advocacy toward socially just multi-tiered systems of support: Action steps. Journal of School Psychology.
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Grapin, S. L., Fallon, L. M., Newman, D. S., Goldie, P. D., *Ali, R., Cohen, E., *Laenen, D. P., Grinshpun, S., & Lasd, D. (2026). Interest in multicultural and social justice research topics, epistemologies, and methodologies among school psychology journal editorial board members. School Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2026.2657787
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Fallon, L. M., *Ali, R., Daniels, B., *Stobbe, R., *Wang, A., *Bagepalli, R., Anderson, M., La Salle-Finley, T., Green, J. G. & Ervin, A. (2026). Promoting equity-centered Tier 1 supports in an MTSS framework. Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251413965
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Knox, J., Ash, T. L., Fisher, A. E., & Fallon, L. (2026). A quantitative content analysis examining barriers to diversity training implementation in schools. School Psychology, 41, 293-303 https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000729
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Project Beacon was featured in NASP's Communiqué in the November 2025 Issue!
CSDE's Camp Shriver was awarded $20k from Arbella Insurance at the $20k for 20 Non-Profits Luncheon in November 2025
Current and Past 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 was designed to prepare 50 mental health service providers to work in high-need schools.
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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.
Resources
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
