Week 5 :: Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 2

I asked my international contact, Jody, about the topic of excellence as it related to her current position working with The Qatar Foundation at a new early childhood education center that is about to open. I asked her about the governing bodies (if any) that oversee the program and how they are accountale. Here is what she wrote:

"Being a part of the Qatar Foundation, which oversees the whole of Education City, (made up of a whole host of mostly American Universities) we need to report results directly to the Board of Governors, according to the outcomes, new goals are set and supports are put in place to strengthen areas that need it.  The foundation has their own Health and Safety Department, but the final say is with Civil Defense, one of the reasons for the delay in the opening of our new center.  We are also answerable, as with all schools private or otherwise to the Supreme Educational Council.  We are also answerable to the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) Qatar Academy is a fully accredited IB World School. QA also holds accreditations from the U.S. based New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS).and soon within our Early Education Center, we will be going through the accreditation process with the NAEYC.  

http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/about-qatar-academy/about-qatar-academy

http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/primary-school

About Qatar Academy

Qatar Academy is part of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a private, chartered, non-profit organization founded by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar.

It is the mission of Qatar Academy to provide internationally accepted, comprehensive, English medium programs plus Arabic and Islamic studies from pre-school through to secondary graduation. Comprising a Primary School and a Senior School, it occupies a magnificent campus in Doha.

I know the YCAT is also a requirement for our Pre 4's (4 yr olds) this is done one on one with trained teachers who know the children well and with whom the children have a relationship with.

and again in Grade 3, but I think this is done in a whole class context if my memory serves me correctly, followed up in Grade 9.

Teacher's receive ongoing PD mostly through the IBO, most times we are sent away on courses, one building on the next as the courses are organized into different levels.  Sometimes we have visiting 'guru's' who stay for up to two weeks to share their knowledge with staff, sometimes working one on one and other times whole school meetings in the afternoon.  At the moment we have Marilyn Burnes visiting us."

The way things are run in Qatar have some similarities and of course obvious differences than the way things are set up in the states. I learned that Qatar is a very wealthy nation and can therefore spend the government's money in the best way and that there is a lot of money set aside for early childhood education.