Education for a New Era

As she walked into the middle school science classroom, College of Education Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice Assistant Professor Keena Arbuthnot was surrounded by desks and chairs, a computer, lab equipment, and a periodic table of elements poster. It was everything a typical American science classroom contains–except she wasn’t in America. She was in Doha, Qatar.

The State of Qatar, located in Southwest Asia and bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, is in the process of transforming its economy with a heavy emphasis on education.
In late October 2007, Arbuthnot visited Qatar and met with several government officials to discuss the future of the reform and issues they have faced.

“They have put so much behind the educational reform in such a short period of time and have made incredible changes,” said Arbuthnot.

The “Education for a New Era” reform began in 1995 with the creation of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development and has continued with the establishment of the Supreme Education Council in November 2002.

These efforts hope to transform Qatar into a knowledge-based society by providing world-class educational opportunities, to improve quality of life, and to become a leader in innovative education and research.

The Qatar Foundation’s main initiative is Education City, which hosts branch campuses of some of the world’s leading research universities, including Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Georgetown University.

The Supreme Education Council directs the nation’s education policy by overseeing and supporting independent schools and the implementation of annual assessments to measure student learning and school performance.

During her week-long stay, Arbuthnot toured the Weill Cornell Medical College at Qatar and two independent middle schools. Her background in educational psychology with a specialization in educational measurement and applied statistics helped her give feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the reform system.

It was Arbuthnot’s first time to visit a Middle Eastern country. “I didn’t know what to expect being an American woman going into a Middle Eastern country. They were very open,” said Arbuthnot.

Although Arbuthnot was there to give advice, she also benefited from learning about international education, which inspired her to expand her research interests beyond national educational policy and international education.

“I learned that no matter where you go, everyone is interested in the same thing. They want their kids to be successful, to be competitive internationally, and to exceed their potential,” said Arbuthnot.