Maria José Botelho

Professor Maria José Botelho is a leading scholar in critical literacies and multicultural education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she holds the academic rank of Professor in the Department of Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies (TECS). She serves as Program Coordinator for both the Language, Literacy, and Culture program and the Reading Specialist program. Her research focuses on reimagining K-12 literacy practices to affirm students' cultural and linguistic identities through critical multicultural analysis of children’s literature, ethnographic methodologies, and pedagogical frameworks such as Waldorf language arts and contemplative education.

Botelho’s work bridges theory and practice, emphasizing culturally responsive teaching and translanguaging pedagogies. She leads the Five College Doors to the World Project, offering multiliteracies resources for educators. Her scholarly contributions include co-authoring Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children’s Literature: Mirrors, Windows, and Doors (Routledge), currently under contract for a second edition. She has received prestigious awards including the Samuel F. Conti Fellowship for Research Excellence and the Distinguished Community Engagement Award for Teaching.

Botelho teaches graduate-level courses on critical literacies, ethnographic research, and writing for publication, alongside undergraduate courses analyzing children’s literature through Latiné community representations. Her doctoral seminars explore professional learning through ethnographic and critical literacies practices, reflecting her commitment to transformative education.

Recent research trends in her articles focus on multilingualism in education, translanguaging in dual-language classrooms, and the role of children’s literature in addressing cultural diversity and social justice. She collaborates internationally, conducting studies in Ontario, California, Massachusetts, and Finland.

Awards and fellowships further highlight her impact: she holds the 2024-2025 Five College Building Academic Leaders in the Humanities Fellowship and has been recognized for her teaching’s community engagement. Her current projects include a forthcoming book synthesizing ethnographic and critical literacies practices for K-8 English language arts instruction.