Office Location:
276 GDodgeFaculty Expertise:
Educational Background
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Ohio University
Master of Arts, Higher Education Administration, New York University
Doctor of Education, International Educational Development, Teachers College, Columbia University
Scholarly Interests
International and comparative education; education in emergencies; forced displacement; humanitarian policy; humanitarian-development nexus; refugee education; teacher identity; teachers’ lived experiences; teacher education policies and practices among displaced populations; qualitative and participatory methodologies.
Selected Publications
Editor
Mendenhall, M. (Guest Editor). NORRAG, Special Issue No. 3, Data Collection and Evidence Building to Support Education in Emergencies, September 2018-May 2019.
Refereed Journal Articles (*denotes current and former students)
Mendenhall, M., Cha, J.,* Falk, D.*, Bergin, C.* & Bowden, L.* (2020). Teachers as agents of change: Positive discipline for inclusive classrooms in Kakuma Refugee Camp. International Journal of Inclusive Education, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2019.1707300.
Mendenhall, M. (2019). Teachers for Teachers: Advocating for stronger programs and policies for and with refugee teachers in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Studies in Social Justice, 12(2), 356-363.
Mendenhall, M., Skinner, M.*, Collas, S.*, & French, S.* (2019). Expanding teacher support through mobile mentoring in Kakuma Refugee Camp: Benefits and challenges. Current Issues in Comparative Education.
Mendenhall, M. & Bartlett, L. (May 2018). Academic and extracurricular support for refugee students in the US: Lessons learned. Theory into Practice, 57(2), 109-118.
Mendenhall, M., Bartlett, L., and Ghaffar-Kucher. (2016). “If you need help, they are always there for us”: Education for refugees in an international high school in NYC. Urban Review. doi 10.1007/s11256-016-0379-4
Bartlett, L., Mendenhall, M. and Ghaffar-Kucher, A. (In press). Culture in Acculturation: Refugee Youth’s Schooling Experiences in New York Schools. International Journal of Intercultural Relations (Special Issue: Cultural and Academic Adjustment of Refugee Youth in Educational Settings).
Mendenhall, M., Dryden-Peterson, S., Bartlett, L. Ndirangu, C., Imonje, R. Gakunga, D., Gichuhi, L., Nyagah, G., Okoth, U., and Tangelder, M. (2015). Quality Education for Refugees in Kenya: Pedagogy in Urban Nairobi and Kakuma Refugee Camp Settings. Journal on Education in Emergencies 1(1), pp. 92-130.
Mendenhall, M. (2014). Education sustainability in the relief-development transition: Challenges for international organizations working in countries affected by conflict. International Journal of Educational Development, 35, 67-77.
Mendenhall, M. and Anderson, A. (Summer 2013). Strengthening national and regional capacity for Education in Emergencies in East Africa: Lessons learned and future directions for an NGO-University partnership. Harvard International Review.
Anderson, A. and Mendenhall, M. (2006). Inter-agency network for education in emergencies, Forced Migration Review Supplement (Education and Conflict: Research Policy and Practice).
Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters
Mendenhall, M. and Tangelder, M. (2017). Faculty development for Education in Emergencies: A University-NGO partnership in Kenya. In C. Smith & K. Hudson (Eds.), Faculty development in developing and fragile contexts: Theory and practice for improving the quality of teaching in higher education (41-63). New York: Routledge.
Mendenhall, M. and Chopra, N. (2016). Educating for Peace in Kenya: Comparing National and Local Initiatives. In M. Bajaj & M. Hantzopoulos (Eds.), International Perspectives on Peace Education, Bloomsbury Publishers.
Mendenhall, M. (2010). The relief-development transition: Sustaining the educational support provided by international organizations in post-conflict settings. F. Vavrus and L. Bartlett (Eds.). Critical Approaches to Comparative Education: Vertical Case Studies from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Palgrave Publishers: UK.
Published Reports
Falk, D.*, Shephard, D.*, & Mendenhall, M. (2019). Teacher well-being amidst displacement and fragility in Uganda and South Sudan (case study). Teachers in Crisis Contexts: Promising Practices in Teacher Management, Professional Development, and Well-being. Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies.
