Cultivating Joy and Genius: A Graduation Message with Gholdy Muhammed

This webinar will NOT be recorded.

As a follow-up to the foundational work of “Cultivating Genius,” Gholdy Muhammad, Ph.D., will share how to implement culturally and historically responsive education (CHRE) with an emphasis on joy. She will offer different ways joy can be (re)conceptualized and practiced in schools and practical ways to start CHRE in teaching and learning. Muhammad will share lots of examples across CHRE in K-12+ schools within the areas of learning standards, curriculum, assessment, teacher evaluation, teacher education, and within leadership. Participants will leave with an understanding of how to guide and begin their own practices and CHRE and how to navigate those who resist or misunderstand CHRE work.

Speaker:

Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture
University of Illinois-Chicago

Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad, Ph.D. is the John Corbally Endowed Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling books “Cultivating Genius” and “Unearthing Joy.” She also co-authored the book “Black Girls’ Literacies.” Her CHRE model has been adopted across thousands of U.S. schools and districts across Canada. In 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, she was named among the top 1% of Edu-Scholar Public Influencers due to her impact on policy and practice. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms. In the fall of 2025, her first curriculum, entitled “Genius and Joy,” will be available to schools and educators.