Mariale Hardiman’s passion for the connections between the mind, brain, and teaching began nearly 50 years ago with her first teaching position with the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS). Today, Hardiman’s extensive research, publications, and teaching and administrative expertise have helped to shape the field of neuroeducation—and our understanding of how the science of learning influences pedagogy, teacher efficacy beliefs, creativity, and special and gifted education.
This July, Hardiman’s pioneering career comes full circle as she becomes a consultant and trainer with the Baltimore Arts Integration Project (BAIP), a new program founded by Arts Every Day, a Baltimore nonprofit that is Maryland’s sole 2022 grant recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education program. Hardiman is scaling back at the Johns Hopkins School of Education (SOE) to join other BAIP leaders on the $2.9 million grant. She will provide professional development to Baltimore City teachers and community artists at BCPSS schools on her internationally recognized Brain-Targeted Teaching® Model and BAIP’s framework for instruction and assessment.
“As the principal and instructional leader at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, I created the Brain-Targeted Teaching® Model to provide teachers with a cohesive instructional framework, informed by research from the learning sciences and focused on child-centered teaching, says Hardiman, who led Roland Park to its designation as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. “Bringing the model back to Baltimore’s schools feels like coming full circle.”
After receiving her EdD in special education, with a concentration in leadership for school improvement in urban settings, in 2004 and joining the SOE faculty two years later, Hardiman’s impact in the field has grown exponentially. As professor and co-founding director of Johns Hopkins’ Neuro-Education Initiative (NEI), she developed the innovative cross-disciplinary program that connects educators with relevant, learning sciences research through master’s and doctoral courses and professional development programs in Mind, Brain, and Teaching. Using her Brain-Targeted Teaching® Model, her research and publications provide best-practice pedagogy for creative problem-solving and meaningful integration of the arts in curricula.
Additionally, her significant clinical experience in educational leadership development and education for children with disabilities has led to numerous research collaborations with SOE colleagues and students. She also created several certificate programs, including in Urban Teaching and Mind, Brain, and Teaching, as well as for the Neuro-Education Initiative.
Hardiman’s leadership acumen—she spent three decades as a teacher and administrator with Baltimore City Schools—translated equally well at SOE. She served as vice dean of academic affairs, as assistant dean for urban school partnerships, and twice as interim dean.
“Mariale’s contributions to SOE, Johns Hopkins, and to the global educational community cannot be overstated,” says Dean Christopher Morphew. “Her leadership, expertise, and enthusiastic collaborative spirit helped SOE and the teaching field better understand the science of learning. In doing so, her work has helped students of all abilities learn better and teachers teach more effectively and holistically.”
Hardiman is excited to continue doing teacher training for arts integration through SOE’s partnership with Baltimore City’s Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School. She also looks forward to her ongoing lecturer role in the M.S. in Education – International Teaching and Global Leadership Cohort and support administrative work in the Mind, Brain, and Teaching program. “I love teaching and love my students, but my new role with BAIP allows me to scale holistic pedagogy for the children of Baltimore’s schools and beyond,” she says. “It’s exciting to bring my research and experience to Baltimore City Schools, and after the grant gets going, to hopefully replicate it in districts beyond Baltimore.”
“Leadership and leadership development drew me to Hopkins,” Hardiman reflects. “I was recruited to SOE to create a leadership program and explore neuroeducation. Now I get to take my work and share it with artists and teachers to create new leaders for Baltimore.”
