Inaugural Conference: Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in Diaspora/Immigrants
September 25-26, 2015 University of Kansas - Lawrence Kansas
www.iaaeorg.org
Inaugural Conference of the International Association of African Educators Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in Diaspora/Immigrants University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas September 25-26, 2015 Conference At A Glance FRIDAY (The Commons, Spooner Hall) 10:00 - 11:00 am African Indigenous Education 11:00 am - 12:00 pm African Culture, Philosophy, Values, and Educational Thought/ Gender, Class, Religion and Language Issues in African Education 12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch Break, Lunch on your own. Food options across the street at the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. 1:00 - 2:00 pm Panel Discussion 2:15 - 3:45 pm Panel Discussion 4:00 - 5:30 pm Visionary Session 6:00 - 8:00 pm Keynote Address and Reception (Kansas Room, Kansas Union)
Inaugural Conference of the International Association of African Educators Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in Diaspora/Immigrants University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas September 25-26, 2015 Conference At A Glance, Continued
SATURDAY (Kansas Union) 9:00- 10:15 am Education on the African Continent (Malott) 10:30 - 11:30 am Education on the African Continent (Malott) 11:45 am- 1:15 pm Luncheon and Keynote Address (Alderson Auditorium) 1:30 - 2:30 pm African Immigrants and Identity Issues (Malott) 2:45 - 3:45 pm Teaching African Immigrants and Refugees/ African Migration and Education, African Refugees and Education/ Race and Afro-phobia in Education (Malott) 4:00 - 5:00 pm Issues of African Immigrant Student Education in P-12/ African Educators’ Contributions to American Education (Malott) 6:00 pm Banquet, cultural entertainment, and awards (Kansas Room)
Inaugural Conference of the International Association of African Educators Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in Diaspora/Immigrants University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas September 25-26, 2015 Conference Organizers Omiunota Ukpokodu Peter Ojiambo
Conference Committee Ibrahima Ba Grace Kaleli-Lee David Mburu Mary Mba Rev. Sr. Mary Aloysius Mfon Udoinyang Mackenzie Jones
Sponsors
University of Kansas African and African-American Studies University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies Kansas African Studies Center University of Kansas Office of Multicultural Affairs University of Kansas Office of International Programs University of Kansas Center for Global & International Studies
International Association of African Educators (IAAE) Advancing Advocacy, Wellbeing, Education & Networking Welcome to the International Association of African Educators (IAAE)! The International Association of African Educators (IAAE) is a non-profit organization that aims to foster professional collaboration and network of African educators in the Diaspora. It is organized to operate exclusively as a charitable, benevolent, scientific, literary, cultural, and educational purpose. Mission To create a productive and professional network of African educators that builds a sustainable, supportive, professional collaborative network and academic space for African educators. IAAE is a registered 501-C.3 non-profit organization. The Founder and CoFounders of IAAE envisioned an organization that would bring together African educators and students in the Diaspora in P-20 institutions and other individuals and groups with an interest in the advancement and education of Africans in the Diaspora. Therefore, the goal of the organization is to: Goal: To build a sustainable, supportive, professional collaborative network and advocacy group. • • • • • • • • • •
Objectives: Establish a data base on African educators and students in P-20 in the Diaspora. Foster collaborative research activities on African immigrants, students, and teachers in K-12 public schools. Foster collaboration between members in academia and Pre-K public schools. Increase the visibility, productivity, and social integration of African-born educators in academia and public schools. Provide mentorship and support for the education of African students in the Diaspora. Contribute to quality education and educational access of students in Africa through research development and resources for students and educators. Create regional and local structures of IAAE. Create a newsletter to highlight activities of IAAE. Establish an international journal and other publications for disseminating research and scholarship on African educators and students in the Diaspora. Convene an annual national conference.
Welcome from the President, International Association of African Educators A message from the IAAE President Greetings Conference Participants! On behalf of the International Association of African Educators (IAAE), I welcome you to the inaugural conference and to The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. It is my hope that you will have a great time at the conference and enjoy your time in Lawrence at KU. The theme of the conference, Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in the Diaspora/Immigrants, speaks to the goal of bringing together educators, researchers, students, community activists, agencies, families, policymakers and all others to engage in a rich Ubuntu-filled communal learning that begins the work on erasing the invisibility of African immigrants and ensuring their educational and professional excellence, equity and social justice. The conference committee has worked diligently to plan a conference that, hopefully, would be rewarding and worthwhile. We are excited about the conference, especially given the wonderful line-up of presentations and the keynotes by Dr. Rong Xue, Professor of Social Studies Education, School of Education, University of North Carolina, and George J. S. Sefa Dei, Professor of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. This conference would not have been possible without the generous support of the University of Kansas, especially the Department of African and AfricanAmerican Studies, the Center for Global and International Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, the Kansas African Studies Center, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of International Programs, conference presenters, and the diligence and hard work of the conference committee. Words are insufficient to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who have helped and contributed to the conference and its success! Be inspired, renewed, reenergized, and have a wonderful, fun, and memorable conference!
Omiunota N. Ukpokodu Dr. Omiunota N. Ukpokodu Founder and President, International Association of African Educators Professor, School of Education University of Missouri 窶適ansas City, MO
Welcome from the Kansas African Studies Center
On behalf of the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC), we welcome you to the University of Kansas. KASC coordinates the study of Africa in the university and the wider region. The Center’s mission includes sponsoring research and outreach initiatives, enhancing the African Studies curriculum, organizing conferences, acquiring library and related resources, and raising funds to make these activities possible. We are pleased to be a sponsor of IAAE’s inaugural conference and excited by the focus on erasing the invisibility of African immigrants and ensuring their educational and professional excellence. Historically, an important part of KASC’s mission has been to engage with the challenges facing African immigrants in Kansas and the Midwest. We are all grateful to Peter Ojiambo, the Associate Director of KASC, and to Mackenzie Jones, the Assistant Director, for all their careful planning and hard work in making this conference possible.
