Keynote Speaker Dr. Sawsan Jaber
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Dr. Sawsan Jaber is a global educator, presenter, equity strategist, curriculum designer, community activist and keynote speaker of 20+ years. She has held a variety of leadership positions both in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Jaber is currently a high school English Department Chair, District Equity Leader, and teacher at Maine West High School in Park Ridge, IL. Dr. Jaber founded Education Unfiltered Consulting and works with schools nationally and internationally.
She completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on inclusion and belonging of students from marginalized communities, with a focus on Arab American students in historically homogenous communities.
Sawsan was one of the ten finalists for Illinois State Teacher of the year. She was awarded the Cook County Teacher of the year in 2023, ISTE 20 to Watch Award for 2023, the CEL Teacher-Leader of Excellence Award in 2023, and IDEA Teacher of the Year in 2022.
Dr. Jaber is a Board Director of Our Voice Alliance (OVA) charged with amplifying the voices of teachers of color to create more equity for students of color. Additionally, Sawsan is one of the founders of the Arab American Education Network (AAEN). She is a member of the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) Community Leader Network. She is a member of NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. Dr. Jaber is a National Board Certified teacher and focuses most of her research on engaging all students in equity work and advocating for Arab and Muslim students. Among other projects, she has worked on national and international equity centered projects with Google and the National Board Association. Sawsan is a Pulitzer Teacher Fellow and a state TeachPlus Policy Fellow. She has been featured in several conferences and podcasts, and written several blogs, journals, and newsletter publications with the hopes to continue working with educators to empower students to work towards global equity and justice.
She has published several scholarly works and a chapter in the book Navigating Precarity in Educational Contexts: Reflection, Pedagogy, and Activism for Change and a chapter in the book The Intersections of Critical Pedagogy, Critical Literacy, and Social Justice: Toward Empowerment, Equity, and Education for Liberation. She is co-writing part 2 of the book Street Data with author Shane Safir. Sawsan has several other publications. However, her favorite work is being an Activist Scholar and co-conspirator for justice alongside her students.
Sawsan brings the perspective of being the daughter of refugees from Deir Yasin, Palestine.
Twitter: @SJEducate
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