Teaching is a Mission of Service
A child can decode every word on a page and still miss what it says. That gap is where I have spent my career. I write the reading, comprehension and essay material that closes it, and I write it so no student has to set their faith aside to do the work.
RISE grew out of that classroom work, and the HOPE framework came with it: something a teacher can open on a Sunday night and teach from on Monday morning.
Resources for Islamic School Educators
RISE is a publisher and resource platform based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, serving English-speaking Muslim educators and families. Our official website is resourcesforislamicschools.com. Our logo is the teal arch with three rising bars shown here.
RISE Learn is our learning app for RISE’s own courses. Qur’an Adventure brings learning games into the RISE family. The wider resource catalogue also welcomes contributors, whose materials may serve different curricula and regions.
Follow our official profiles: Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube · Facebook.
Meet the co-founders
RISE was co-founded by Dr. Shameeza Khan and Akeel Khan. Dr. Khan develops the curriculum and authored Reading and Writing with Purpose.
Akeel Khan develops RISE Learn, the websites and learning games, bringing the teaching resources into the online platform.
Reading and Writing with Purpose in the classroom
The Reading and Writing with Purpose books are used for language arts in Grades 4–6 at Edmonton Islamic Academy. They are also used at Green Dome Islamic School in Calgary.
Doctoral research in Islamic elementary education
Edmonton Islamic Academy’s staff directory lists Dr. Shameeza Khan as Assistant Principal for Grades 4 to 6. Her curriculum work draws on experience in the elementary classroom and school leadership.
Dr. Khan’s 2020 University of Portland Ed.D. dissertation, Teachers’ Experience in Applying Hope Theory in Upper Elementary Educational Practice, explored educators’ experience applying hope theory at an Islamic elementary school in Canada.
This qualitative research provides context for her work in education and hopefulness. It examines teachers’ experience; it is separate from an evaluation of Reading and Writing with Purpose or its effect on examination scores.
Read the dissertation abstract in ERIC, the Institute of Education Sciences research database.
Read the Journal’s introduction to the study and its teaching context.
Explore curriculum alignment and classroom assessment · View Dr. Khan’s contributor profile and publications
Guiding Students from Uncertainty to Understanding
Teachers use it to shape a writing lesson so that literacy and character stop being two separate jobs.
Humility
We start by recognizing what we do not know. Learning begins when we embrace curiosity and listen to other narratives with an open heart.
Optimism
We write with the belief that skills improve. We face draft updates and grammar drills knowing that clarity is a reachable goal.
Perseverance
We edit our work and push through structural bottlenecks. Difficult essays become opportunities to build mental grit.
Experience
We test writing in real scenarios. Learners reflect on their growing portfolios and discover the value of their unique voice.
Join the RISE Platform
Dr. Shameeza Khan’s books and courses are at the heart of RISE’s own curriculum. The wider resource platform also welcomes work from other educators and creators.
As we enter our next phase, we are opening our doors to the broader community of Islamic school educators. We know there are brilliant teachers, curriculum designers, and experts out there creating incredible, values-driven learning materials.
If you have developed useful learning resources for Muslim educators and families, tell us about them. Your work may follow a different curriculum or come from another country. Include its intended audience, curriculum reference where relevant, and authorship so readers can judge its fit.
Submit your work or inquire
Send us a brief overview of your resource — or ask about school and bulk book orders — and we'll be in touch.
Explore the curriculum workbooks
The full collection of RISE reading and writing resources — a detail page for every title, and a link to buy each one on Amazon.
Our sister organisation
The Foundation for Inspiring Hopefulness
RISE publishes the curriculum. The Foundation does the community work around it: a registered nonprofit in Edmonton, Alberta, building a supportive community where everyone feels purposeful, connected, valued, and inspired to contribute.
The four pathways · how the mission travels
Education
Sharing knowledge and opening access to resources, so that learning becomes a doorway to hopefulness for individuals and the wider community.
Explore Education , opens in a new tabMentorship
Supporting the application of learning through advisorship and coaching, walking alongside people as they grow.
Connect with us , opens in a new tabLived Experience
Sharing true stories of navigating barriers and finding strength, because hearing how others endured helps us all hold on to hope.
Watch the stories , opens in a new tabThe Gift of Presence
A community support system built on simply being there, reassuring every person that they are not alone.
Reach out to us , opens in a new tab
Stay close
One list, both organisations.
New publications and courses from RISE; events, stories and Voices of Hope from the Foundation. Occasional, and easy to leave.