Crystena Parker-Shandal – författare

Transform Your Classroom into a Space for Justice, Healing, and BelongingPeacebuilding instructional methods can be powerful tools to address conflict, inequity, and exclusion in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Peacebuilding Pedagogies shows how to cultivate nurturing learning environments, create space for students to critically engage with social issues and use restorative circles and critical race dialogue. These practices interrupt cycles of harm and silence, replacing them with connection, accountability, and care.Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal offers concrete, classroom-tested models for facilitating these conversations with integrity and intention. Through vivid, research-based examples of dialogue and discussion, she illustrates how students learn to connect personal experiences to broader systemic realities, developing critical consciousness, empathy, and social awareness in ways that are both rigorous and developmentally appropriate.Drawing on practical strategies and richly contextualized case studies, this book offers a clear roadmap for transforming classrooms into inclusive, relational spaces where students and teachers can grapple honestly with racism, power, and oppression—and imagine more just ways of being together.

This collection is an inspiring compilation of personal narratives that delve into the remarkable journeys of first-generation doctoral graduates in education. It unveils their struggles, triumphs, and transformations as they navigate academia, driven by passion and a commitment to breaking barriers. Their stories depict resilience, resistance, and the pursuit of excellence as they confront the challenges of being the first in their families to embark on the rigorous, intellectually demanding path of obtaining a doctoral degree. From diverse backgrounds, cultures, and disciplines, some of these first-gen docs now serve as advisers to the next generation of doctoral students. Readers will be captivated by narratives of sacrifice, courage, and academic identity formation, shedding light on the transformative impact on families and communities. First-Gen Docs: Personal, Political, and Intellectual Perspectives from the First-Generation Doctoral Experience underscores the role of mentors, allies, and inclusivity, inspiring future generations in academia and beyond.Contributors are: Nur Diyanah Anwar, Miguel Baique, Nina Bascia, Kathy Bickmore, Jinny Menon, Elizabeth Montaño, Newton Asakhulu Mukolwe, R. Nanre Nafziger, Yecid Ortega, Crystena A. H. Parker-Shandal, Rosaisela Rodriguez, Janel Janiczek Smith and Zora Wolfe.