College of Education and Human Development

School of Social Work

People

Ceema Samimi

  • Assistant Professor

Ceema Samimi works with communities to examine how youth power, restorative and transformative justice, school discipline, and carceral logics operate within systems.

    DEGREES

    PhD, Social Work, University of Denver
    MSSW, Columbia University
    MPA, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
    BA, University of Colorado

      AREAS OF INTEREST
      • Youth power and youth participation
      • Restorative and transformative justice
      • School discipline and exclusionary practices
      • Disability justice 
      • Community-engaged and participatory research
      • Qualitative research and theory building
      • Critical quantitative methods
      • Policy analysis and implementation 
      • School climate and belonging
        BIOGRAPHY

        I am a social worker, abolitionist, and scholar researching youth power- young people’s ability to shape their communities and the world they live in. My work examines the intersections of service organizations, societal systems, criminalization, and race, and how these intersections impact young people. I am particularly interested in how institutions respond to conflict, harm, disability, and behavioral difference, and how young people navigate and resist systems of control and exclusion. I do this through the lenses of my lived experience, critical theory, and disability justice. 

          TEACHING

          I teach in the following programs: 
          Master’s in Social Work (MSW) in person
          Master’s in Social Work (MSW) online
          Youth Studies (BA)

            PUBLICATIONS

            PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

            Samimi, C., Heath, R., Keene, L., & Keys, T. (2026). What is QuantCrit and what is it doing in a nice field like social work? A framework for social work research. Advances in Social Work, Accepted for Spring 2026 issue. Preprint available via SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/75qnp_v1

            Sarantakos, S., Toraif, N. & Samimi, C. (2026). Abolitionist Pedagogy and its invitation to rethink and remake our world. "Social Work Beyond the Status Quo: Challenging Violence and Cultivating Abolitionist Imagination in Education, Scholarship, and Practice." Special issue of Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work. 25(2). [Accepted for Spring 2026 issue]

            Samimi, C. (2025). There are still more Black boys in the office: Structural determinism and teacher decision making in school discipline. Teachers and Teaching. 31(7), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2025.2474068

            Samimi, C., & Wagoner, T. (2025). The false promise of faster horses: A restorative approach to AI’s 
            role in the higher education classroom. "Artificial Intelligence, Communications Technology and 
            Restorative Justice.” Special issue of Internet Journal of Restorative Justice. 13(1). https://www.rj4allpublications.com/product/the-false-promise-of-faster-…

            Sliva, S., Samimi, C., *Han, T., & Albright, K. (2024). Effects of victim offender dialogue on mental health and trauma appraisals among victims of violent crime. Contemporary Justice Review. (27)4, 277-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2024.2444905

            Samimi, C., *Buraik, L., *Oteman, Q., & Marsalis, S. (2024). What is known about LGBT2SQAI+ youth and exclusionary discipline? A scoping review. Journal of Homosexuality, 72(11), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2024.2420077

            Daftary, A., Ortega, D., Samimi, C., & Ball, A.M. (2023). “Did I hear that right?” A CRT analysis of racial microaggressions in K-12 schools. Affilia, 39(2), 285-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099231192079

            Samimi, C., *Han, T., Navvab, A., *Sedivy, J., & Anyon, Y. (2023). Restorative practices and exclusionary school discipline: An integrative review. Contemporary Justice Review, 26(1), 28–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2023.2204884

            Samimi, C., *Jefferson, N., *Flanagan, S., & Anyon, Y. (2023). Intersections of disproportion: A critical quantitative examination of dis/ability and gender in Black students’ school discipline outcomes. The Urban Review, 55(4), 456–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-023-00657-6

            Wiley, K., Anyon, Y., Samimi, C., & *Trujillo, M. (2021). Sent out or sent home: Understanding racial disparities across suspension types from critical race theory and QuantCrit perspectives. Race and Ethnicity in Education, 26(5),. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2021.2019000

