The Power Rainbow: a tool to support 3rd–5th graders in analyzing systems of power

The Power Rainbow is a pedagogical tool and framework to support children in power analysis — the ability to make sense of power and how it shapes our lives and societies. It is a graphic representation of nested systems of power, and concretizes the abstract concept of systemic power through shape, color, and text. The Power Rainbow scaffolds the type of structural thinking necessary to research and take action towards more just futures. The tool was originally developed to support children in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), but it can also be used in critical pedagogy more broadly, such as to support action projects in schools, in workshops with children and caregivers, and in understanding our own lives.

Protection in Refugee Education: Teachers’ Socio-Political Practices in Classrooms in Jordan

Research | This article examines why and how teachers of refugees enact protection by engaging with local forms of harm facing their refugee students. Through portraits of two classrooms in Jordan, we describe the relationships that form between Jordanian teachers and Syrian students, and the protection practices teachers develop in response. We propose a more comprehensive conceptualization of protection in refugee education that layers socio-political protection on legal and rights-based protection commonly embedded in humanitarian activities.

In Focus: Marangu Njogu

Interview | REACH team member Hellen Zziwa spoke with Dr. Marangu Njogu of Windle International about his work, the challenges of providing quality instruction in refugee camp settings, and the importance of supporting young learners throughout their educational journeys.

Quality EducationDagan RossiniAugust 24, 2021Interview, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Equity

Responses to Cultural Diversity in Botswana’s Schools

Research | This article examines nation-state policies that have prioritized toleration of diversity over recognition through comparative case studies of three junior secondary schools in Botswana.

FreshEd Podcast on Refugee Education and Language of Instruction

Podcast | Celia Reddick and Sarah Dryden-Peterson discuss language of instruction in refugee education on the FreshEd podcast, hosted by Will Brehm.

Animation Highlights Need for Refugee Education and Durable Futures

Video | Researchers from the Peace Research Institute Oslo and Harvard University teamed up with PositiveNegatives to convey the narratives of refugee students and teachers in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya.

Dagan RossiniJune 25, 2021Migration, For Researchers, Curriculum

Creating Change in Real Time

Insight | Student leaders and educators in Refugee REACH director Sarah Dryden-Peterson's new module at HGSE, Education in Uncertainty, share how they were able to connect their studies to practice and respond to emerging needs of their local communities and build supports during Covid-19.

Quality Education, MediaDagan RossiniFebruary 26, 2021Curriculum, Civic Education, For Educators, Globalization

Making Space for Difficult Discussions

Insight | HGSE shares resources for educators and caregivers following the insurrection at the U.S. Capital, including thoughts by Refugee REACH's Sarah Dryden-Peterson.

Integration & Belonging, MediaSarah Dryden-PetersonJanuary 8, 2021Civic Education, Pedagogy, Curriculum

Civic Education and the Education of Refugees

Research | This essay explores the civic education of refugees within the context of a radical global policy shift to include refugees in national education systems.

Are Refugee Children Learning? Early Grade Literacy in a Refugee Camp in Kenya

Research | In the first literacy census in a refugee camp, researchers assessed all the schools providing lower primary education to refugee children in Kakuma, Kenya.

In Focus: Mialy Dermish

Interview | A conversation with UNHCR education specialist Mialy Dermish about what it’s been like to take her classroom learning into the field, her current role, and how she thinks about research in her work.

The Purposes of Refugee Education: Policy and Practice of Including Refugees in National Education Systems

Research | This article analyzes how refugee education is understood and designed by actors in diverse positions: at global levels, across 14 refugee-hosting nation-states, within schools, and over time.

Quality Education for Refugees in Kenya: Instruction in Urban Nairobi and Kakuma Refugee Camp Settings

Research | This article examines the quality of education available to refugees in both urban and refugee camp settings in Kenya, with a particular focus on teacher pedagogy.

Quality EducationSarah Dryden-PetersonDecember 13, 2019For Policymakers, Language, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Integration

Prioritizing Unity over Diversity in Botswana’s Social Studies Policies and Practices and the Implications for Positive Peace

Research | This article considers the ways in which education policy and practice in Botswana negotiate tensions between assimilationist and multiculturalist approaches to ethnic diversity.

Inclusion of Refugees in National Education Systems

Report | Background paper prepared for UNESCO’s 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report. It explores the inclusion of refugees in national education systems, focusing on case studies in Kenya, Uganda, and Lebanon.

Integration & BelongingSarah Dryden-PetersonDecember 10, 2019For Policymakers, Integration, Pedagogy, Curriculum

“When I Am a President of Guinea”: Resettled Refugees Traversing Education in Search of a Future

Research | This article explores how resettled refugees’ aspirations cultivated through education collide with post-schooling realities, and the barriers that stand in the way of resettled refugee young people achieving their long-term goals.

Integration & BelongingSarah Dryden-PetersonDecember 10, 2019For Educators, Equity, Integration, Curriculum, Pedagogy

Explore Our Resources

Sign up for our newsletter