Byron Caminero-Santangelo
Byron Caminero-Santangelo Interim Director
Liz MacGonagle Liz MacGonagle Director
Letter from the Conference Co-Chairs Dear Conference Participants: Greetings! We are honored and delighted to welcome you to the inaugural conference of The International Association of African Educators (IAAE) at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, Kansas. We hope this conference will be first of many IAAE conference events for you. The theme of this inaugural conference, “Erasing Invisibility: Equity, Social Justice and Educational Excellence of Africans in the Diaspora/Immigrants,” could not have been more relevant, and it reflects the vision and wisdom of the conference co-chairs. For the past eight months, we have worked diligently to plan and organize a conference that will not only be enlightening but also refreshing. In planning this conference, we have worked hard to ensure that we deliver a program that will be memorable. However, while we have done our very best, we recognize our imperfections and unavoidable limitations. We encountered challenges, especially with presenters who had to withdraw from the conference due to financial and other personal reasons. As you are aware, this is IAAE’s first conference. With no IAAE budget for the conference, we took a leap of faith. We hope you will be generous in your understanding. We are certain that future conference events will be much improved. Thank you and have a great conference!
Omiunota N. Ukpokodu
Peter Ojiambo
Omiunota N.Ukpokodu Conference Co-Chair, Founder & President, IAAE
Peter Ojiambo Conference Co-Chair & Board Member, IAAE
Schedule: FRIDAY: (The Commons, Spooner Hall) 10:00 - 11:00 am African Indigenous Education Zandile P. Nkabinde*, New Jersey City University, “African Indigenous Education: The Case of South Africa” George J. S. Sefa Dei, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, “African Indigenous Philosophies, Counter Epistemologies and AntiColonial Education” Grace Kaleli-Lee, University of Kansas, “The Ecology of Middle-Childhood Health in the Akamba Cultural Context” 11:00 am - 12:00 pm African Culture, Philosophy, Values, and Educational Thought/ Gender, Class, Religion and Language Issues in African Education Teresa A. Wasonga*, Northern Illinois University, “Making a Difference: Beyond Educational Opportunities for Girls” Grace Tamara Handy, University of Kansas, “A Critical Comparative Policy Analysis of the Language-in-Education Policies of South Africa and South Sudan” 12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch Break, Lunch on your own. Food options across the street at the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. 1:00 - 2:00 pm Panel Discussion Omiunota Ukpokodu* and Abdulkadir Bakar, University of Missouri - Kansas City and Della Lamb Community Services Refugee Resettlement Program, “African Immigrant Parents’ Experiences and Perspectives on U.S. Schools and Teachers” Margaret K. Mbeseha, Messiah College, “Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Parents and their Children’s Special Education Services in U.S Schools: Their Knowledge, Perceptions, and Experiences” 2:15 - 3:45 pm Panel Discussion Jake Gordon*, University of Kansas, “Culture Matters: The ‘Ogah’ factor in the African Higher Education” Barbara McDade Gordon, University of Florida - Gainesville, “A Visiting Scholar’s Perspectives on Undergraduate Education at the University of Ghana-Legon” 4:00 - 5:30 pm Visionary Session Facilitated by Dr. George Dei, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto 6:00 - 8:00 pm Keynote Address and Reception (Kansas Union, Kansas Room) “Hitting in Opposite Directions: Adaptive Strategies of Asian Immigrant Students and Black Immigrant Students.” Rong Xue, Professor of Social Studies Education *Session chair
Schedule: Saturday: (Kansas Union) 9:00- 10:15 am Education on the African Continent (Malott) Madalitso Elisa Mukiwa, “An Assessment of the Capability of Public Primary Schools to Implement ICT Education in Malawi: A Case of Selected Public Primary Schools in Lilongwe District” David N.P. Mburu*, University of Kansas, “Integration of ICT in Early Childhood Education Centers Curriculum: Exploring the Pedagogical Challenges of the 21st Century in Kenya” Ithar Hassaballa and Bertilde Kamana, University of Kansas, “Using Behavioral Science to Help Assure Conditions for Health and Wellbeing” 10:30 - 11:30 am Education on the African Continent (Malott) Michael Takafor Ndemanu, Ball State University, “Education for a Robust Socioeconomic and Political Transformation of Africa” Teresa A. Wasonga, Northern Illinois University, “Education and Empowerment among Girls in Kenya: Enterprise Learning and Entrepreneurship” Guðlaug Erlendsdóttir, University of Malawi, “Participating in an Educational Project Beneficial for all Stakeholders: Teachers Voices from Chimbende Primary School In Malawi” Sister Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam*, University of Kansas, “The Struggle for Catholic Schools in Nigeria and Its Significance in the Reconstruction of the Nigerian State: Post-colonial Era to Present” 11:45 am- 1:15 pm Luncheon and Keynote Address (Alderson Auditorium) “The African Scholar in the (Western) Academy” George J. S. Sefa Dei, Professor of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
*Session chair
Schedule: 1:30 - 2:30 pm African Immigrants and Identity Issues (Malott) Alex Kumi-Yeboah, University at Albany - SUNY, “Educational and Social Experiences of African-Born Immigrant Students” Rosaire Ifedi*, Ashland University, “An African Transnational Educator’s Voice: Troubling and Transforming Teacher Education in the U.S” David N.P. Mburu, University of Kansas, “The Changing Gender Roles: African Diasporic Masculinity Redefined” 2:45 - 3:45 pm Teaching African Immigrants and Refugees/ African Migration and Education, African Refugees and Education/ Race and Afro-phobia in Education (Malott) Alex Kumi-Yeboah*, University at Albany - SUNY, “Multicultural Online Education: Social Media and Technology Use among African-born Immigrant Youth” Peter Otiato Ojiambo, University of Kansas, “Nurturing Global Education at High School Level: Lessons from Starehe Boys Centre and School, Kenya” Phetlhe Keith, Ohio University, “Xenophobia or Afrophobia?The Socio-economic Cost of Xenophobia in Post-Apartheid South Africa” 4:00 - 5:00 pm Issues of African Immigrant Student Education in P-12/ African Educators’ Contributions to American Education (Malott) Mercy Agyepong*, University of Wisconsin - Madison, “The Struggle of Invisibility: Shedding Some light on the Experiences of African-born Students” Godlove Tebe, University of Missouri - Kansas City, “Challenges of African (Refugee) Students in an Urban High School Mohamed Nur, Abdulkadir Bakar, Jennifer Wilson and Karen Duffner, Della Lamb Community Services and Della Lamb Charter School, “Refugee Educational Experiences in USA, especially in Kansas City metro area” Flora O. Nkire, Abia State University, “Showcasing Nigerian Diverse Cultural Features through Social Studies Education” 6:00 pm Banquet, cultural entertainment, and awards (Kansas Room)
*Session chair
