International Education PhD Student and Alum Receive Fellowships for Education Research

The National Academy of Education and Spencer Foundation funding supports exceptional research.

Liora Tamir, a doctoral candidate in NYU Steinhardt’s International Education program, and alum Jo Kelcey (PhD ’20, International Education) have both received National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Fellowships to support their education research.

Liora Tamir: The Social Role of Language Education Amidst Ongoing Conflict

Liora Tamir International Education PhD student

Tamir received the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, which annually identifies and supports 35 of the most exceptional researchers conducting dissertation studies relevant to education.

Tamir’s work is broadly focused on the social role of language education in contexts of conflict, using Jerusalem as a case study. Her interest in this area stems from her own professional experience working as a Hebrew-language educator for adults and then pedagogical consultant in the eastern part of the city. From Tamir’s experience, these adult language classes can be the first, and often only, point of contact between predominantly Jewish teachers and Palestinian learners. For many learners, this is the first encounter with a Jewish-Israeli who isn’t in the Israeli security forces.

“As Hebrew is the sole official language of Israel, its necessity for any kind of participation in the Israeli labor market and higher education. However, most Arabic-speaking residents of East Jerusalem aren’t taught Hebrew in school,” says Tamir. “My research asks to look beyond the instrumental reasons that bring adult Palestinians to study Hebrew in Jerusalem to explore what happens in this prolonged encounter between Jews and Palestinians in the Hebrew classroom, and specifically through the process of the acquisition and teaching of the dominant language.”

By focusing on individual experiences of learners and teachers, Tamir’s research seeks to understand whether and how these interactions generate greater social meaning in the Israeli-Palestinian context. The study ultimately highlights the often overlooked implications of language education for intergroup relations in conflict-affected contexts more broadly.

Jo Kelcey: Policy Formulations and Enactments in UNRWA’s Education Program for Palestinian Refugees

Kelcey, who is currently an assistant professor of education at the Lebanese American University, received the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. This award supports early career scholars working in critical areas of education research through professional development, funding, and mentorship from senior scholars.

Kelcey’s work explores the crucial role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in providing education assistance for Palestinian refugees from 1964 through 2004 through historical methods including archival research and oral histories. She hopes to shed light on the essential role that this education program has played in the refugees’ struggle for self-determination.

“Society has a sense that international organizations operate in an apolitical way, but UNRWA’s history shows that they’re pushed and pulled in many directions by many stakeholders,” says Kelcey. “One of the assumptions that I’m challenging is this idea that education is, or should be, neutral, when in fact it’s inevitably and necessarily a very political activity.”

By examining records from organizations including UNRWA, UNESCO, the Quaker Church, and more, Kelcey hopes to “clear up a huge amount of disinformation on UNRWA” at a time when the existence of the agency and its schools is under threat.

Kelcey’s research ultimately aims to shed light on the role of education in confronting extreme social injustice. “We need to better understand the lessons that UNRWA has given us over time, both positive and negative,” says Kelcey.

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