As educators, we have the privilege and the responsibility of co-creating the next generations’ educational future. I strongly believe that this education must embrace multiple and even conflicting viewpoints and values. I strive to do so in my research, teaching, and mentoring of M.A and Ph.D students.
My empirical studies go beyond the educational context in my attempts to explore leadership, organizational, and policy issues in their broader environments, such as elementary as well as secondary schools, principal-preparatory programs as well as teacher-education programs, and diverse systems such as special education and ethnic minorities. Taking a holistic-ecological approach to research agendas enables us to see and hear multiple perspectives and learn from them.
The graduate level courses I teach engage a diverse population of current and prospective educational leaders. Jews, Muslims, and Christians of varying degrees of religiosity from different formal and informal educational institutions learn collaboratively in the midst of cultural, political, and religious turmoil. Teaching these graduate students to link theory, research evidence, and practice in turbulent urban areas, while maintaining respectful and constructive peer dialogue through collective learning, epitomizes the complexity and importance of education.
Long-term advising-mentoring of M.A and Ph.D students from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds has been a particularly enriching process. Advising these students individually, and then bringing them together in collaborative study groups, opens our minds. Equally important, it opens our hearts toward shaping our shared future. This can be done by creating a community of learners that fosters opportunities for students to develop new relationships that honor and celebrate multiple perspectives and diverse life experiences.
Growing up as the son of Holocaust survivors has instilled in me a deep respect for others’ beliefs and experiences. It also taught me about the power of resilience, adaptability, and determination as building blocks to turn our hopes and dreams into reality.