Doha - School Report Question and Answers

While ASD is a top notch school, it has recently exhibited some significant areas of concern, in my opinion, that potential families should be aware of before choosing to come to ASD. They include: existing governance structures, equity/inclusion/diversity, community communication, and LGBTQIA+ -- and these are all somewhat related. ASD has both a Board of Directors (BoD) and a Board of Trustees (BoT). The BoD consists of 12 individuals (9 appointed by the US ambassador for 6-year terms; 3 parent elected reps who serve 2-year terms between elections). The BoT consists of 8-10 individuals who apparently serve for life. The US ambassador (currently a CDA) serves on both Boards, both of which are very corporate and conservative. Among current members, only 4 Directors and only 2 Trustees are female. Currently 1/3 of the Directors and all but 2 of the Trustees are Qatari. This is disproportionate to the actual number of Qataris in the student community (15%), but seems intentional so that local Islamic cultural/religious values take priority over any perceived negative western ideas. For the last 2 years, after a bit of a PR fiasco on Instagram, ASD has been trying to address issues of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) across a variety of fronts. This work has mostly resulted in superficial initiatives (e.g., celebrating Black History month, revisiting the school’s mission and vision statements), while more significant changes (e.g., choosing a more representative leadership team) have yet to occur. (Starting the 22-23 AY, the school’s leadership team will include only one LatinX individual, no BIPOC, and fewer than 1/3 female members. The rest are white men.) In spring 2022, an issue arose involving a rainbow poster that individuals hung up to express acceptance/belonging toward LGBTQIA+ students (note: the school has an existing population of students who identify as LGBTQIA+, and, in my understanding, have often encountered an inhospitable atmosphere). The school’s leadership team removed the poster as a result of complaints made by Arab/Muslim students and parents, and nothing more was said about the matter. The incident was shared by the Director with the BoD but this process has not been transparently shared or discussed among the community. Any families who value open dialogue and EDIJ advancement may wish to think twice about whether ASD is an appropriate placement for their kids. For me, it does not seem as if the current governance at ASD is supportive of the effort necessary to make real progress on the EDIJ front. BIPOC and diverse staff and families are much needed at ASD, but it doesn’t seem as if the school is capable of doing anything more than window dressing at the moment. And if you or anyone in your family identifies as LGBTQIA+ (or you value being a part of an inclusive school community, without exceptions), I would have to recommend taking a pass on ASD at the moment. - Apr 2022

Wonderful school if your child is typically developing and bright, but not too bright. Nice campus, great teachers, small class sizes. A poor fit for special needs. - Jul 2019