Dr. Hourani-Farraj ensures that she engages all minorities, at-risk youth, and underserved and underrepresented communities as well as helping leverage community resources.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, August 02, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nora Hourani-Farraj has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Born in Southern California to Jordanian immigrants, Dr. Hourani-Farraj spent her early educational years in public schools before she and her family relocated to Saudi Arabia for her father's work, and she attended a U.S. embassy elementary school district. She later finished her high school education at the American Community School in Amman, Jordan. After graduating as senior class president, the onset of the Gulf War and the uncertainty it presented to her family made her hesitant to attend a university in the United States. Dr. Hourani-Farraj decided to remain in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature, with a minor in Arabic-English translation, from the University of Jordan. Subsequently, she joined Amman Academy as an English language teacher for elementary through high school students and taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to the adult parents and families in the school community. After serving there for two years, she relocated to the United States, attending California State University, Fullerton to earn a Master of Arts degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. Dr. Hourani-Farraj also co-wrote "Don't Tease Me: Effects of Ending Type on Horror Film Enjoyment," which was published in numerous scholarly journals. Following her degree, Dr. Hourani-Farraj married her college sweetheart in Jordan and remained there for the next two years as a public relations/marketing director for Accutime Watch Corp., an international marketing company. This work brought her back to Amman Academy and neighboring schools, where she promoted educational analog watches designed for children and provided in-service trainings to staff and administration on incorporating these watches as an instructional method of helping students tell time.
Following her service with Accutime, Dr. Hourani-Farraj returned to the United States to start her family, bringing back her passion for education in the process. She worked as a certified reader for the Educational Testing Service's California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Additionally, she was a lead member of the Bias and Sensitivity Review Board, which examined test questions to ensure that the language and content used were fair to students of all demographics, abilities, and backgrounds. Desiring the ability to keep the balance of work and family, Dr. Hourani-Farraj decided to pursue an Adult-Designated Subjects Credential through California State University, Long Beach. This allowed her to teach adults effectively using principles of andragogy and applying adult learning theory in her lessons. She was then employed by the Fontana Unified School District as an English lead teacher for adult learners in ESL, high school diploma (HSD) and high school equivalency (GED) programs.
Dr. Hourani-Farraj decided to pursue a second master's degree at her alma mater: CSU, Fullerton. While completing her degree in educational administration at California State University, Fullerton, she also excelled as an English lead teacher, content curriculum designer for HSD and ESL, and author of a grammar book published solely for the Fontana Unified School District. Upon graduating with her second graduate degree, she honed her expertise as an educator with the Upland Unified School District, teaching all English levels of language acquisition for adult learners. She began with Chaffey Joint Union High School District in 2011 as an adult school teacher, still working evenings to keep the balance of family and career. Once her daughters attended public school full-time, Dr. Hourani-Faraj pursued a full-time position with CJUHSD as a continuation high school English teacher and was later promoted as a multiple-site assistant principal until she was provided the rare opportunity of holding a dual position: district community relations director and adult school assistant principal.
Since 2020, Dr. Hourani-Farraj has created and maintained a unique community relations website that consolidates the opportunities for parents, families, and community members at school site, district, city, county, and state levels. By keeping the district's stakeholders abreast of the latest events, announcements, training, workshops, classes, and other educational opportunities, Dr. Hourani-Farraj ensures that she engages all minorities, at-risk youth, and underserved and underrepresented communities as well as helping leverage community resources. She also developed and leads the district's Family and Community Engagement Team that is comprised of parents, students, staff, teachers, and administrators that represent their school. With 2020 being the year of Covid-19 and the need for social and emotional outlets, Dr. Hourani-Farraj created the district's Virtual Calming Room that is currently being utilized as a social emotional instructional tool for students, as well as an outlet for staff and the school community.
While taking on this challenging role in 2020, Dr. Hourani-Farraj expanded her professional knowledge, earning a doctorate in education (EdD) in educational leadership and administration from Liberty University in 2023. Backed by her considerable expertise and understanding of the barriers immigrants face, Dr. Hourani-Farraj authored "Recommendations for Improving the Engagement of Immigrant Families in a District" during her doctoral studies. This research allowed her to share these recommendations with various family and community engagement networks. She has led podcasts on cultural proficiency, equity, and authentic family engagement as well as sessions on the importance of partnering with local adult schools to educational leaders and parent representatives of her county's Family Engagement Network.
Driven to remain abreast of changes in the field, Dr. Hourani-Farraj aligns herself with the Honor Society for International Scholars (Phi Beta Delta), and the Honor Society for Academic Excellence and Scholarship in Journalism and Mass Communication (Kappa Tau Alpha) chapters at California State University, Fullerton. Recently, she was inducted as a member of the Honor Society of Education (Kappa Delta Pi) chapter at Liberty University. In conjunction with her work, she also dedicates herself to her community through her church; her book club, the Orthodox Sisters in Christ Book Club; and faith-based nonprofits including Project Mexico and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). Similarly, she has been honored for excellence in teaching through the Inland Congregations United for Change Parent Leaders and received a Certificate of Recognition for Exceptional Teaching from the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino. While her career has been filled with highlights, she takes the most pride in leading an equity series for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), various faith-based organizations, her county's history teachers leadership network (HTLN) and for her own district, allowing her to provide professional development to administrators, faculty, and staff on the barriers that Arab Americans face due to being an invisible minority in the US. Besides the lectures and discussions, Dr. Hourani-Farraj authored, "Making a case for Arab American Studies," an article published in EdCal, a weekly newsletter dedicated to education for ACSA members. She is also the equity representative for her district's ACSA charter.
Though hard work and dedication have brought her far in her career, she credits her success to her strong support system, servant leadership, responsive nature, and understanding of different cultures especially having lived in two countries overseas and traveled to over 20 countries across multiple continents. In the coming years, Dr. Hourani-Farraj intends to obtain a higher-level position where she can help build the capacity of administrators, staff, faculty, students, and families in effective family and community engagement that places equity at the helm before retiring to travel the world with her family, which includes her husband, two daughters and three dogs.
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