Xue Lan Rong Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Ed.D Program Cultural Studies and Literacy Ph.D Program Master of Arts in Teaching Program Master of International Education Program School of Education, UNC-Chapel Hill Prof. Xue Lan Rong was born in Hong Kong but was raised in Beijing. She received her doctorate in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1989. Professor Rong’s 30 year career includes teaching, research, consultation, and educational administration in the United States and China in the areas of social science of education, sociology of education and international comparative education. Prof. Rong has become nationally and internationally renowned for her contributions in educating diverse student population and differentiation in curriculum design and instructional strategic development. As a nationally influential researcher in immigration and education, focusing on Black and Asian immigrant students, Prof. Rong has published six books including Educating Immigrant Students in 21st Century (2009), Asian American Education: Identities, Racial Issues, and Language (2011)and Educating Asian Americans: Academic Achievement, Schooling Issues, and Identities (2013). She is the author of over 20 research articles appearing in the best regarded professional journals including the Harvard Educational Review, American Educational Research Journal, American Sociological Review, American Sociologist and Sociological Quarterly. Prof. Rong has also guest-edited three special journal issues, published 21 book chapters and made over 80 presentations at national and international conferences. She is currently working on her seventh and eighth books. A leader within her profession, Prof. Rong has served as the chair or board member for a variety of professional organizations including, Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans (SIG of American Educational Research Association); the Research Committee and the International Activity Committee for the National Council for Social Studies; and the North American Chinese Professor Association. Prof. Rong has also contributed to national and international scholarship through her service on the editorial boards of many professional journals including, Sociology of Education, Journal of Research and Development in Education, the Annual Edition of Educational Research Methods, European Journal of China Studies, the Educational Encyclopedia for Chinese Child and Adolescent Psychology. She has served as a co-editor and the executive editor for Asian American Education Anthology (an annual publication for Asian American Educational Association and SIG REAPA) in 20062013. She is currently on American Educational Research Journal editorial board. For her contributions in the field of educational research, she received an Outstanding Professional Achievement Alumni Award from University of Georgia at Athens (2009), an American Educational Research Association Outstanding Reviewer Award (2010),WR Kenan Jr Senior Faculty Leave research fund Award (2013), and Spencer Foundation Research Grant (2013, co-investigator) Prof. Rong has provided substantial service and leadership to the University and School of Education, serving on the University Faculty Assembly (twice), chairing faculty promotion/tenure review committees, post-tenure review committee, faculty search committees, and academic programs. She was the coordinator of Master of Art in Teaching program (MAT) in 2005-2007 and the coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction Ed.D program in 2009-2013. Prof. Rong has also played active roles in local schools, Chinese communities, and various state educational and cultural agencies. In the area of international education, Prof. Rong served on the University Advisory Council for International Affairs (2004-2007). She also served on several consultant committees at University Center for International Studies, including Faculty Consultant Committee for Teaching about Asian in Public School, Faculty Steering Committee for K-12 Outreach Program, and the University China Working Group Committee. With her international and comparative expertise in teaching and research, Rong taught, lectured and presented in several Chinese universities including Beijing University, Qinghua University, and East China Normal University. She received Course development grant (Teaching International Studies in the Middle and High Schools) from U.S. Department of Education and also published chapters focusing on Chinese education and U.S.-China comparative education. Her most recent publications include: Comparative Experiences in American and Chinese Higher Education-Interviews with Chinese American Prominent Scholars (2011), Chinese Studies in North America: Research, Introduction and Resources ( 2011) and Equalities in China’s Compulsory Education: Progresses, Inadequacies and Recommendations ( 2014).
George J. Sefa Dei [Nana Adusei Sefa Tweneboah I] Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Professor George J. Sefa Dei is a renowned educator, researcher and writer who is considered by many as one of Canada’s foremost scholars on race and anti-racism studies. In the mid 1990s Professor Dei was voted by a local news magazine as among the top influential Black scholars and community workers in Canada. Professor Dei is a widely sought after academic, researcher and community worker whose professional and academic work has led to many Canadian and international speaking invitations in US, Europe and Africa. Currently, he is [Full] Professor of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). He is also the Director for the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada. In August of 2012, Professor Dei received the honorary title of ‘Professor Extraordinarire’ from the University of South Africa, [UNISA]. Professor Dei’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of Anti-Racism, Minority Schooling, International Development, Anti-Colonial Thought and Indigenous Knowledges Systems. He has twenty-eight (28) books and over one hundred and sixty (160) refereed journal articles and book chapters. Among his publications are: ‘Teaching Africa: Towards Transgressive Pedagogy’, “Learning to Succeed: Improving Educational Achievement for All’, An International Reader: “Indigenous Philosophies and Critical Education.” “Contemporary Issues in African Science Education,” “New Perspectives on Africentric Schooling in Canada,” “Contemporary Issues in the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity,” “Politics of Critical Anti-Racism Education: In Search of Strategies for Transformative Learning,” “African Indigenous Knowledges and the Disciplines,” “Emerging Perspectives on African Development: Speaking Differently.” Professor Dei is a Distinguished Fellow of the Molefi Kete Asante Institute, that advances the cause of global African development. Professor Dei has been a major proponent and a pioneering voice in the establishment of African-centred schools in Canada. Professor Dei is the recipient of many awards. He received the 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award at OISE, University of Toronto for excellence in teaching over the years. He is also the 2014 recipient of the Ludwik and Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize from the University of Toronto, the 2006 recipient of the Planet Africa ‘Renaissance Award,’ and Canadian Alliance of Black Educators Award for ‘Excellence in Education and Community Development.” Professor Dei also received the 2015 Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow award and was hosted by the Institute for Educational Research and Innovation Studies, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. Finally, Professor Dei was enstooled as a traditional chief in his hometown in Ghana. His stool name is Nana Adusei Sefa Tweneboah I.
