Abstract
Qatar is in the midst of a massive educational reform, Education for a New Era. Influence by neoliberalism, one principle of the reform is the development of a standards-based system including the adoption of the Qatar National Professional Standards for School Leaders. This paper examines Qatar’s professional leadership standards using Habermas’ knowledge constitutive interests (KCIs) as a theoretical framework. The paper places professional standards within the context of neoliberalism and findings provide a deeper understanding of how the KCIs are embedded in the professional standards. An argument is made for using Habermas’ KCIs in the preparation of school leaders.
Notes
1. QNPSTSL includes standards for both teachers and school leaders. For this paper, QNPSSL is used when addressing the professional standards for school leaders.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Michael H. Romanowski
Professor Michael H. Romanowski is the Coordinator for the Masters of Education in Educational Leadership degree program in the College of Education at Qatar University, Educational Sciences, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Email: [email protected]. He earned his PhD from Miami University and brings to the classroom over 25 years of diverse educational experiences including academic positions in the USA, China and currently Qatar. He has authored numerous research and academic articles that appear in various academic books and education journals. He currently teaches courses in curriculum theory, instructional supervision and continues to research and write on various educational and cultural issues.