Policy Fellows Will Also Address Workforce Development, Family Engagement, and Inclusive Curriculum
Boston, MA, September 16, 2025—To address the literacy crisis facing students across the state, Teach Plus Massachusetts has launched an ambitious three-pronged approach: Enhance communication with families, support educators with instruction and materials, and advocate for effective evidence-based reading policies that support student success in school and beyond. The organization has selected 21 exceptional Massachusetts educators for its 2025-26 Policy Fellowship to focus on students’ literacy outcomes and other critical issues affecting student success.
“Teach Plus is committed to ensuring literacy becomes a foundational skill for every student across the commonwealth,” said Teach Plus Massachusetts Executive Director Chris Marino. “Our teacher leaders focus on instructional strategies and high-quality materials that elevate student literacy rates, especially during the critical adolescent years. In partnership with our Massachusetts allies, our 2025-26 Policy Fellows will build on previous cohorts’ work to expand access to evidence-based literacy teaching. Reading isn’t just a skill—it’s a gateway to lifelong success.”
“It is more important than ever for students to develop the cognitive abilities that are built on literacy. Being able to recognize multiple perspectives, empathize with diverse experiences, evaluate different points of argumentation, and identify cause-effect relationships are essential skills for productive citizenship and they are rooted in literacy,” said 2025-26 Teach Plus Massachusetts Policy Fellow Nick Cain, who teaches in Medford.
In 2024, Teach Plus Policy Fellows and alumni testified at hearings, wrote op-eds, hosted State House briefings, and rallied statewide support for the Educator Diversity Act that opens new pathways for teachers of color. Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders are continuing their advocacy for The Right to Read Act that would ensure teachers receive science of learning professional learning so that learners are taught with practices grounded in evidence-based literacy strategies. This comes as reading skills of American high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress data released earlier this month.
Throughout the program, Teach Plus develops and deepens Fellows’ expertise in policy analysis, advocacy, research, and communications, equipping them with the skills to bring evidence-based solutions to the table. Each Fellow was selected for their ability to articulate the needs of their students and communities and their demonstrated excellence and innovation in teaching, ensuring they can effectively advocate for meaningful changes that will benefit children across Massachusetts.
“Through the fellowship, I have seen firsthand the power of building networks, fostering community, and ensuring educators’ voices shape policy,” said 2025-26 Teach Plus Massachusetts Senior Policy Fellow Jillian Geraghty, who teaches in Boston. “As a Senior Fellow, I hope to pay that forward—supporting new fellows with empathy and practical strategies, while continuing to strengthen my own leadership through mentoring, advocacy, and advancing equitable, evidence-based literacy practices across our state.”
The 2025-26 Massachusetts Policy Fellows hail from across the Bay State and teach in diverse classrooms from preK-12, representing communities from Springfield to Boston, and many other towns and cities in between.
The 2025-26 Teach Plus Massachusetts Policy Fellows are:
- Nina Alley, Fitchburg Public Schools
- Nick Cain, Medford Public Schools
- Lillian Carrasquillo Pérez, Framingham Public Schools
- Maribel Carvajal, My Pretty Garden Family Child Care
- Jacqueline Ferguson, Springfield Public Schools
- Carly Gaeta, Lawrence Public Schools
- Micayla Gifford, Boston Public Schools
- Caroline Lovett, Framingham Public Schools
- Elizabeth Metts, Excel Academy Charter Schools
- Madeline Nees, Revere Public Schools
- Dellianny Pérez Marte, Lawrence School District
- TJ Rios, Springfield Public Schools
- Angela Serpa, Fall River Public Schools
- Adrian Smith, Boston Public Schools
- Jacqueline Wade, Boston Public Schools
The 2025-26 Teach Plus Massachusetts Senior Policy Fellows are:
- Jennifer Amento, (Lead Senior Fellow of Advocacy) Mashpee Public Schools
- Jillian Geraghty, (Senior Fellow) Boston Public Schools
- Mel Kintish, (Senior Fellow) Community Charter School of Cambridge
- Suzanne Stillinger, (Early Childhood Advisor Fellow) New Village Preschool
- Donna Thayer, (Senior Fellow) Newton Public Schools
- Kimmy Tremlett, (Senior Fellow) Framingham Public Schools
If interested in interviewing Executive Director Chris Marino or any of the Fellows, please contact Kelly Pearce at kpearce@teachplus.org or 928-925-9236.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Learn more about Teach Plus Massachusetts at https://teachplus.org/ma/.