            Young, D. A., Garcia-Olp, M. C., & Samimi, C. (2020). Dismantling Gringismo in education. Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 9(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.31274/jctp.9468

            Samimi, C., & Sliva, S. (2020). It’s symbiotic: Exploring the facilitators and outcomes of a successful community-university research partnership. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(5), 613-622. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2019.1612820

            Samimi, C., & *DeHerrera, C. (2020). Picando Piedras: Picking at the rocks of social justice under the nonprofit industrial complex. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 31(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10428232.2020.1734426  

            Sliva, S. M., & Samimi, C. (2018). Social work and prison labor: A restorative model. Social Work, 63(2), 153-160. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy009

            Samimi, J. C. (2010). Funding America’s nonprofits: The nonprofit industrial complex’s hold on social justice. Columbia Social Work Review, 8(1), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.7916/D8QC0DC7

            PEER-REVIEWED CONFERENCE AND WORKING PAPERS

            Samimi, C. & *Zand-Dow, N. (2026). Discourses of whiteness in educator conceptualization of restorative practices. American Education Research Association. Los Angeles, CA. 
            .
            Samimi, C. (2025). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of restorative practices as a carceral intervention. American Education Research Association. Denver, CO.

            PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS SUBMITTED (MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW)
            Asterisk (*) - indicates student author
            Underline – indicates community author

            Samimi, C. & *Zand-Dow, N. Discourses of whiteness in educator conceptualization of restorative 
            practices. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. [Submitted May 2026]

            Samimi, C.,  Fink, A, & Pfefferkorn, M. Ideathons as anti-oppressive pedagogy: A case study with counternarrative. Social Work Education: The International Journal. [Submitted April 2026]

            Samimi, C., *Exsted, M., & Brown, E. Community perceptions of school resource officers. Sage Open [Revised and Resubmitted February 2026]

            Samimi, C., & *Lowery, C. “We were shown the mute button”: COVID, racial justice, and school discipline. Journal of School Violence, [Submitted September 2025]

            Samimi, S. & Robsinson, S. Teaching Abolition is what social work should be: Praxis, Pedagogy, and Possibility. Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work. [Submitted October 2025]

            VeLure Roholt, R. & Samimi, C. A Scoping Review of the anti-racist youth work literature. Journal 
            Of Youth and Adolescence. [Submitted October 2025]

            BOOK CHAPTERS

            Samimi, C., & Fink, A. (2025). Critical activities for integrating social work theory and practice. In J. 
            Chonody (Ed.), Teaching activities for social work: Creative pedagogies to engage students. 
            Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95060-5

            MANUSCRIPTS IN PROGRESS
            Asterisk (*) - indicates student author
            Underline – indicates community author

            Davison, M., Beckman, K., Samimi, C., Yang, J., Davenport, S., and McMorris, B. The impact of whole-
            school restorative practice on dismissals and disparities. Target journal: Journal of School 
            Psychology

            Samimi, C., (accepted). Unsettling repair: Adult and youth power in restorative practices. In A. Fink & 
            R. VeLure Roholt (Ed.), The Handbook of Youth Social Work. Edward Elgar Publishing.

            Samimi, C., Beckman, K., & *Wilder, J. Principals’ barriers and facilitators to restorative practices 
            implementation. Target journal: Children and Schools.

            COMMUNITY-ENGAGED PUBLICATIONS 
            Asterisk (*) - indicates student author
            Underline – indicates community author

            Samimi, C., Beckman, K., *Buraik, L., *Treiu, E., Mohamed, S., Mohammadi, S. (2025). The State of Restorative Practices in Minnesota. Report prepared for the State of Minnesota Office of Restorative Practices. 

            Samimi, C. Impact of restorative practices on middle school discipline disparities. (2025) Fact sheet prepared for Saint Paul Public Schools Office of School Support.

