Supporting Muslim Students: A Guide to Understanding the Diverse Issues of Today?s Classrooms

This book provides school professionals - including teachers, principals, counselors, psychologists, and administrators - with a practical guide for supporting Muslim students in PK-12 schools. It is important that school professionals are culturally responsive and understand students’ backgrounds in planning effective instruction and creating safe schools. However, in the post-9/11 world, negative biases and stereotypes permeate mainstream discourses. Muslim students and their families often find themselves in conflict with school practices, procedures, and policies and do not often find themselves represented in the curriculum.
This book provides a practical guide to the important issues that may impact the lives and education of Muslim students. This books give essential information about Islam and Muslim students from authentic perspectives. This text will support teachers and other school professionals in their advocacy for all students to provide equitable and just educational opportunities for all students. Beyond basics such as food and clothing requirement, this text advocates for the implementation of anti-bias pedagogy for diverse learners. Through school-based vignettes and case studies, we situate experiences of Muslim students in lived realities and help school professionals think deeply and critically about who their students are and how to engage their experiences in the curriculum.

Laura Mahalingappa, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of education and the director of the ESL M.S. Ed. and Certificate Programs at Duquesne University. Her teaching and research focuses on teacher preparation to support linguistically and culturally diverse learners and bilingual language acquisition in marginalized communities.

Terri L. Rodriguez, Ph.D., is a former secondary English teacher and currently an associate professor of education at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Her research explores issues of social justice, equity, and diversity in schools.

Nihat Polat, Ph.D., is an associate professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the School of Education at Duquesne University. His teaching and research focuses on second language learning and teaching and second language teacher education.