Amanda Najib Ibrahim is an anti-racist, progressive educator and public speaker focused on advancing underserved communities. Amanda is a Palestinian American who grew up in Northern New Jersey and is currently based in the Midwest. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Prior to attending Columbia University, Amanda spent years teaching abroad, where she served various refugee populations throughout the Middle East, including Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syrian refugees in Southern Turkey and displaced Palestinian refugees in the West Bank. She also taught GED prep courses to imprisoned students in the greater New York City area.
Fully committed to continuing down the teaching path, Amanda moved to New York City to attend Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. While attending Columbia University, Amanda sat on racial literacy and anti-bias panels. She delivered the student commencement address and discussed racial disparities in schools and across the globe. It was while teaching in progressive New York City schools that she saw firsthand how progressive education and a child-centered approach help transform children from passive listeners into navigators of their own learning. She also realized how predominantly Black and brown students do not get the privilege of progressive education and has subsequently committed to progressive and anti-racist teaching in underserved areas.
Prior to her current role at an independent school, Amanda’s diverse classroom experience included teaching in Title-1 schools in NYC and Chicago. Amanda is currently pursuing educational consultantship, where she plans to leverage her experience and training to address school improvement, diversity training and anti-racist and culturally responsive curriculum. Amanda’s passion for social justice, coupled with her fervor for progressive education, fuel her pursuit of educational reform, writing and scholarship.