            *Wilder, J &. Samimi, C. Restrictive procedures in Minnesota – What are they? (2025). Infographic prepared for the Solutions Not Suspensions coalition.

            Samimi, C. & Young, A. (2025).  From ground to sky: A neighborhood framework for truth and repair. Curriculum prepared for the Heritage Park Neighborhood Association.

            Samimi, C., & *Soltani, L. (2024). Hennepin county benefits cliff pilot evaluation. Report prepared for Hennepin County, Minnesota.

            Sliva, S., Han, T., Samimi, C., Gollieb, K., & McCurdy, J. (2019). State of the state: Restorative justice in Colorado. Community assessment for the Colorado Restorative Justice Council. 

            Samimi, C. (2022). Digital justice ideathon toolkit. Ideathon curriculum prepared for the Twin Cities 
            Innovation Alliance.

            Samimi, C. (2018, March 6). Safety, guns, and social work: Stop militarizing schools and start supporting students. Blog post. Smart Justice. https://medium.com/smart-justice/safety-guns-and-social-work-stop-milit…

            Samimi, C. (2011). Getting your data. In Community Development Project (Eds.) Research for Organizing Toolkit. (pp. 32-87). Urban Justice Center. https://www.researchfororganizing.org/

              PRESENTATIONS

              PEER-REVIEWED PRESENTATIONS
              Asterisk (*) - indicates student author
              Underline – indicates community author

              Samimi, C. (2026, July). Unlearning ableism and designing for access in school-based restorative 
              practices. [Workshop]. National Association of Restorative and Community Justice. New 
              Orleans, LA. (Accepted).

              Nichols, A., Samimi, C., Beckman, K., Davenport, S., Andrews, B. (2026, July). The state of restorative 
              practices in Minnesota: Lessons learned from developing a state-wide report [Panel]. National 
              Association of Restorative and Community Justice. New Orleans, LA. (Accepted).

              Samimi, C. & Zand-Dow, N. (2026, April). Defining Restorative: Educator discourses, white supremacy, and resistance. [Round Table]. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting. Los Angeles, CA. (Accepted).

              Samimi, C., *Wilder, J., *Buraik, L., & Beckman, B. (2026, March). Mapping for Liberation - Using 
              Community Asset Mapping to Reimagine Discipline. [Interactive Workshop]. Minnesota Social 
              Services Association Annual Conference & Expo. Minneapolis, MN, United States.

              Soltani, L., & Samimi, C. (2025, November). Process Evaluation of Hennepin County’s Benefits Cliff 
              Pilot: Findings on Design and Implementation Strategies. Piloting Transitional Benefits to 
              Mitigate the Benefits Cliff: Implementation: Lessons and Early Findings. [Panel]. Association for 
              Public Policy Analysis and Management Research Conference. Seattle, WA.

              Samimi, C. (2025, October). Cripping Restorative Justice. [Poster Presentation]. Council on Social Work Education. Denver, CO.

              Samimi, C. (2025, May). Liberation Lab: Community-Engaged Research, Harm, and Healing. [Workshop]. New Directions Workshop. Online.

              Samimi, C. (2025, April). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of restorative practices as a carceral intervention. In McCammon (Chair), Implementing restorative practices in schools: Perspectives from practitioners and researchers [Symposium]. American Education Research Association Annual Professional Meeting, Denver, CO.

              Samimi, C., *Buraik, L., *Richards, K., & Thyberg, C. (2025, March). Exploring our strengths: A community asset mapping [Interactive Workshop]. Minnesota Social Services Association Annual Conference & Expo. Minneapolis, MN, United States.  

              Samimi, C. (2025, January). Abolition as practice: An anti-carceral social work learning community. In Sanders (Chair), Anti-carceral approaches in social work education: Exploring a research agenda to support transformation [Symposium]. Society for Social Work and Research, Seattle, WA.

