Meet the Faculty

Dr. Laura Hudock

Program Coordinator and Advisor

B.A. Lafayette College; M.Ed. The Pennsylvania State University; PhD. The Pennsylvania State University

Email: lhudock@framingham.edu

Dr. Hudock serves as an advisor to and coordinator of the M.Ed. in Literacy & Language program. She teaches two graduate courses—LTRC 902 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas and LTRC 926 Teaching the Writing Process. As full-time faculty in the Education Department, she also teaches and supervises undergraduates and post-baccalaureates seeking initial licensure in Elementary Education, 1-6 and Early Childhood Education, PreK-2. In 2020-2021 Dr. Hudock served on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Ed Prep Early Literacy Network committee.

Her ongoing research focuses on twenty-first-century literacies, children’s literature, and pedagogical practices. Dr. Hudock has presented her research to local Massachusetts educators at AERA, NCTE, IRSCL, and Children’s Literature Association conferences and in various publications, such as

· Hudock, L. A. (2018). Critical Questions About Photographic “Truths” in Children’s Nonfiction Books. In V. Yenika-Agbaw, L. A. Hudock, & R. M. Lowery (Eds.) Does Nonfiction Equate Truth?: Rethinking Disciplinary Boundaries through Critical Literacy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 

· Dickey, M. & Hudock, L. A. (2018). Challenging Gifted & Talented Readers with Nonfiction Texts. In V. Yenika-Agbaw, Lowery, R. M., L. A. Hudock, & Ricks, P. (Eds.) Exploring Nonfiction Literacies: Innovative Practices in Classrooms. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Dr. Hudock is currently working on a forthcoming co-authored book geared for current and future literacy educators. As a freelance children’s writer, she has also penned works of varying text complexity for a commercial literacy intervention program. When offline, Laura enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog (Rosie) and gardening.

Mary Canner, M.Ed.

Visiting Senior Instructor

BA, Brown University; MEd, Lesley University; CAGS, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Email: mcanner@framingham.edu

Mary Canner currently teaches LTRC 903 Assessment for Learning Styles and Strategies, LTRC 910 Leadership and Consultation in the Language Arts, and LTRC 952 Practicum in Literacy and Language Seminar.  She is also a consultant with Teachers21 where she provides professional development for schools and districts focused on effective leadership practices, developing professional learning communities, RTI, and best practices in literacy instruction. 

Ms. Canner was an elementary school principal where she provided leadership, learning opportunities, and coaching to her staff.  The school was one of 26 schools in the U.S. and Canada awarded the International Literacy Association’s Exemplary Reading Program Award.  Earlier in her career Mary served as a classroom teacher and reading specialist.

Mary DeStefano, M.Ed.

Visiting Instructor

B.A., Boston College; M.Ed. Framingham State University

Email: mdestefano1@framingham.edu

Mary DeStefano co-teaches the Summer Practicum with Seminar in Reading with Dr. Patricia Kelley.  Since graduating from the Literacy and Language Program at FSU, Mary works as a Reading Specialist in Milford Public Schools.  She also coordinates the Woodland Achieves Program at Woodland School, a four-month afterschool program that offers academic support for qualifying students, and she serves as the Director of the Summer Success Program in Milford, MA.  Early in her career, she was the founding director of a preschool in Wayland, MA and worked as an elementary school teacher in several schools in Boston and the Metro West area.  Mary holds memberships with MRA, ILA, and the Nobscot Reading Council. 
 

Dr. Patricia Kelley

Visiting Lecturer

B.A., Worcester State University; M.Ed. Framingham State University; Ed. D. Northeastern University

Email: pkelley3@framingham.edu

Dr. Kelley teaches LTRC 900 Research and Practice in Reading. Pattie works in the Milford Public Schools as a reading specialist. She is also the curriculum coordinator at Woodland Elementary School and the Title I Director for the Milford district. Her past experiences include being a full-inclusion classroom teacher; a middle-school reading specialist and language arts teacher; and the Reading, ELA, and Social Studies Curriculum Supervisor grades PreK-12.

 

Dr. Kelley serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Reading Association (MRA) and co-chairs the exemplary reading committee. She is past president of the Nobscot Reading Council and serves as treasurer. She has presented locally at MRA and nationally at the International Literacy Association (ILA) on topics that include adolescent literacy and poetry integration in the content areas. Dr. Kelley has received prestigious awards including the Celebrate Literacy Award from ILA (2013), the Senator Louis Bertonazzi Outstanding Teacher Award (2016), and the Framingham State University Educator Alumni of the Year Award (2018).

 

Kelly Whitmore, M.Ed.

Visiting Lecturer

BA, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, MEd, Framingham State University; Elementary Principal License, MESPA/Northeastern University

Email: kwhitmore@framingham.edu

Kelly Whitmore currently teaches LTRC 907 Literacy Instruction.  Kelly has been a classroom teacher, grades four through six, as well as a literacy coach.  While working in the classroom, Kelly chaired the literacy committee, coordinated the environmental program, and served as chair for two subcommittees while her school worked towards reaccreditation.  Kelly served as an assistant principal where she was the facilitator for Response to Intervention, Common Core Standards, bullying prevention, ANSWER Key for writing, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and differentiated instruction for both literacy and math centers.  Kelly currently serves as an elementary principal.