Dr. Muhammad Khalifa is an assistant professor in
the Department of Educational Administration (EAD)
at Michigan State University. Dr. Khalifa is a
native of Michigan, and worked as a public school
teacher and administrator in Detroit. His
research demonstrates how school leaders can
creates an overlap between school and community
environments. In such overlapping contexts,
principals venture into the community and
advocated for community-based causes. In his
research, this led to parental trust of the school
leader, and he was consequently better able to
make school-based children without parental
resistance.
This and Dr. Khalifa’s other works demonstrate
that necessity of school leaders to enact a
nuanced school leadership that is responsive to
the sensibilities and histories of the local
community. In his research until now, this has
largely been African American, Latino, English
language learners (ELL) who are most often low-SES
students. Recently, however, he has engaged
research that examines the plight of African
refugee students. He is looking at the factors
that lead these students to show either high or
low academic performance in school. Of special
interest is how school leaders might promote
environments that contribute to refugee school
success. In this regard, and in addressing other
minoritized students, he has been helping schools
with conducting equity audits.