              Samimi, C. (2024, April). Teacher insights into restorative justice for BIMSOC and disabled students. In Huguley (Chair), Building and dreaming intersectional approaches to restorative justice: A multi-dimensional examination [Symposium] American Education Research Association Annual Professional Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

              Samimi, C., Massey, M., & *Lowery, C. (2024, January). The algorithm is the instrument: Artificial intelligence and qualitative research. [Workshop]. Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, DC.

              Samimi, C., Heath, R., Keene, L., Seneca-Keyes, T. (2024, January). The numbers don't speak for themselves: social work research and QuantCrit. [Roundtable], Society for Social Work and Research Society for Social Work and Research, Washington D.C.

              *Buraik, L., Samimi, C., *Oteman, Q., (2023, October). Queer Youth Pushout: What We Know. [Poster presentation], Annual Program Meeting Council on Social Work Education. Atlanta, GA.

              Samimi, C. (2023, October). Teaching with ArcGIS Story Maps: Bringing Community Into the Classroom. [Poster], Annual Program Meeting Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA.

              Samimi, C. (2023, October). Ideathon as Social Work Pedagogy: Innovating Solutions to Social Problems. [Poster], Annual Program Meeting Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA.

              VeLure Roholt, R., Samimi, C. (2023, October). Anti-Racist Youth Work: Emerging Practices from a Scoping Review. [Poster], Annual Program Meeting Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA.

              Samimi, C., Fink, A. (2022, November). Developing Open Educational Resources (OER) Using Popular Education. [Workshop], Annual Program Meeting Council on Social Work Education, Anaheim, CA.

              Samimi, C., (August 2022). Using CRT to explore structural determinism in School Discipline. [Oral presentation], Society for the Study of Social Issues, Los Angeles, CA.

              Samimi, C. Davenport, S., Yang, J. Beckman, K. (2022, June). Restorative practices aren’t enough: Race and school discipline. Assessment of Restorative Practices in Schools. [Panel], National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, Chicago, IL.

              Fink, A. J., VeLure Roholt, R. R., Samimi, C. (2022, March) Data Justice in Performance Measurement and Client Tracking. [Oral presentation], Annual Training Conference and Expo. Minnesota Social Services Association & Expo. Virtual.

              Anyon, Y., Trujillo, M., Samimi, C. (2021, January) Disparities by race and disability across discipline outcomes: Multilevel correlates of in- and out-of-school suspension. [Poster], Society for Social Work and Research, Virtual.

              Samimi, C., Han, T., Sliva, S. (2021, January). Victims aren't alone: The intersections of community, research, and policy in victim-offender dialogue. [Poster], Society for Social Work and Research. Virtual.  

              Joseph, A., *Bookser, B., Samimi, C., Todic, J., Fernandez, C. (2021, January). Restoring what? Critical social work at the nexus of discipline and justice in schools. [Roundtable], Society for Social Work and Research, Virtual

              Joseph, A., Samimi, C., Stuart-McQueen, S., (2020, November). Restorative schools, interdisciplinary collaboration: Disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. [Panel], Annual Professional Meeting Council of Social Work Education, Virtual.

              Alamillo, X. Trujillo, M. Colon, L., & Samimi, C. (2020, January). Latinx adult perspectives on how ethnic identity is constructed from birth to Adolescence in the United States: A Phenomenological Study. [Poster], Society for Social Work Research. Washington D.C.

              Samimi, C. (2020, January). Predicting Punishment: Using Propensity Score Matching to Predict Who Receives Restorative Practices. In Huguley, J. (chair) School Discipline Disparities and Just Discipline Futures: Examining and Disrupting Systematic Exclusion. Society for Social Work and Research. [Symposium], Washington, D.C.

              Samimi, C., Alamillo, X. & Trujillo, M. (2019, October) Claiming Space: Surviving & Thriving as a Graduate Student of Color, [Workshop], presented at the annual Conference on Social Work Education. Denver, CO.

