Progressive Case Study: Zari

508: Interrogating Systems of Inequity in Professional Practice

Dr. Kanika W. Middleton

Presentation by Luna Flynn

Who is Zari?
Zari’s Background
School & Hobbies
● 16 year-old junior in high school
● She is Egyptian, Muslim, and speaks Arabic
● Interested in Art
● Taking some advanced classes (AP Chemistry, AP US History, Honors
English, AP Drawing next year)
● Plays Violin in Orchestra
● Participates in clubs (Islamic cultural club & arts and crafts club)
● Works at a cafe after school to help her family out
Presenting Issue
● Lately, she has been having anxiety attacks in class
● She looks more dejected than normal and appears burnt out
● Zari is seeking assistance and support in managing her anxieties about college

Zari’s Goals
● What do you want to study?
● How might you fulfill your
needs?
● What can you do to balance
your parents’ desires?
● Zari really enjoys art and is taking
AP Drawing her senior year
● Truthfully, she would love to study
art in college, too
●
●
Zari wants to keep her GPA up
She would like to learn some
strategies to calm down and
manage anxiety
● She wants support and clarification
in the college application process
● Zari would like to have an open
discussion with her parents about
what she would like to study
What concerns might Zari have?
College Readiness
● She is already a junior, so these last two years
matter for college
● What does her academic plan look like?
○ AP and Honors classes
● Does she need additional tutoring for
academics?
● Has she taken any SAT/ACT tests?
● Does she feel overwhelmed by the application
process, FAFSA, or scholarships?
● What does she want to study?
● Does she need to participate in more
extracurriculars to have a competitive
application?
Anxiety/Self-Confidence Issues
● Is this anxiety rooted in feelings
about college?
● Does she feel nervous about her
academics?
● Is Zari experiencing pressure from
her peers or community?
● Does Zari feel like she can talk to her
teachers?
● How does her religion impact her
interactions at school?
● What might her parents expect?
Information Gathering:
● What does Zari want?
● What have her teachers noticed?
● What is her family’s opinion on college?
Teacher Observations & Report
● Zari’s teachers have noticed that some of her peers have
hostile attitudes towards her, and suspect it may be racial or
religious bias because the school population is made of
primarily White and Hispanic-Americans.
● Because Zari wears a hijab, some students treat her
differently.
● Her teachers notice Zari’s anxiety attacks correspond to
discussions about college readiness like test preparation,
scheduling AP/Honors classes, or letters of
recommendation.
Parent Perception & Community Expectations
Family Background:
● Family is Egyptian
● Mother is an immigrant who has
been here for 20 years
● Father was born here to two
Egyptian parents, who also
immigrated
● Neither parent has a college degree
● Older brother graduate college, two
younger sisters in school
● Family speaks Arabic and are
Muslim
● They live in a closely knit Islamic
community in a low-income area
Parent expectations:
● Since Zari’s older brother went to
college, her parents are open to Zari
pursuing higher education
● If it were up to them, they would rather
have Zari stay home and work
● They are willing to support Zari as best
as they can, but they would like Zari to
study something that could ultimately
help the family, like business, or
engineering as her brother did
● Since Zari would like to study art, her
parents might be more hesitant to
support her
Resources & Tools
 Assessments
● I would like to have her complete some surveys to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of her adversities and
strengths.
○ ICOPPE scale assessment (Duff et al., 2016)
○ ACEs assessment (Middleton, n.d.)
○ ROWS exercise (Prilleltensky & Prilleltensky, 2006)
○ Identify some of the “sites, signs, sources, and strategies of
well-being” (Prilleltensky, 2005, p. 21)

Resources for
Academics and
College Readiness
● Test preparation
● Tutoring/study skills
● Application support
● Take advantage of online
resources
● Keys to college readiness
● Ensure Zari has equitable access to any
resources pertaining to academics and college
readiness
● Assess her need for tutoring in certain
subjects, for test preparation, or for study
skills and executive functioning
● Offer assistance in understanding the
application process, including questions about
FAFSA, financial aid, scholarships, internships,
or volunteering opportunities
● Help Zari identify teachers she can consult and
trust
● Address keys to college readiness (Middleton,
n.d.):
○ Cognitive strategies (think)
○ Content knowledge (know)
○ Learning skills and techniques (act)
○ Transition knowledge and skills (go)
Future Meetings
Collaborate with Zari’s parents about her intentions for college (Green & Keys, 2001)
● Since Zari wants to study Art, she will have to bring it up to her parents. One way
to support Zari would be to have a meeting with them so that it can be moderated
and be a safe space for conversation.
● With her parents' cooperation, we would be one step closer to “a collaborative
approach that involved multiple stakeholders—teachers, counselors, and
parents—in the complicated charge of pervading college level rigor and a
college-going culture” (Welton & Martinez, 2014, p. 201).
● Because Zari really loves art, I will try to find scholarship opportunities or
competitions that she can participate in if she chooses.
● I would like to schedule check-in/check-out meetings with Zari to periodically see
how she is doing as she continues through her junior year
What does the school need to better support students like
Zari in the future?
● Multicultural Sensitivity Trainings
○ Trainings such as these can help the dominant populations present at the
school become more understanding and accepting of diversity
○ These trainings would consist of assemblies, class lectures, group meetings,
and teacher development.
● Restorative Justice Practices
○ If racial tensions create more of an issue, implementing restorative practices
to counter harm done to students and teachers in this situation by bringing
them together “for the purpose of goal-setting and mutual resolution” will lead
to the “betterment of all involved” (Mansfield et al., 2018).
● Equitable Access to Tutoring and Academic Services
○ Ensure that all students have access to these services and know how to utilize
online resources to support academic success and college readiness
References
Duff, J., Rubenstein, C., & Prilleltensky, I. (2016). Wellness and fairness: Two core values for humanistic psychology. The
Humanistic Psychologist, 44(2), 127–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/hum0000020
Green, A., & Keys, S. (2001). Expanding the Developmental School Counseling Paradigm: Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century
Student. Professional School Counseling, 5(2), proquest, 84-95.
Mansfield, K. C., Fowler, B., & Rainbolt, S. (2018). The Potential of Restorative Practices to Ameliorate Discipline Gaps: The Story
of One High School’s Leadership Team. Educational Administration Quarterly, 54(2), 303-323. doi:10.1177/0013161x17751178
Middleton, K.W. (2022, 1/4-4/30) Interrogating Systems of Inequity in Professional Practice [Lecture notes; 2USC]. Rossier School
of Education, University of Southern California.
https://2usc.rossieronline.usc.edu/ap/courses/6506/sections/8e49e6de-17d6-457c-adcd-372949497f7b/coursework/
courseModule/f7f08637-532f-4f5b-b62d-c42d8dd6d149
Prilleltensky, I. (2005). Promoting well-being: Time for a paradigm shift in health and human services. Scandinavian Journal of
Public Health, 33(66_suppl), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/14034950510033381
Prilleltensky, I., & Prilleltensky, O. (2007). Webs of well-being: The interdependence of personal, relational, organizational and
communal well-being. Promoting Well-Being: Linking Personal, Organizational and Community Change , 3–30.
https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230287624_4
Welton, A. D., & Martinez, M. A. (2014). Coloring the college pathway: A more culturally responsive approach to college readiness
and access for students of color in secondary schools. The Urban Review, 46(2), 197-223.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11256-013-0252-7