Recap of ISNA’s 27th Annual Education Forum
By Crystal Habib
Mar/Apr 26
On April 3 to 5, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) hosted its 27th Annual Education Forum in collaboration with WISER and CISNA, in Chicago. It welcomed about 450 educators, administrators, parents, counselors, curriculum designers, mental health professionals, and community leaders for a weekend of practical learning and prophetic inspiration under the theme “Rooted, Ready: Developing Authentically-Grounded Leaders — Identity, Wellness, Resilience in Challenging Times.”
A Live Classroom of Islamic Education
More than a conference, the Forum, which was supported by 22 vendors and eight sponsors, felt like a live classroom; a program that balanced actionable pedagogy with spiritual formation. Panels, workshops, and plenaries emphasized that Islamic education’s highest aim is the cultivation of ethically-grounded human beings — students and teachers who embody ihsān (excellence), amanah (trust), and raḥmah (mercy) — so faith and excellence inform every classroom decision.
Framing the Work: Tazkiah, SEI, and Ihsān
A throughline across sessions was the insistence that interior formation (tazkiah) is the foundation of effective schooling. Yusuf Jaaber, the director of Quran, Arabic, and Islamic studies at the Universal Academy of Florida in Tampa, reframed Social‑Emotional Intelligence (SEI) as prophetic heart-work — SEI practiced, not merely taught — and offered simple daily routines (two‑minute heart checks, comforting‑voice scripts, private‑correction protocols) for embedding relational work into school life. CISNA Vice President Farea Khan urged leaders to reframe teacher evaluation through Islamic values — ihsān, amanah, rahmah, niyyah (intention), adab (etiquette) — so observations and feedback become acts of tarbiyah (spiritual nurturing) rather than compliance.
Mental Health, Restorative Culture, and Staff Wellness
Mental health and restorative practice sessions centered on mercy and resilience. Psychiatrist Ali Syed modeled a biopsychosocial‑spiritual approach to educator resilience (grounding techniques, peer‑processing groups, niyyah resets), while educator, author, and trainer Dr. Suher Khirallah and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine Dr. Sarfraz Khan presented restorative frameworks – “What happened? Who was affected? How can we fix it?” – that replaces punitive discipline with relational repair. They emphasized a well‑supported teacher multiplies goodness across generations.
Practical Curricula for Diverse Learners
Curriculum sessions bridged neuroscience, inclusion, and joyful pedagogy. Educational psychiatrist Nelly Kaakaty’s ACCESS framework (Anchor, Chunk, Check, Embed, Scaffold, Signal) offered ready classroom support for neurodivergent learners. Founder of Muslim Explorers Iman K. Hasan and her team demoed a play‑based, Quran‑centered Arabic sequence for students ages 3 to 6; Dr. Iman Hashem, a nationally-recognized leader in Arabic language education, showcased UDL strategies to center identity in Arabic classrooms; and Noor Academy Quranic Studies teacher Ustadh Hasan Peay argued convincingly for multimodal, differentiated approaches to Hifz that honor historical transmission while expanding access.
AI, Ethics, and Assignment Design
A timely panel on Artificial Intelligence led by technology leader Muhammad Aamir Usmani and colleagues positioned AI as a powerful tool under human stewardship. Speakers recommended an Islamic ethical lens (niyyah, amanah, adl [justice], ihsān, Hifz al‑Aql [preservation of intellect]), formation of school AI ethics committees, clear written policies, teacher training in prompt and verification practices, and redesigning assessments to foreground process, defense, and local/contextual work so student reasoning cannot be outsourced.
Weekend Schools, Parent Partnership, and Ecosystem Design
Weekend‑school leaders grappled with short instructional time, volunteer burnout, and competing digital attention. Islamic educator Kristin Amina Laktaif urged a resilient ecosystem model — mandatory parent partnership orientations, PTO structures, hybrid reinforcement, gamification, and professional micro‑PD — to transform weekend programs from transactional services to community anchors. Teacher and lawyer Mahdy Amine’s Paradigm Parenting reframed parent development as school infrastructure: mandatory short spark sessions and a 30‑day practice journey were recommended to align home and school.
Governance, Compliance, and Institutional Resilience
A panel on practical, legal, and administrative underscored that many crises stem from procedural failure. Speakers urged clear governance boundaries, rigorous HR vetting (including social media checks), external financial audits and dual‑signature controls, compliance calendars, and relationship‑building with civic and political stakeholders as critical shields against targeted attacks.
Quran, Ethics, and the Sciences
The Quranic studies sessions emphasized minimalist, hinge‑principle ethics for volatile times (Donald Bennett), differentiated, multi‑modal Hifz strategies (Peay), and a thoughtful engagement between Quranic reflection and science (computer science and engineering professor at the University of Texas in Arlington Dr. Ishfaq Ahmed’s cosmology‑linked “Quranic Laws”). Educators were reminded to anchor curricula in Quranic moral hinges while avoiding forced concordism.
Conference Life and Community Witness
The Forum’s opening ceremony and banquet celebrated the prophetic call to teach and build institutions. Islamic educator Magda Elkadi Saleh received the Lifetime Service Award; The American Learning Institute for Muslims’ first scholar-in-resident, Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans’s, banquet keynote urged institutional excellence as dawah. ISNA updates highlighted expanded regional engagement, scholarships, and ongoing resource posting.
As suggested by the attendees’ feedback, ISNA will work toward including more Q&A time, broadening representation to include Islamic schools of diverse backgrounds, and making logistical improvements.
Note on Arabic‑Track Content
Arabic‑track sessions were delivered in Arabic. Their rich contributions — offered in the same spirit of tazkiah, ihsān, and communal care that animated the Forum — included: Games & Brain Breaks for an Engaged Classroom (Lindblom Math and Science Academy Department Chair Fadi Abughoush); Enhancing Dual‑Language Learning with Cooperative Strategies (dual language teacher Rima Mekdashi); Engaging Tools to Unlock the Arabic Writing Potential (teacher at Elizabeth Learning Center Bayan Naamani); and Rooted in the Quran: Identity, Wellness, and Ethical Resilience Through Arabic and Quranic Science (Bayan Academy Quran and Arabic teacher Fatima Antakli). ISNA plans to publish the speaker presentations to the ISNA website.
Accessing Materials
Slide decks and speaker resources will be posted on ISNA’s resources page. Contact programintern@isna.net with any questions.
Closing Reflection
The Forum modeled a living synthesis of knowledge and mercy: pedagogical craft anchored in prophetic ethics, practical systems to protect schools, and a communal commitment to raising learners who are both rooted in faith and ready to serve the common good. If there was one clear conviction from Chicago, it was this: when you invest in your teachers’ hearts and professionalism, you invest in generations.
Special Thanks
ISNA extends a heartfelt thanks to the program committee, speakers, moderators, attendees, staff, volunteers, and everyone whose labor, wisdom, and du’as turned the Forum into a living classroom of tarbiyah and learning. Special gratitude to our collaborators WISER and CISNA for their partnership, and deep appreciation to our sponsors — American Islamic College, ISF Publications, The Clear Publishing, IQRA Foundation, Dean Desk, ICNA Relief, ISLA, and School Pro — whose support made this gathering possible.
Crystal Habib is the ISNA communications and social media coordinator.