Shyla González-Doğan

This qualitative, self-reflection study was conducted by three instructors who had recently participated in a workshop on Principled Innovation, a character development framework designed in their college of education. They were confident about how they integrated PI into their courses but saw potential for further improvement. Drawing on collaborative professional development literature, they explored two models, Appreciative Inquiry and Tuning, that seemed to meet their needs. By merging elements of both, they created the Appreciative Tuning Protocol (ATP), a 30-minute, agenda-driven meeting where instructors identify a successful part of the integration effort (a bright spot), explore ways to enhance it, and then support the course instructor in determining next steps. This study documents their pilot of the ATP. The data included video-based course tours of all three courses, the ATP meeting transcripts, and the instructors’ written reflections. Findings showed that the ATP helped the instructors maintain an asset-based orientation, ensure equal contributions, and facilitate honest communication. Importantly, the ATP met the instructors’ professional development expectations about improving PI integration in their courses in a time-efficient manner. Further research is needed to determine if the ATP is useful for other content integration efforts and for other course domains in higher education.

This article presents the development, implementation, and impact of a cultural competence course initiated by the Mentoring and Encouraging Academic Success (MESAS) Program at Utah State University (USU). The MESAS Program supports American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students through various initiatives, including the Faculty Advocate initiative, talking circles, the Indigenous Knowledge Symposium, and the Native American Living/Learning Community. Under MESAS, the cultural competence course aims to enhance appreciation among faculty, staff, and non-Indigenous students for the contributions of Native American and other underrepresented groups, while addressing institutional barriers to their academic success and social well-being. The course has been adapted for faculty, staff, and graduate students involved in roles such as summer research mentoring and emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in creating a supportive environment for Native American students, particularly those transitioning between campuses. The article also highlights a case study of a USU professor who applied the course's teachings in interactions with students from the Ute Tribe and Navajo Nation, illustrating the practical application of Culturally Responsive Teaching practices and the Funds of Knowledge framework. Overall, the study highlights the course's positive impact on fostering inclusive teaching practices and deepening relationships with Native American students. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on integrating cultural competence in higher education to enhance the experiences of underrepresented student populations.

This research project examines the experiences of four individuals working in refugee resettlement and their perspectives on the educational needs of refugee students, given their role as boundary spanners. They also discuss the need for teachers to encourage students to use the Funds of Knowledge in the classroom. Participants discuss their varied experience as professionals in refugee resettlement, with two being refugees and one being an immigrant. This paper (1) explores the stress associated with relocation, (2) delves into the mental health issues faced by individuals from refugee backgrounds, emphasizing trauma, (3) analyzes how inefficiencies and lack of support within the public school system contribute to a stressful and ineffective experience for all parties involved, and (4) highlights the importance of human connection. The implications for future research are also discussed with particular attention paid to the need to actively work with other stakeholders.

This qualitative research project seeks to examine the obstacles faced by educators who come to the U.S. as refugees. The three participants in this study are from Iraq, Sudan, and Turkey. While there are similarities between them, there are also differences in terms of race, sex, and religion. While this work examines practical barriers, such as those related to credentialing, it also considers how these educators negotiate their identity in the workplace. Using labeling theory, the impact of the category of refugee and how that label impacts work life is interrogated. Partially as a result of the labels associated with being a refugee, findings indicate that, for educators from refugee backgrounds, there are significant barriers to credentialing, their knowledge and experience from outside of the U.S. is rarely taken seriously in many workplace environments, and, consequently, a lack of confidence can easily develop. Despite all of this, educators from refugee backgrounds often have extensive experience in education and can more easily connect to diverse student populations and their families. Suggestions for how best to expand the hiring of educators from refugee backgrounds are provided, as well as implications for future research.

This paper is an initial examination of anti-Blackness within a specifically Muslim context, and it presents the experiences of some Black community members who attended one U.S. city’s primary local mosque’s weekend school program and who either attended or had children who attended the city’s sole Islamic school. During this ethnographic project, 18 participants who identified as part of the Muslim community of the city were interviewed; semi-structured interviews and snowball sampling were used to obtain data. Research participants included parents of children in the Islamic school or weekend school program at the affiliated mosque, former students of the Islamic school or the mosque’s weekend school program, and former or current leaders in the community. The findings demonstrate that anti-Blackness in Islamic community spaces often manifests through the targeting of Black children for perceived misbehavior in educational spaces and through practices of exclusion toward Black community members. The findings also indicate that there is a need for increased education and training related to anti-Blackness and a need for the implementation of an anti-racist pedagogy in Islamic educational settings.

This work examines how leadership in U.S. Islamic institutions is impacted by anti-Blackness. During this ethnographic project, I interviewed 15 participants who identified as part of the Islamic community in one city in the southwestern portion of the United States. The findings in this paper are based on 15 attendees of two mosques and one private Islamic school whose interviews brought up the topic of barriers to leadership as a form of discrimination for Black community members. In particular, I highlight the experiences of two successful Black leaders who have experienced discrimination within the Muslim community. Findings demonstrate that anti-Blackness in Islamic community spaces manifests itself in two distinct ways: (1) lack of leadership opportunities as a result of exclusionary practices and (2) limitations placed on those who may manage to become leaders. Thus, anti-Blackness robs Black Muslim community members of the safety that should be afforded by Islamic institutions.

The US government is regulating the flow of people into the country. It aims to ‘build the wall’ between the US and Mexico, repeal NAFTA, alter immigration rules, and dramatically reduce refugee resettlement. However, an estimated 1.8 million refugees and 11 million undocumented immigrants already live in the US. Drawing on data collected in a 42-month ethnography in southern Arizona, we examine the ‘divergence’ of sovereignty, in which multiple, often competing, discourses and actions jostle for legitimization and authority. Framing our analysis with risk theory and sovereignty thinking, we reveal how immigrants from Mexico, especially those who are perceived as undocumented, are pitted against refugees in a battle for cultural belonging, rights, and citizenship through government action and discourses and practices of local immigrant and refugee support agencies. We trace how these newcomers displace and replace each other as the ‘greatest risk’ to Arizona’s economy, social services, and security.