              Sliva, S. M., Golieb, K., Samimi, C., Han, T., Armour, M. (2019, June). Implementation Matters: Minding the Gap Between the Idea and Enactment of Restorative Justice. [Panel]' National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, Denver, CO.

              Samimi, C., *Deherrera, C. (2019, April). Social Justice or Conscious Laundering: How Activists Navigate the Nonprofit Industrial Complex. [Oral presentation], 6th Annual Global Well-Being and Social Change Conference Millersville University, Lancaster, PA.

              Samimi, C., Navvab, A., Han, T., Sedivy, J., Anyon, Y. (2019, January). Restorative Practices and Exclusionary School Discipline: A Systematic Review. [Oral presentation], Society for Social Work and Research, San Francisco, CA.

              Samimi, C. (2019, January). Implementing Restorative Practices in Colorado Schools. [Poster], Society for Social Work and Research, San Francisco, CA.

              Samimi, C. (2018, November). It's All About Relationships! Exploring Outcomes in University-Community partnerships. [Oral presentation], Council on Social Work Education Annual Professional Meeting, Orlando, FA.

              Sliva S., Samimi, C. (2017, June). Building academic and community partnerships to improve evidence for restorative justice. [Oral presentation], National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, Oakland, CA.

              INVITED PRESENTATIONS

              Samimi, C. (July 2024). The Numbers Don’t Speak for Themselves: Critical Approaches to Quantitative Research. [Lecture]. IPSCAN Congress International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, Uppsala, Sweden.

              Samimi, C. (March 2023). From Restorative Practices to Restorative Culture. [Keynote]. Washington Education Association Equity and Social Justice Conference. Vancouver, WA.

              Samimi, C. (January 2023). Embracing Conflict for Cultural Health. [Workshop], From Cultural Mismatch to Cultural Health Conference. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (January 2023). Critical Approaches to the Criminalization of Student Data. [Oral presentation], University of Minnesota Day of Data. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (January 2023). Student surveillance is not Social Work: Student monitoring and social work ethics. [Workshop]. NASW-Minnesota Winter Conference. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. & Pfefferkorn, M. (2022, August). The Criminalization of Technology in Education. [Workshop]. LEAD (Leading in Equity, Action, and Diversity for PreK-12 System Improvement) Conference. University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development. Minneapolis, MN.

              Samimi, C. (2022, April). Introduction to Restorative Justice. [Presentation]. School of Public Health Leadership Team. University of Minnesota. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2022, March). Social Work, Social Justice, and the Nonprofit Industrial Complex. [Presentation]. (RE) Visioning Symposium. NASW Minnesota. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2021, October). Decolonizing the Social Work Curriculum. [Workshop]. Field Institute. University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2021, October). Love and Relationality: A conversation on public-engaged scholarships. [Presentation]. Research Colloquium, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2019, February). Focusing our inquiry: Researching climate justice, economic
              justice, and immigration topics. [Keynote]. CU INVST Research Series, Boulder, CO.

              Samimi, C. (2017, April). Neoliberalism, autonomous movements, and activist survival. [Workshop]. 
              New Leaders Council, Denver, CO.

              COMMUNITY-ENGAGED PRESENTATIONS, ADVOCACY, AND EDUCATION 
              Asterisk (*) - indicates student author
              Underline – indicates community author

              Samimi, C. & Beckman, K. (January 2026). Report back on the state of restorative practices in Minnesota. [Discussion]. Minnesota Northeast Regional Restorative Practices Community of Practice. Carleton, Minnesota.

              Samimi, C. *Buraik, L., & Beckman, K. (2025, September). Mapping for Liberation Community Form. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C.  (2025, July). Asset Mapping for Child Welfare. Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. [Workshop]. Roseville, MN.

              Samimi, C. Pasco, M. *Buraik, L., Sandsmark, E., Young, A., & *Qureshi, A. (2025, March). Liberation Lab. [Panel]. The University of Minnesota Public Engagement conference. Minneapolis, MN.

