Mary Beth Cancienne

Dr. Mary Beth Cancienne is a Professor of English Education and Director of Coaching, Curriculum & Instruction for the Virginia New Teacher Support Program (VANTSP) at James Madison University's Middle and Secondary Education Department within the College of Education. She has been honored with the Distinguished Teacher (2017-2018) and Madison Scholar (2011-2012) awards. Her teaching focuses on high school English methods, curriculum theory, and student teaching supervision.

Dr. Cancienne holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia, an M.Ed. and B.A. in English from Louisiana State University. Her research interests include integrating the arts, social justice, and movement into English education, as well as teacher induction and pre-service education. She co-founded the Arts & Inquiry in the Visual and Performing Arts in Education SIG at AERA in 1999.

Her recent work emphasizes curriculum development addressing difficult histories, such as racial violence in Virginia, and collaborative projects like the Furious Flower Syllabus Project. Over 15 years, her research spans creative pedagogies—from using dance to analyze data to exploring Shakespeare through kinesthetic learning. She actively contributes to teacher support initiatives, serving as a leader in state and national educational committees.

• Awards: Distinguished Teacher (2017-2018), Madison Scholar (2011-2012)
• Service Roles: Faculty Award Committee Chair, VANTSP Director, Furious Flower collaborator
• Key Projects: Racial Healing Curriculum, Furious Flower Syllabus, Virginia Teacher Support Program