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This study aims to provide a general overview of how educational leadership is defined by Arab educators and education specialists in the Arab region, concentrating on the State of Qatar. The study builds on insights from socio-cultural theory and critical discourse analysis, viewing language as a social practice and thus treats leadership as a form of discursive practice. The study draws on grounded theory and adopts a socio-cultural perspective employing semi-structured interviews conducted with school principals, teachers, educators, educational leaders, educational researchers, and members of the community in Qatar. The results concluded from this study disclose discording views of educational leadership and how it is defined, owing to borrowing the concept from Western educational system models, either by using these terms verbatim or as they are lost in translation. This discord reflects a lack of clarity in using the relevant educational leadership concepts and has arguably led to differences in educational practices and educators' dispositions and perspectives. Finally, the study concludes with valuable recommendations for educational policy and decision-making and some suggestions for future research.

PurposeThe authors' purpose is to illuminate ways in which care within the mentor–mentee relationship influences the efficacy of mentoring for/in the professoriate, within and beyond the novel circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA narrative inquiry design drew on the authors' distinct positionalities and experiences of mentoring and being mentored by one another to provide a multi-layered analysis of mentor–mentee relationships. Utilizing care theory, we paid particular attention in our narratives and analysis to the affective dimensions of mentoring within the distinct context created by the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsOur data analysis revealed three themes: (1) mentor humility was relevant to mentees' success, (2) relationship longevity mattered, and (3) caring mentoring relationships were affectively and empirically generative.Research limitations/implicationsNarrative inquiry, generally, is limited in its generalizability but can be a powerful tool to facilitate knowledge sharing. Our analysis suggests areas which merit further research and may have broader implications. Namely, during trying times the normalization of professor humility may enhance the quality and generativity of the mentoring relationships, especially when combined with networking support.Practical implicationsWe make seven recommendations to enhance the efficacy of professors as mentors and mentees in need of mentorship.Originality/valueMentors who practice care-for their mentees, as opposed to care-about, enhance the efficacy of the mentoring relationship.

Over the past twenty years, countries have embraced educational reforms that are driven by standards-based education that include professional standards for teachers. This is the case in Qatar where professional standards for teachers where imported to improve teaching in the midst of a major educational reform. This study presents findings from 333 teachers who completed an open-ended questionnaire designed to gain teachers' perceptions and experiences with professional standards. Findings describe teachers' responses regarding professional standards as an effective framework to improve the quality of teaching and learning, the influence on instruction, the positives and negatives of professional standards and the use of standards as a tool for obtaining licensure. Discussion provides additional insight into the issues and challenges of the use of professional standards to improve the quality of instruction.

Globalization presents Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with opportunities for economic growth and transformation, as many of these nations face economic challenges such as the need for a diversified knowledge-based economy because of the finite resource of hydrocarbons. This requires the development of human capital providing workers with new and advanced skills and competencies. Education has become increasingly important on national agendas in the GCC, leading to an increase in transferring educational reforms often founded on Human Capital Theory (HCT). This article examines how HCT is embedded in the development of knowledge economies and reforms in many GCC countries and identifies the possible differences between western understandings of Human Capital Development (HCD) and GCC nations. In particular, the article addresses cultural preservation, specifically identity and language, against the backdrop of HCD in the GCC nations. Discussion centers on HCD from a local perspective raising concerns about HCT as a guiding educational theory in the GCC. This is followed by several suggestions for policymakers to consider when developing an education system that includes the skills deemed necessary for economic development while simultaneously preserving national identity and the Arabic language.