              Samimi, C.  Beckman, K. (2025, February). Generating assets for school restorative justice. Saint Paul Public Schools Office of School Support. [Workshop]. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C. (2024, December). Responding to discipline policies with community resources. [Panel]. What’s at stake with student discipline: Policies, resources, & action. Ed Allies, Minneapolis, MN.

              Beckman, K., McMorris, B., Samimi, C. (2024, December). Implementing Whole School Restorative Practices in Saint Paul Public Schools: Aiming for Transformation. [Invited Speaker]. Saint Paul Public Schools Senior Executive Leadership Meeting. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C., Davenport, S. Yang, J., *Buraik, L. Beckman, K. (2024, November). Community Visioning for Restorative Practices; Breaking the School to Prison Pipeline. [Roundtable], Minnesota Justice Research Center Re-Imagining Justice Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

              Samimi, C. (2023, November). Mutual Aid & Community Safety in the Digital Age. [Workshop], Data for Public Good Conference. Twin Cities Innovation Alliance. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C. (2023, September 7). Oral comments on restrictive procedures in schools as prepared for the Solutions Not Suspensions press conference “No Special Session” in opposition to proposal to repeal school ban on restraint. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C., & Okoh, C. (2022, November). NOTICE: Pushing Back Against Criminalizing Tech in Education. [Workshop]. Data for Public Good Conference. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2022, November). Digital Justice Ideathon: Creating Space to Make Change in Community. [Workshop]. Data for Public Good Conference. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2022, October). Hidden Harms: Targeting LGBTQ+ Students. [Webinar], Center for Democracy in Technology. Virtual. https://cdt.org/event/cdt-and-lgbt-tech-hidden-harms-targeting-lgbtq-st…

              Samimi, C., & Pfefferkorn, M. (2022, August). Digital Self Defense. [Workshop]. Macalester College. Saint Paul, MN.

              Samimi, C. & Pfefferkorn, M. (2022, June). Black Bodies, Invisible Data: Confronting Race in Technology. [Workshop]. University of Minnesota Juneteenth Celebration. Minneapolis, MN.

              Samimi, C. & Pfefferkorn, M. (2022, April). Gaggle and the School to Prison Pipeline. [Presentation]. Macalester College Education and Power Series. Minneapolis, MN.

              Gaarder, E. Samimi., C., &* Otis, J. (2021, October). Restorative lens: An introductory workshop on peacebuilding dialogue. [Webinar]. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2021, April). Developing an anti-racist research program. Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality. [Webinar]. Virtual.

              Samimi, C. (2022, March 21). Oral testimony in support of the Student Data Privacy Act of 2022 (HF-341). Given to the Minnesota House Education Policy Committee. Saint Paul, MN. https://www.house.mn.gov/hrd/bs/92/HF0341.pdf

              Samimi, C. (2021, October). The school-to-prison pipeline. Adult Forum St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, Saint Paul, MN.  
                                   
              Samimi, C. *Aloziem, O. (2020, August). Racial justice and COVID-19. [Workshop]. University of Denver Summer Learning Workshops. Virtual. 
                                  
              Sammi, C. & Jones, R. (2020, May). Social Work and disability justice in the time of COVID-19. 
              [Workshop]. University of Denver Summer Learning Workshops. Virtual.

              Samimi, C., & Sharp, R. (2018, October). Restorative circle practice for transforming conflict.
              [Workshop]. National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation Conference. Denver, CO.

              Samimi-Luu, J. (2015, October). Homeless youth & federal response. [Panel]. Administration of 
              Children and Families, Denver, CO.

                GRAD STUDENTS
                Ceema Samimi

                • School of Social Work
                  Peters Hall
                  1404 Gortner Ave
                  St Paul, MN 55108

                • csamimi@umn.edu

                • By appointment