Empowering School Leadership: Advancing Collaborative Inquiry in Schools to Support Muslim Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Pedagogical Implications for Considering the Intersection of Religion and Education (Table 4)

Abstract

This paper explores how school leaders can leverage Collaborative Inquiry (CI) to support Muslim students by integrating Indigenous and Islamic worldviews, emphasizing community, respect, and holistic education (Alkouatli, 2018; Barkaskas & Gladwin, 2021; Fickle et al., 2017; Tanaka, 2016). By drawing parallels from Indigenous and Islamic principles of spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical education interconnectedness (Battiste, 2002; Styres, 2011; Wahab, 2022), school leaders can utilize CI to develop inclusive environments. Engaging in CI helps educators address systemic biases and barriers, reflect on their practices, and implement strategies empowering students (Ainscow, 2016; Dion, 2018). Hence, effective leadership requires a collaborative school-based approach fostering respect, validation, and recognition of students’ diverse backgrounds (Boveda & Weinberg, 2022; DeMatthews and Mawhinney, 2014).

Authors

• Umar Qureshi, University of Toronto

• Asad Ahmed Choudhary, Niagara University

• Nisreen Alameddine, Brock University