Mendenhall, M, Gomez, S. & Varni, E.* (2018). Teaching amidst conflict and displacement: Persistent challenges and promising practices for refugee, IDP and national teachers (background paper). Global Education Report: Migration, Education and Displacement. Paris: UNESCO.
Mendenhall, M. (2017). Creating Safer and Better Quality Learning Environments through Teacher Well-Being in Crisis Contexts: Emerging Findings from Teachers for Teachers in Kakuma Refugee Camp (Case Study). Published as part of INEE Roundtable for Psychosocial Support and Social Emotional Learning, Florence, Italy.
Mendenhall, M. (2017). Strengthening teacher professional development: Local and global communities of practice in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya (case study). Promising Practices in Refugee Education. London, UK: Save the Children, UNHCR, Pearson.
- For additional coverage of this project, see UNHCR Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis Report (pp. 38-39) and UNESCO A Lifeline to Learning: Leveraging Technology to Support Education for Refugees (p. 39).
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S.G., and Buckner, E. (2017). Urban Refugee Education: Strengthening Policies and Practices for Access, Quality and Inclusion. [Policy Report]. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Press coverage in NEA Today, “Despite Inclusive Policies, Refugee Children Face Major Access to Education” by Nicole Schorchit (March 21, 2017)
- Press coverage in Huffington Post, “The Global Search for Education: First of Its Kind Global Refugee Study Highlights a Gap Between Policy and Practice,” by C.M. Rubin (April 7, 2017)
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S.G., and Buckner, E. (2017). Urban Refugee Education: Guidelines and Practical Strategies for Strengthening Support to Improve Educational Quality for All. [Programmatic Guidance Report]. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S.G., and Buckner, E. (2017). Urban Refugee Education: Priorities for Policies and Programs. [Advocacy Brief]. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Online Publications
Mendenhall, M. (March 2020). “We cannot talk about quality education for refugees anymore without talking about the vital role of teachers.” (interview conducted by Education International)
Mendenhall, M. (2019). Navigating the humanitarian-development nexus in forced displacement contexts (Think Piece available in English, French, and Portuguese; audio PowerPoint presentation in English). UNICEF Think Piece Series: Education in Emergencies. UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, Nairobi.
Mendenhall, M. & Pacifico, A.* (2019). Data Collection and Evidence Building to Support Education in Emergencies. NORRAG Blog.
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S.G., & Buckner, E. (2018). The right to education for urban refugees and the national security conundrum: A closer look at the Kenyan context. NORRAG Special Issue: The Right to Education Movements and Policies, 01.
- Reprinted in French in NORRAG Jornée thématique Education et migration.
Mendenhall, M., Collas, S.*, & Falk, D.* (2017). Educating the future amidst displacement: refugee teachers in Kakuma Refugee Camp [Photo Essay]. Reconsidering Development, 5(1).
Mendenhall, M. (2017, 9 August). Teachers in crisis contexts working group: Strengthening teacher professional development through collaboration. Promising Practices in Refugee Education.
Mendenhall, M. (2016, December 6). Promising Practices for Strengthening Teacher Professional Development in Crisis Contexts [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.ineesite.org/en/blog/promising-practices-for-strengthening-teacher-professional-development-in-c
Mendenhall, M. and Tangelder. M. (2013). Springboard into a Career: Experiences Establishing Practical Work Opportunities for Education in Emergencies Graduate Students at the University of Nairobi. INEE Blog, “Teaching Education in Emergencies: Good Practice and Challenges. Retrieved from http://www.ineesite.org/en/discuss/springboard-into-a-career-experiences-establishing-practical-work-opportuni
E-Learning Course Contributions
Mendenhall, M. (2019). Massive Open Online Course: Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings. Contributed reflections from research in Kakuma refugee camp on Schools, Communities, and Child Protection in Practice as part of Enabling Communities as Protective Environments lesson.
Mendenhall, M. (2018). UNICEF Education in Emergencies E-learning Course. Contributed presentation on the role of teachers as part of the Teaching and Learning lesson.
Podcasts
Mendenhall, M. (2019, June 13). Building Evidence on Education in Emergencies [Audio podcast].