The Struggle of Invisibility: Shedding Some light on the Experiences of Africanborn Students Mercy Agyepong Whereas the educational experiences of predominant immigrant groups have received ample attention in educational research (e.g. Gibson & Ogbu, 1991; Suarez-Orozco et al., 2008), African-born immigrant students are noticeably missing both in the scholarship, and in the education curriculum. Today, African-born immigrant students continue to be invisible in the United States education system. Despite the large increase in the population of African-born immigrants in the United States within the past four decades (a period known as the new African Diaspora), not much is known about the educational experiences of this group. Additionally, due to their racial make-up, Black African-born immigrants have further become invisible because they are often placed under the “Black� racial category and therefore viewed as African-American. Thankfully, there is an emerging body of research that seeks to elucidate the educational experiences of this burgeoning population. This review of literature seeks to bring attention to the ways in which African-born immigrant students in K-12 are received and are perceived in schools by teachers, administrators, curricula, and peers by emphasizing the factors such as immigrant status and stereotypes, language proficiency, and race impacts their relationships, interactions, and overall educational experiences. This paper concludes with possible solutions such as multicultural education to counter the problematic image of Africa and Africans, and solutions such as culturally responsive teaching and social justice pedagogy for the inclusion of this group in schools. Finally, this review offers implications for further research regarding the inclusion and understanding of the educational experiences of African immigrant students.
African Indigenous Philosophies, Counter Epistemologies and Anti-Colonial Education George J. S. Sefa Dei In my on-going work on anti-colonial education, I employ indigenous epistemologies that seek to threaten, replace and reimagine alternatives to colonial thinking and practice. I do this with the hope of contributing to a robust epistemological framework that allows for the coexistence of, and conversation between, multiple-epistemes. Through this study, I explore three arguments: a) that our epistemological frameworks must consider the body of the knowledge producer, the place and context in which knowledge is produced; b) that the anti-colonial is intimately connected to decolonization, and by extension, decolonization cannot happen solely through Western scholarship; and c) that the complex problems and challenges facing the world today defy universalist solutions, but can be remedied by multicentric ways of knowing/doing/being. Entering the topic from a distinctly African perspective, this presentation argues that indigenous philosophies and epistemologies constitute legitimate, anti-colonial ways of knowing/doing/being. In engaging the indigenous through an anti-colonial discursive lens, my talk will survey few questions: What is the role and place of indigenous educational philosophies (e.g., proverbs, sages, meditations, story forms, fables and tales) in the pursuit of socially transformative education? How can educators provide anti-colonial education that help young learners to develop a strong sense of identity, self and collective respect, agency, and the kind of individual empowerment that is accountable to community empowerment? What is the role of local knowledge formations in subverting the colonial hierarchies embedded in conventional schooling? Finally, how do we re-envision schooling and education to espouse at its centre such values as social justice, equity, fairness, resistance and decolonial responsibility?
Participating in an Educational Project Beneficial for all Stakeholders: Teachers Voices from Chimbende Primary School In Malawi Guðlaug Erlendsdóttir All children have the right to attend school and get an education. However the education needs to be of high quality. Offering teachers training in how to teach and what to teach is a necessary step to take in order to reach the goal of quality education for all. It is, however, important to listen to our teachers in order to make the training as relevant as possible. My paper specifically addresses one of IAAE’s objectives which is “to contribute to quality education and educational access of students in Africa through research development and resources for students and educators.” The strand in which my paper belongs is education on the African continent. In Malawi, there are many obstacles such as lack of trained teachers, lack of educational material, a weak infrastructure and frequent absenteeism of both students and teachers in primary education. All of these contribute to high drop-out and repetition rates. Many different educational projects have been implemented through the years In order to increase the quality of education in Malawi. However, because of the quality of education, improvement in students’ educational attainment is not at desired level. The aim of my study is to ascertain teachers’ opinions on participating in the project by specifically focusing on the worth of participating in such projects and being a part of it; its impact on the quality of education; and the impact of such projects on their students, their school and the community. I interviewed four teachers in one primary school in Mangochi district of Malawi. This school is one of 12 rural primary schools participating in a comprehensive educational project in order to improve the quality of education, and to reduce teacher’s absenteeism. In addition to the interviews, I collected quantitative data related to drop-out and repetition rates from that particular school along with data on absenteeism.
A Critical Comparative Policy Analysis of the Language-in-Education Policies of South Africa and South Sudan Grace Tamara Handy Policies that determine the language of instruction in public schools, including the implementation and outcomes of such policies, are often fraught with historical, social, cultural, political and economic complexities. These contentions are found, both in the design and description of the policy, as well as the implementation and outcomes. The purpose of this analysis was to explicate the inherent disputations found in the language in education policies (LiEP) of South Africa and South Sudan, by comparing and contrasting their LiEPs. Perhaps more importantly, this investigation sought to answer a more fundamental question of the role of LIEPs, in transforming inequitable educational systems that marginalizes some students and their communities. This critical policy analysis was conceptualized based on text-context theory, three-dimensional theory of justice, complex adaptive systems theory and theory of the critical practice approach to policy. The first research question sought to answer is how the policies were positioned with regards to the multilingual societies of these countries and what they instructed schools to do in terms of language of instruction. Second, the paper focused on how these policies were implemented, and the outcomes that followed. It was found that despite the differences in the design and intentions of the policies in both countries, the implementation of the policies faced similar challenges and had similar (often negative) outcomes. The discussion based on the findings focuses on understanding educational systems -in which policies are enacted- as historically charged, inequitable, complex adaptive systems by interrogating the utility of LiEPs, as a tool in transforming inequitable systems.
Using Behavioral Science to Help Assure Conditions for Health and Wellbeing Ithar Hassaballa and Bertilde Kamana Using behavioral science to help assure conditions for health and wellbeing, behavioral science methods aid in understanding and intervening environmental conditions that affect socially-important behavior and outcomes. Behavioral science methods have been used to promote behaviors related to health and human development, at both the individual and community levels. The behavioral science literature has shown that healthy behavior is more likely when the environment supports it—when it is easier and more rewarding. A behavioral science team, affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre at the University of Kansas, worked with colleagues at the WHO Regional Office in Africa, to examine what was working to address the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The focus of the case studies was a social mobilization intervention that was implemented in Liberia to engage individuals, families, and communities in health protection efforts. The effort aimed to enhance knowledge of Ebola transmission and an increase protective behaviors in order to prevent Ebola disease transmission and deaths. This intervention also modified barriers and opportunities for people in the community to engage in these behaviors to reduce the risk of exposure to Ebola. Behavioral science methods—including those for participatory monitoring and evaluation— can help us understand and improve environmental conditions to promote health and prevent disease. Thus, behavioral science methods—as applied to health promotion and protection—have important implications for research and practice for African educators and communities.
