This year, Teachers College welcomes Dr. Shamo Thar, a multilingual scholar-practitioner in international and comparative education whose research centers on equity, inclusion, and belonging among Indigenous and minority communities.
Dr. Shamo’s work examines the intersections of international education, education policy, multilingualism/bilingualist, and issues of equity for minoritized and indigenous communities. She brings regional expertise in China and Tibet.
"Teachers College provides an incredible opportunity to work with leading scholars and to think critically about non-dominant languages and their sociopolitical and cultural implications,” she explained. “With a large representation of students from Asia, I’m also looking forward to contributing to conversations around education in Asia, including potentially developing teaching opportunities in this area.”
During her time at TC, Dr. Shamo is collaborating with faculty and colleagues on projects exploring the ideological and implementation dimensions of Indigenous and minoritized languages in Asia from a decolonial and comparative perspective. She also plans to participate in the Language Policy Forum and is preparing to present her research at venues such as the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES).
A Scholar Committed to Equity and Practice
Dr. Shamo’s scholarship is grounded in ethnographic, qualitative, archival, and media-based approaches. She explores how language, identity, and education intersect, while also analyzing broader themes such as internationalization, massification, and equity in higher education. Her current projects include historical studies of bilingual education policies for Tibetans through the lens of language ideology, as well as research on how Indigenous and international students navigate access, identity, and success in higher education and professional contexts.
Her path reflects both academic rigor and applied practice. With over a decade of experience in research, teaching, and nonprofit leadership, Dr. Shamo has designed literacy initiatives for marginalized communities, worked in Multicultural and International Education Centers at UMass Amherst, and authored a children’s book rooted in cultural storytelling. She holds a Ph.D. in International Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an M.A. in International Development from Brandeis University.
Her achievements have been recognized with awards including the Margaret McNamara Education Grant and UMass Amherst’s Scholarly Excellence Award. She has also served as a Visiting Scholar at Drexel University, where she collaborated on studies examining the impact of U.S. higher education on Himalayan and Tibetan international students and their communities.
Advice for TC Students
When asked what advice she would offer to students interested in her field, Dr. Shamo reflected on her recent travels to China and Tibet, where she spoke with teachers, scholars, and parents amidst ongoing language education reforms.
“With major reforms underway, I was reminded to ask myself: what is the purpose of our research, and who does it serve?” she said. “In international and comparative education, it is our collective responsibility to listen deeply to local communities, especially those historically marginalized. Their voices enrich the field with diverse perspectives.”
She encourages students to seek interdisciplinary training, engage multiple methodologies, and connect theory with practice. “Research is always a work in progress,” she noted. “We grow by reading, thinking, revising, and most importantly, by building networks and learning alongside colleagues and communities.”