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A research study uncovers unaddressed needs relating to religious understanding, bias in classrooms and bigotry on playing fields

During the early part of his senior year at a suburban high school in Central New York, Sofyan, a Muslim boy, and his classmates met with their guidance counselor about their postsecondary plans. The counselor went around the room asking each of Sofyan鈥檚 white peers 鈥淲here do you want to go to college?鈥� and responding affirmatively to the universities they mentioned.

When the counselor got to Sofyan, she said, 鈥淒o you even want to go to college?鈥� When Sofyan replied with his list of four-year colleges, she countered, 鈥淵ou know, community college is a great option for you.鈥� Sofyan was offended because he and his family aspired beyond community college. He felt this disparate treatment was because of his brown skin and religion.

According to the Pew Research Center, Islam is considered the fastest-growing religion in the U.S. In a 2020 census, the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies counted almost 4.5 million Muslims in the U.S., about 1 percent of the nation鈥檚 population, a figure expected to double in 25 years. This means the number of Muslim students will increase well beyond the estimated one million currently enrolled in K-12 education.