An African Transnational Educator’s Voice: Troubling and Transforming Teacher Education in the U.S. Rosaire Ifedi The realization that I was indeed different was gradual. As I sat through my principal licensure classes, I balanced the weight of my emerging identities on my shoulders: substitute teacher, immigrant, foreign-sounding, undermined, tenacious, and on and on. Yet, my perspectives on issues were also different from my peers’. Where they saw failure of underachievement and student absenteeism, I saw opportunity for motivation and teacher efficacy. Was it a problem of parental involvement or teacher inattention? The lines blurred many times. I began to embrace my being different. I practiced culturally sensitive pedagogy long before I encountered it in my doctoral studies. Being different, bi-lingual, and transnational became assets that would challenge and extend my experiences as an education faculty, preparing teachers to enter those increasingly diverse classrooms. The counter-stories I had documented from a phenomenological study of African-born female educators further informed and inspired my work in higher education. From implementing a study abroad program for graduate educators to creating courses in curriculum development and diversity, my transnational identity had enabled me to facilitate the professional development of P-20 educators. In a very diverse U.S., educators are even more so called to demonstrate necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions of competence, critical thinking, care, flexibility, and global-mindedness. Regardless of the constant flux in U.S. education – in curriculum, assessment, or teacher evaluation – we need to prepare teachers who are efficacious and empowered to respond to evolving demands in such a way as to assure the increased success of all our students. My African transnational identity thus facilitated my work in teacher preparation.
The Ecology of Middle-Childhood Health in the Akamba Cultural Context Grace Kaleli-Lee To the Akamba people of Kenya middle-childhood is well defined based on cultural expectations. These children between the ages of 6-14 years are crucial to the survival of the Akamba, however, a combination of low mortality rates and cultural biases has contributed to their marginalization in both health studies and solution-seeking community participation. This study examines the ecology of middle-childhood health by assessing their nutritional status through anthropometry and contextualizing it in the Akamba culture. Cross-sectional, anthropometric data were collected for 472 school-aged Akamba children in the semi-arid lowlands of Makueni County. The results show that 95.12% of the children are underweight of which 69% are classified as severely underweight with BMI values of less than 16 kg/m2. The overall prevalence of stunting is 19% with the highest prevalence occurring in the 13 year olds at 40.35%. Water scarcity has increased incidents of drought and food insecurity resulting in adverse environmental conditions. As the children enter middle-childhood and are given more responsibility, greater physical demands and inadequate caloric intake affect their growth and development. However, the provenance of solutions to health-related maladies may be stronger if education targets Akamba children in middle-childhood because of the physiology of growth in this life stage. Historically, survival has been predicated on the plasticity of the Akamba culture giving supportive space for this dialog to have greater impact potential to the future landscape of Akamba health insofar as the children are included in culturally supported models.
Xenophobia or Afrophobia? The Socio-economic Cost of Xenophobia in PostApartheid South Africa Phetlhe Keith Since 2008, reports of xenophobic attacks have been recorded in South Africa’s history. Recently, in April 2015, just about seven years later, the problem resurfaced again. This happened regardless of the rainbow nation that was newly established at the time marking the end of apartheid in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Many countries and international organizations have condemned these attacks by pointing out that they are a violation of human rights as billed by the international superior court. Some activists have classified the brutal attacks on foreigners as Afrophobia as they demonstrate hatred against black Africans. The foreigners may be political migrants, refugees and asylum seekers who are attracted by the stable economy of South Africa as a second economy. Natives of South Africa accuse the government for failing to engage robust action to repatriate these migrants to their respective countries. As a matter of fact, this has resulted in continued conflict and tension in the Africa-wide society specifically from the countries that were affected. The objective of the paper is to discuss the socioeconomic, or to be more precise, how the actions of xenophobic South Africans has affected both the social and economic structures of the country. The paper however, does not take for granted the understanding of the political dynamics of post-apartheid South Africa hence causes of xenophobic attacks will be critically explored.
Educational and Social Experiences of African-Born Immigrant Students Alex Kumi-Yeboah In this paper, the authors explore variation in the meaning of educational and social experiences as measured by their racial/ethnic identity formation for African-born immigrant students in a predominately urban high school. African-born immigrant students are coded into the racial/ethnic category of African-Americans, however, they have different cultural, educational, social backgrounds, and are mostly multilingual learners. Using the Fordham-Ogbu thesis, and Ogbu’s cultural ecological model, the authors used interview and observational data to examine the nuanced, academic journey of Africanborn immigrant students as they relate to teachers, students (peers), academic engagement and achievement, and how they are fostered by the school context. Findings indicate that African-born immigrant students struggled with oppositional cultures, assimilation, resulting from “the idea of acting White”, strived for academic success despite mounting challenges of language and cultural adjustment, wanted to be identified “African” racial and language discrimination by teachers, peers (both Whites and African-Americans), and high academic performance at school. Results of this study help teachers, educators, and policy makers to understand the educational and social experiences African-born immigrant youth go through as part of their academic and social transformations in order to acculturate and adjust to the educational systems in the United States. Study highlights the need for P-12 teachers to understand the educational and cultural background of African-born immigrant youth and to devise instructional strategies that can ease their transition into U.S schools.
Multicultural Online Education: Social Media and Technology Use among African-born Immigrant Youth Alex Kumi-Yeboah The purpose of the paper is to examine online learning experiences and use of social media among immigrant youth from sub-Saharan Africa. The use of technology and social media is popular among 21st century generation youth to navigate their educational, social, cultural, and personal world as a means to achieve or complete their educational goals. So far, few research studies focus on the experiences of immigrant youth specifically those from Africa. It is worthy to understand online learning experiences of special group of immigrant youth who come to the classroom with different cultural, educational, social and to some extent religious background. The study will demonstrate to educators, teachers, and policy makers the relationship that exists between academic performance and the use of technology and social media among African-born immigrant youth. Second, the study will reveal the best practices and instructional strategies that could be used to teach African immigrant youth in online education, and finally, discuss the implications of how negative media portrayals of Africa impact the academic performance of African immigrant youth.
Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Parents and their Children’s Special Education Services in U.S Schools: Their Knowledge, Perceptions, and Experiences Margaret K. Mbeseha Parental involvement in children’ education programs in the U.S. is increasingly being encouraged and expected. Due to the flow of immigrants into U.S., the demographic nature of U.S. schools is changing with an increase in the number of children from diverse cultural groups served in special education. Among these cultural groups are immigrant students from SubSaharan African (SSA) countries. Since federal mandates require parental involvement during the assessment, decision making, and educational processes, the field of special education is faced with both the challenge and the opportunity of designing formal service delivery systems for families with different cultural beliefs, and assumptions. Yet, very little research exists in the area of immigrant parents from SSA and their participation in individual education plan (IEP) meetings. This study in response to this void in the research utilized individual interviews in the spirit of phenomenology to examine SSA immigrant parents’ knowledge and perceptions about the special education services their children with disabilities are receiving in the U.S. schools. Results indicate that SSA parents, as new immigrants, know very little about the special education services, and their involvement in the process in the U.S. schools. Additionally, they self-educate themselves in the system by allowing themselves to seek out information and express their concern and support in relation to their children’ school experiences. It was also through this way that they gradually become fully involved, and satisfied with the process when a good line of communication is created between them and the educators.
The Changing Gender Roles: African Diasporic Masculinity Redefined David N.P. Mburu In the traditional African patriarchal society male dominance in all spheres of life was a common occurrence. The indigenous African education socialized men and women into defined gender roles. Men were socialized to provide and dominate the society with all the social privileges. The societal laws were oppressive to women and their rights and access to most of the economic and social amenities were denied. There was marginalization and discrimination of women who mostly engaged in unremunerated labor. They did not have a right to own property. Men inherited, owned and controlled all the instruments of production and women were relegated to observer positions. Girls were socialized to play subservient roles to their privileged brothers. But with the migration to the western world, these roles go through a metamorphosis and are redefined afresh. The western countries socio-economic structures have more rights and privileges for women a phenomenon that upsets the status quo of male social privileges. Women redefine and acquire new roles by sharing in the family’s decision making process. The mode of societal socialization takes a new dimension with boys and girls being socialized to partner in the domestic house chores. The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of this new social order on the diasporic masculinity in a changing environment.
Integration of ICT in Early Childhood Education Centers Curriculum: Exploring the Pedagogical Challenges of the 21st Century in Kenya David N.P.Mburu As the world moves rapidly into digital media and information technology, the role of ICT in education is becoming more important and this importance continues to grow and to develop in the 21st century. This paper explores the ICT usage and the challenges encountered in the teaching and learning process and its integration in the Early Childhood Development Education Centers (ECDEC) curriculum and practice. In most parts of Africa traditional methods of classroom delivery have been emphasized. The ICT technology can be tapped to improve on the curriculum delivery where children who are growing up in a technological environment can engage in self-directed exploration tailored to their individual needs. Today’s children are growing up with ICT being a natural part of their everyday lives. However, there seems to be minimal or no activities in the use of ICT by children in ECDE centers to support their learning. Despite the importance of ICT in the teaching and learning process, the integration of ICT in the ECDEC curriculum remains a mirage in most African countries.
A Visiting Scholar’s Perspectives on Undergraduate Education at the University of Ghana-Legon Jake & Barbara McDade Gordon In 1987-88 when I did my doctoral dissertation field research, the enrollment at the University of Ghana was about 3,000 students. The current enrollment is more than 30,000. The University of Ghana is the premier institution of higher education in Ghana having celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2013. The mantra of the current administration is to become a Center of Excellence among universities world-wide. The University of Ghana has many attributes that will propel it to eventually attain this status. As with all educational institutions in Africa and elsewhere, it has its share of challenges. These include decreasing public funding, large class enrollments, curricula development, inadequate or outdated infrastructure and facilities, many students from low income households, student apathy, and even questions about the relevance of a university degree among students and the general public. While serving as a visiting scholar at the University of Ghana during two academic years in 2013 and 2014; I observed and experienced the effects of these issues in the classroom, on student behavior, and on their academic outcomes. This paper looks at the daily struggles to teach and learn at the UG in the midst of the challenges as well as the optimism shown by students and faculty in overcoming systemic problems and pursuing a quality education to serve family and country.
An Assessment of the Capability of Public Primary Schools to Implement ICT Education in Malawi: A Case of Selected Public Primary Schools in Lilongwe District Madalitso Elisa Mukiwa Malawi’s commitment towards meeting MDG 2 target, which is “Achieving Universal Primary Education” has been demonstrated through efforts to achieve access, equity, and relevance of primary education while striving to offer quality to the majority 83% rural, but poor population, and 17% urban minority. Consequently, the Ministry of Education Science and Technology in partnership with international partners collaborate and have, to date, achieved tangible output. For instance, there has been an increase in pupil enrolment from 1.9 million in 1994 to 3.2 million in 2009 representing 68% increase; secondly, a reduction of pupil teacher ratio from 1:123 in the year 2000 to 1:92 in the year 2004 and currently at 1:78. Massive construction of additional 2096 classroom blocks; but most remarkably, 50.2% enrolment of girls has been achieved amongst many others. Despite this level of achievement, ICT education in Malawi public primary schools is largely being ignored. Less than 1% of pupils in primary schools are computer literate (UNESCO, 2008). Little effort has been made to examine school’s ability to offer ICT education. The purpose of this study is to describe the teacher’s ICT ability, knowledge and skills. A case study design adopted has used questionnaires to collect data; and descriptive analysis to analyze data. Key findings are that 95% of teachers are computer illiterate due to lack of access and of pre and post service ICT training, Teacher computer ratio is 1:80 and high in the rural area. Therefore schools lack of ICT competence remains a threat to relevance.
