In this symposium we discuss and offer new lenses for researching and practicing education within shifting contexts, using Arizona as an exemplar. Arizona’s schools’ challenges arise from sociopolitical and sociocultural tensions, which are increasingly prevalent in schools nationwide. We present four studies that focus on Arizona educators and students navigating, negotiating, and asserting (or silencing) their voices and identities amidst restrictive, colorblind policies and social/institutional structures, thus implying new approaches to education in complex contexts. Participants: -Rebuilding Trust between Latino Families and Schools in U.S.-Mexico Border Contexts Darcy Tessman, University of Arizona -Set Up to Fail? The Systematic ‘Silencing’ of our Increasingly Multicultural Students Lisa Fetman, University of Arizona -Schools as Communities: Contemporary Transformative Leadership in Educational Practice Linsay DeMartino, University of Arizona -Towards Posthumanism: The Need for New Theory in Women’s Educational Leadership Erin Matyjasik, University of Arizona Facilitator: Martin Scanlan, Marquette University / Boston College