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S.G., & Buckner, E. (2016, September 1). Urban refugees and education [Audio podcast].
Mendenhall, M., Ndirangu, C. & Gakunga, D. (2016). Quality education for refugees in Kenya: Pedagogy in urban Nairobi and Kakuma Refugee Camp Settings [Video podcast].
Fully Funded Research & Project Grant Awards
2016-17: IDEO Amplify Challenge Award Winner, plus additional in-kind design support from IDEO
Teachers for Teachers Project Director & Principal Investigator
- The Teachers for Teachers project entails the development and implementation of a new professional development initiative that combines teacher training, peer coaching and mobile mentoring for refugee teachers working in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) in an effort to provide continuous and quality support in refugee education contexts.
2015-16: U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration research award
Project Director and Co-Principal Investigator (with Susan Garnett Russell), Global, National and Local Intersections: Educational Policies and Schooling Practices for Urban Refugees
- This study examined existing policies and practices in urban refugee education to identify gaps, opportunities, and promising practices to better meet the distinct needs of urban refugees. The study produced a policy report, a programmatic guidance report, an advocacy report, an infographic, a video and Twitter messages about the state of urban refugee education around the world. The team is currently working on the scholarly publications for this study.
2015: IDEO Amplify Challenge Finalist Prototyping Grant
Project Lead, Continuous Quality Professional Development, Support and Mentoring for Refugee Teachers
- Proposal was selected from 299 submissions for the OpenIDEO Amplify Challenge on refugee education as one of the five finalists to receive funding. This initial prototyping grant allowed us to test our mobile mentoring idea for supporting refugee teachers in Kakuma before taking it to scale.
2014-15: Office of International Affairs Global Investment Fund, Teachers College
Project Lead and Primary Investigator, Supporting & Researching Teacher Professional Development in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya
- Seed funding provided the foundation for developing a new teacher training curriculum for refugee teachers while simultaneously conducting a study on the unique experiences of refugee teachers and their self-perceptions of teacher identity.
Active Professional Organizations
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
Grants
External funding
Mendenhall, M. & Chopra, V. (2020). Teacher Professional Development for Playful Learning in Crisis Settings. LEGO Foundation.
Mendenhall, M. (2018). Resilient students, teachers, and education systems in Uganda and South Sudan, four-year research study in partnership with Oxfam. European Union.
Mendenhall, M. (2017). Teachers for Teachers: Strengthening teacher professional development for refugee and local teachers. UNICEF/European Union.
Mendenhall, M. (2017). Promising Practices in Refugee Education. Save the Children, UNHCR, Pearson.
Mendenhall, M. (2016). Teachers for Teachers Web Platform (www.tc.columbia.edu/refugeeeducation, currently being revised). Comparative and International Education Society Knowledge Mobilization Grant.
Mendenhall, M. (2016). Teachers for Teachers. IDEO.org.
Mendenhall, M. (2015). Continuous Quality Professional Development, Support and Mentoring for Refugee Teachers. IDEO.org.
Mendenhall, M., Russell, S., & Buckner, E. (2015). Global, National and Local Intersections: Educational Policies and Schooling Practices for Urban Refugees. U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
Internal funding
Mendenhall, M. (2020). Establishing Fellowship Program for Emerging Displaced Scholars. Columbia University Global Centers.
Mendenhall, M. (2019). Educators in Emergencies: Providing More and Better Support to Teachers Working in Crisis, Conflict, and Fragility. Vice President’s Diversity and Community Initiatives Grant Fund.
Boothby, N. & Mendenhall, M. (2018). Urban displacement alliance and community resilience initiative in Amman, Jordan. Columbia University President’s Global Innovation Fund (with matching grant provided by Teachers College).
Mendenhall, M. (2017). Communities of Practice: Teachers in Conflict and Displacement Workshop. Vice President’s Diversity and Community Initiatives Grant Fund.
- Learning Theater Spotlight: Teachers in Conflict and Displacement Workshop (brief overview and images from event)
Mendenhall, M., Verdeli, H., Russell, S., & Simmons, J. ($8000). Supporting & Researching Teacher Professional Development in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Office of International Affairs.