Education for a Robust Socio-economic and Political Transformation of Africa Michael Takafor Ndemanu The purpose of this paper is to redefine formal education in Africa to suit the contemporary needs of its people since we cannot completely erase Western misperceptions of Africa and its people without dealing with the underlying problems which beget the misperceptions. Transformative education is absolutely critical to the cultural, economic and political advancement of Africa. Although many African immigrants in most Western countries do well academically, the education that children receive in the continent is minimally transformative owing to its outmoded pedagogic and curricular designs. Many textbooks used in African schools are still foreign and divorced from students’ lives, experiences, and interests. Because these books are culturally irrelevant to these students, they tend to memorize, to regurgitate, and to forget the contents as they ascend the academic ladder. For example, physical geography is taught in such an abstract way that students don’t learn basic knowledge about climate change and the goals of environmental sustainability. The real issues, however, are greater than textbooks: local languages have been shunned as Western and Chinese languages have been prioritized in the school curricula; European history in many countries is still prioritized to African history; students are taught and assessed on their abilities to memorize the names of government officials in place of a robust civic/citizenship education that cultivates the mind; and the curriculum at every grade level is typically one-size-fitsall and children with special needs are basically forgotten. Thus, there is a need to return to the drawing board to rethink and redefine education. The following questions must be addressed by seasoned educational scholars with sound comparative knowledge about other education systems in more politically and economically stable countries: What is the purpose of education? What knowledge is worthwhile for individual countries in Africa? To what extent does the school curriculum align with Africa’s strategic sociopolitical and economic plans? What counts as knowledge in more industrialized societies? How is that knowledge achieved there? How is it measured? How are analytical and critical thinking skills taught in more politically stable and economically successful countries? How are African students applying the academic knowledge in real-life situations? Transformative education is the answer to all these questions. If top-notch transformative education systems are put in place in Africa, the continent will become more socio-economically and politically stable and the world will begin to see Africa differently.
Refugee Educational Experiences in USA, especially in Kansas City metro area. Mohamed Nur, Abdulkadir Bakar, Jennifer Wilson, and Karen Duffner From time to time refugee students are predisposed by their past experience in their home countries or by unsure circumstances in their United States reception and resettlement process and thus may experience disconnect within the community and the schools that have been introduced to them. The refugees therefore require a welcoming community, a community that can help refugee children learn with a suitable curriculum and social context. Individuals understand circumstances based on their past experience, and those understandings are by no means culture free. Therefore, how we educate the refugee children is an essential cultural aspect. The presenters will be providing to the conference some important information regarding specific, well-developed educational programs that Della Lamb Charter School is providing to the refugee children.
Nurturing Global Education at High School Level: Lessons from Starehe Boys Centre and School, Kenya Peter Otiato Ojiambo There has been increased interest in global education in the last 30 years and a surge in international programs at various universities tasked with the mission of fostering the same. A critical examination of the current studies on the vitality of global education in the teaching and learning process are based on its operationalization at higher institutions of learning. There are limited studies on its significance and actualization at the high school and other lower forms of education. This paper examines dearth of such studies at these levels. The paper looks at one high school in Kenya-Starehe Boys Centre and School (SBCS) and its efforts to foster global education among students and faculty. Precisely, it examines: the emerging literature on global education; efforts of Starehe Boys Centre and School to offer global education to students and faculty; the challenges that SBCS has faced in its attempts to offer global education; and the educational lessons that SBCS model provides on how global education can be cultivated and enhanced at high school level. The paper observes that due to the rapid changing global realities, offering global education to students at all levels is paramount. For the process to succeed, the paper accentuates that school leaders must: start the process early; recognize that global education matters to the success of their students in their careers and life; ensure that the process is continuous, collaborative; and it is done across the curriculum and levels.
The struggle for Catholic schools in Nigeria and its significance in the reconstruction of the Nigerian State: Post-colonial era to present Sister Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam Catholic Church has a long history in the growth and development of education in Africa and more so in the case of Nigeria that predicts its independence in 1960. For several decades catholic schools have been a significant vehicle in the training and formation of human power in the Nigerian nation. However, catholic schools in Nigeria have endured many challenges starting from the post-colonial era – 1960, when Nigeria gained her independence up to the present millennium. Despite all these challenges, the Catholic Church in Nigeria and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria have remained undaunted in their struggle to maintain the Catholic school identity by providing quality and holistic education to all Nigerians irrespective of socioeconomic background or religious affiliation. This paper critically examines the role of the catholic schools in the reconstruction of the Nigerian state after the independence in 1960 and the forceful takeover of catholic schools by the Nigerian military government during the Nigerian/Biafrian civil war between 1967 and 1970. It also discusses the several decades of struggle by the Nigerian Catholic Bishops with the various political actors in Nigeria to return the mission schools to the original owners since that period to the present. The results of this struggle show that while some states in Nigeria remain adamant to this request, some have responded positively as in the case of Enugu state in Southeast Nigeria; which affirms the role of the catholic schools in the reconstruction of the Nigerian state in the past, at the present and in the future.  
Challenges of African (Refugee) Students in an Urban High School Godlove Tebe The United States of America has always been home to immigrants and especially refugees from almost every part of the world. African refugees, like many from different parts of the world are received in the United States as refugees by different not-for-profit organizations. These organizations are charged with placing the new immigrants and refugees in homes, jobs, and schools within the local community at a specified time from the moment of arrival. Refugee children and youth are brought to the local or neighborhood school for enrollment. Students are placed in schools based on the documents they bring. Most often, these students are placed immediately in classrooms and grade levels based on age. This presentation will focus on critical issues and challenges these students face. These include admission and grade level placement; reaction to new (foreign) students by school administration; staff and students; reaction by new students to their new environment; family/parental issues; school culture; curriculum/extra curricula activities; accommodations of the refugee students; conclusions and suggestions will be made for more humane, just and equitable ways of providing welcoming services for new African, especially refugee students.
African immigrant Parents’ Experiences and Perspectives on U.S. Schools and Teachers Omiunota Ukpokodu & Abdulkadir Bakar Research has long established that schools are the most important social institutions for integrating immigrants into their new societies. Although there is a plethora of research on African immigrants, little is known about their experiences with schools. The little that is known often focuses on the overgeneralized educational success of African immigrants and the isolated success stories of a few individuals. While there is evidence of some African immigrant educational success, little is known about the challenges and other experiences both students and their families face. In general, the few available research on African immigrant students suggests that they are invisible and are subjected to many forms of marginalization. Academically, studies suggest that many African immigrant students are struggling, underachieving, and dropping out of schools. The purpose of this presentation is to bring a much-needed voice on African immigrant parents/families’ perspectives about their children’ schooling and educational experiences in U.S. schools. The presentation will address the following questions: What are African immigrant parents/families’ experiences with the schools? What do they say about their children’ educational experiences? What do they say about their experiences with teachers? The presentation will focus on selected African immigrant parents/families of children of elementary and secondary school attending U.S. schools. Panel participants will respond to pre-formulated questions that allow them to speak to their experiences with the schools and the schooling and educational experiences of their children. This presentation is important because it will provide information that will be valuable to schools and teachers as they work with African immigrant students and their families.
