Leeza Holguin
PhD student
Thesis
A Childhood of My Own: Decolonizing Indigenous Education Policies in Pursuit of a Self-Determined Utopia
1. What does an Indigenous educational utopia look like in the 21st century?
2. What current models (programs and policies) exist that promote genuine Indigenous self-determination? How might these exemplary models influence policy and political
changes?
3. How can mainstream policies better promote the agency of Indigenous students who
attend fully integrated school systems?
4. What does modern-day self-determination mean to Indigenous people?
5. How are paternalistic approaches promoted in modern Indigenous education policies, via
education action plans, within the United States and Australia?
6. How can Indigenous autonomy be promoted in modern education policy?
Supervisors
Professor Sarah Maddison and Dr Ligia (Licho) Lopez
Additional information
Leeza joins the University of Melbourne as a scholar of early childhood education, special education, sociology and education, and educational policy. Leeza’s research is focused on the decolonization and reimagination of current educational practices within colonized lands with a particular focus on Indigenous education policy. Leeza has a professional background as a primary school teacher having taught in many diverse settings around the globe such as Japan, Kuwait, Hawaii, New York City and rural Alaska.