American School of Doha

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF DOHA DOHA, QATAR DIRECTOR START DATE: SUMMER 2020 ASD.SCH.QA Fast Facts School Type: Coeducational, Pre-K through Grade 12 Year Established: 1988 Total Students: 2,249 Mission Number of Nationalities in Student Body: 76 The American School of Doha Percent of Host Country Nationals in Student Body: 13% is committed to the intellectual Average Students Per Class: 20 and personal development of Total Faculty: 214 our students, inspiring them and Number of Nationalities in Faculty Body: 19 empowering them to become Faculty Holding Advanced Degrees: 60% positive, active global citizens. University Acceptance Rate: 100% OVERVIEW The American School of Doha (ASD) is an independent, U.S. accredited, college preparatory day school committed to providing educational excellence through a standards-based, internationally- enriched American curriculum, serving a multicultural student body. ASD is a coeducational school that spans from Pre-K through Grade 12 and strives to graduate students who are dynamic and conscientious global citizens. Accordingly, opportunities to develop leadership skills, global awareness, and agency are integrated into every grade level and every course. As a complement to this, ASD students have ample opportunities to participate in service learning so that they can fully appreciate why and how to apply their ASD education toward a greater good. ASD can also be characterized by its investment in its faculty. Professional development and time for professional collaboration are key benefits for educators at ASD. To date, ASD faculty members have successfully leveraged these resources to build a curriculum of both international prestige and daily practicality. The faculty are unique in that they help ASD students see the interconnectedness of the world, facilitated by technology and innovation, as well as take ownership for what happens in ASD classrooms on a daily basis. The next Director will maintain ASD’s commitment to the intellectual and personal development of its students, inspiring them and empowering them to become positive, active global citizens. The incumbent will also understand what it takes to operate an exceptional school in an exceptional place and ensure ASD enhances its reputation as a leader of what works and matters most in education today, no matter where in the world one might be. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 2 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com SCHOOL HISTORY ASD was established in 1988 by the U.S. Embassy and prominent members of the Qatari community to meet the growing needs of students in Doha. Originally called American International School (AIS), it included only grades one through five. Two years later, the school expanded to include classes up to grade eight. AIS was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 1994. In 1996, AIS began construction on the current campus, transforming literal desert into a vibrant educational hub. In 1997, the school took its current name, ASD, and enrolled 500 students. By 2011, ASD had enrolled 2,000 students and in 2017, ASD finalized the Campus Improvements Project, a four-year undertaking that included the building of a new Elementary School Library, Learners Pool and Gym, along with a new Middle School/High School Gym, Middle School classrooms/workrooms, and high school science labs. By 2016, ASD’s Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 enrollment reached 2,250 students, its maximum capacity. ASD today has evolved to be a cornerstone of the “expat” community in Doha, as well as one of the premier American international schools in the world. THE SCHOOL The diversity of cultures and backgrounds at ASD is a much-celebrated strength of the school, and the world-class facilities provide the best possible spaces for ASD teachers and coaches to inspire and educate students to become positive, active global citizens. Technology, music, art, physical education, theater, library, classroom, and common spaces all communicate a message that learning is at the heart of the ASD experience. With the support of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors, the Leadership Team, and the active parent community, The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 3 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com ASD provides an education that is second to none in the region. ASD’s core values of Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and Compassion promote a culture of inclusiveness and engagement. For 30 years, ASD has focused on student learning in a safe, secure environment that ensures each ASD student can reach his or her potential. Inspired by the ASD mission, vision, and values, four learning strategies were developed in April 2010 by a group of parents, faculty, and students. (These strategies were then approved by the Board of Directors.) In 2013, a fifth strategy was added. In 2015, the school and new Director reviewed and revised the vision statement and strategies to support the new vision. Although ambitious in scope, the Five Strategies demonstrate ASD’s commitment to preparing students for success in a globally connected world. The Five Strategies: 1. We will challenge our students to become positive, active, global citizens who, inspired by their understanding of global issues, become agents of positive change to improve our world. 2. We will enhance the academic and intellectual development of our students and adults through challenging curricula, innovative approaches to deep learning, and creating optimal learning environments for student growth. 3. We will foster the social, emotional, and physical development of our students and adults through positive school culture, engaging programs, and inclusive opportunities for understanding the world in which we live. 4. We will develop and maintain strong partnerships with the Qatari and global community to ensure great opportunities for students and to support delivery of the ASD Mission. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 4 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com 5. We will advance an effective and efficient infrastructure which supports student learning, facilitates professional staff growth, and encourages community involvement. ACADEMICS The ASD curriculum focuses on providing students with a vertically-aligned quality education, where PreK-12 standards are anchored in the best of American education. The Office of Teaching and Learning provides a high caliber professional learning program to support teachers in their professional growth. Identifying teacher strengths and developing professional expertise ensures school-wide goals for excellence will be met across all divisions. On Tuesday afternoons, students are dismissed at 12:30 pm in order to provide faculty with the opportunity to participate in Professional and Collaborative Time (PACT). Lower Elementary (PK - Grade 2) The Lower Elementary School (LES) program caters to children starting at 4+ years of age in Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) to 7+ years of age in Grade 2. Approximately 516 students, from 47 different countries, are enrolled in the LES division. Students engage in core curricula schooling in homeroom settings. Class sizes range from 15 students per class in Pre-K to 20 students per class in Grade 2. There are seven sections at every grade level, each assigned to one homeroom teacher with a full-time Learning Assistant. Two LES Guidance Counselors work closely with both students and teachers to promote school values and life skills. Students in KG to Grade 2 attend physical education, music, and art lessons twice a week, and Pre-K students attend physical education, music, and art lessons once a week. This is in addition The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 5 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com to scheduled library and information technology lessons once a week. IT integration is embedded in curricular units across all subject areas. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is offered to students who are native speakers starting in KG. Students in Grades 1 and 2 all have the opportunity to attend instruction in the following world languages: Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL), Spanish as a Foreign Language, and Modern Standard Arabic (eligible students only). Students who require additional learning and intervention support and/or further exposure to English as an Additional Language (EAL) instruction receive these services through the LES Support Services department and their homeroom teachers. Upper Elementary (Grade 3 - Grade 5) The Upper Elementary School (UES) is comprised of Grades 3, 4, and 5. There are over 50 faculty members and 500 students at the UES level. An average day in the UES consists of students learning core subjects through Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop, Mathematics, and Science or Social Studies in self-contained classrooms. In addition, students have a rotating schedule throughout the week that consists of two 40-minute periods each for Physical Education, Music, and Art, as well as one period a week for Library and Guidance or Technology. World Language offerings are two 40-minute periods a week with a rotating third period every other week. Middle School (Grade 6 - Grade 8) The Middle School (MS) is made up of over 500 students who range in age from 11 to 14 and represent over 70 different nationalities. The MS teaching faculty numbers 58. ASD treats the MS years as a very special passage from childhood to adolescence and has created a MS that provides a fun, safe learning environment and which emphasizes the Core Values of the The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 6 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com school. MS relies on its unique community of students, faculty, parents, and administration to work together to nurture, develop, and inspire young adolescents to reach their goals. Of course, one of the hallmarks of MS is that it actively provides opportunities for students to make a difference, both locally and globally. The MS follows a rotating block schedule format for the school day. MS students and teachers who share the same classes belong to a “Learning Team.” ASD’s Blue and White Teams build communities, as members share their core academic subjects together.

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