Education and Empowerment among Girls in Kenya: Enterprise Learning and Entrepreneurship Teresa A. Wasonga In developing countries like Kenya, resources are scarce and more so among populations faced with intractable levels and cycles of poverty with profound negative impacts. And even though education has been marketed as the socioeconomic equalizer, the system of education in Kenya has exacerbated both poverty levels and wealth gaps. Since independence, the focus of education in Kenya has transitioned from expansion, to access, to equality, and to quality without consideration for student backgrounds, school processes, and expected outputs. Compared to children from privilege, children from marginalized populations and/or poverty attend poorly resourced schools and often exit with poor grades, limited skills, and hardly any imagination/creativity to change their livelihoods or fit in the complex world that they find themselves. Historically, public schools in Kenya have been and still are at the mercy of the government from where they receive directives with less than adequate funding or consideration for the needs of the children served. Due to the fact that children from poor backgrounds are not likely to pay schools or pay it late and the fact that government does not provide adequate funding on time, schools that serve children from impoverished backgrounds struggle to provide quality basic education. These circumstances are not likely to change soon and therefore, school leaders and communities need to generate new, different, and creative ideas, sources of funding, and resources that would afford children in poverty an education good enough to equip them with knowledge and skills that they can apply in the real world in order to change their circumstances and those of their communities. The focus of this paper is the on-going work at an all-girls school in Kenya where enterprise learning and entrepreneurship are under implementation a long side the regular curriculum with the goal of preparing adolescent girls to exit school with academic and social outcomes that would enable them to make change in their lives for better.
Making a Difference: Beyond Educational Opportunities for Girls Teresa A. Wasonga This paper focuses on the development of an all-girls school in Kenya, “built for the richest and open to the poorest”. Utilizing a systems approach, the school has focused on four dimensions of Gender Equality Framework: equality of access, equality in the learning process, equality of educational outcomes, and equality of external results. All of these are being achieved through broad leadership capacity, sustained engagement, and active learning. Generally, in Kenya, this kind of educational environment which is delimited to schools that serve the affluent. On the contrary, Jane Adeny Memorial School (JAMS) has made it possible for bright girls living in abject poverty to access an educational environment that places them on a path to reach their full potential. The school provides a safe and orderly setting where teachers and students are inspired to take risks, share narratives, and connect deeply with each other on a human level. Harmonious co-existence among teachers and students rooted in the values of respect, dignity, empathy, cooperation, and interdependency; not only acknowledges the human status of other, but also influences collective responsibility for innovation and sustainable development. At the core, co-existence “promotes common good of society and includes humanness as an essential element of human growth”. This notion of co-existence, also known as “Ubuntu,” is the African communalism value system that has potential in shaping the formation of perceptions that influence social conduct among teachers and students. At JAMS, the shared values of Ubuntu have transformed collective concerns into shared accomplishments. The absence of corporal punishment means that students’ dignity is fostered through counseling, freedom of expression, spiritual development, and ethic of care. Students chose to be here, and in return, their basic needs, resources for personal use, academic work, and spiritual development are made available to them, equalizing the learning environment. Stories told by the students of their lives before and after they come to JAMS indicate that opportunity structures for engagement in a participatory environment provide possibilities to create and recreate hope for changing their futures.
About IAAE and Membership
Membership is open to African Educators in P-20 in the Diaspora (U.S., Britain, Canada, etc.) and in the Homeland) and graduate students in higher education. Membership Fees A. Regular ($75.00) – Individuals who are employed by school districts, private or parochial schools, colleges, universities or other entities (America, Asia, Australia, the West and the Caribbean). B. Student ($35.00) – Individuals who are full-time students enrolled in high school, undergraduate, or graduate schools. C. Retired/Community ($50.00) – Individuals who are no longer working and with limited income. D. Homeland Membership ($35.00) – Individuals who are in Continental Africa. E. Institutional Membership / Agency ($150.00) Standing Committees (Please Volunteer) Bylaws Committee Financial/Development Committee Conference Committee Membership Committee Network/Outreach/Publicity Committee Publications/Newsletter Committee Nominating/Election Committee For information about the association, please contact Dr. Omiunota Ukpokodu, University of Missouri - Kansas City 615 E. 52nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64110 ukpokodun@umkc.edu
Presenter List Mercy Agyepong University of Wisconsin Madison agyepong@wisc.edu Abdulkadir Bakar Della Lamb Community Services Refugee Resettlement Program Abakar@dellalamb.org George J. S. Sefa Dei Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto george.dei@utoronto.ca
Bertilde Kamana University of Kansas b235k385@ku.edu
Peter Ojiambo University of Kansas ojiambo@ku.edu
Phetlhe Keith Ohio University kp406314@ohio.edu
Sr. Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam Univeristy of Kansas srmonwueg@ku.edu
Alex Kumi-Yeboah University at Albany - SUNY akumi-yeboah@albany.edu Rong Xue Lan University of North Carolina Chapel Hill xrong@email.unc.edu
Karen Duffner Della Lamb Charter School kduffner@dellalamb.org
Grace Kaleli-Lee University of Kansas grace@theleetribe.org
Gu冒laug Erlendsd贸ttir University of Malawi gue14@hi.is
Margaret K. Mbeseha Messiah College awungmk@yahoo.com
Barbara McDade Gordon University of Florda Gainesville bmcdade@ufl.edu
David N. P. Mburu University of Kansas davidmburu@ku.edu
Jake Gordon University of Kansas Jgordon07@gmail.com Grace Tamara Handy University of Kansas g298h403@ku.edu Ithar Hassaballa University of Kansas ithar@ku.edu Rosaire Ifedi Ashland University rifedi@ashland.edu
Madalitso Elisa Mukiwa madamukiwa@yahoo.com Zandile P. Nkabinde New Jersey City University znkabinde@njcu.edu Flora O. Nkire Abia State University floraoby@gmail.com Mohammed Nur Della Lamb Community Services MNur@dellalamb.org
Godlove Tebe University of Missouri - Kansas City gtebe@hotmail.com Omiunota Ukpokodu Univeristy of Missouri - Kansas City ukpodokdun@umkc.edu Teresa A. Wasonga Northern Illinois University twasonga@niu.edu Jennifer Wilson Della Lamb Charter School jwilson@dellalamb.org
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