BU Wheelock: You recently visited Bahrain to observe the partnership between BU Wheelock and Bahrain Teachers College. Can you give an overview of your trip?

Dean Bishop: Yes, I’m happy to. As a college, we’ve been partnering with Bahrain Teachers College for several years, and this was my first visit to see this work in action. It was fun to meet many of our Bahraini graduate students and alumni, who expressed great appreciation for our faculty’s customization of the curriculum and schedule for their cultural context. They described the value of the program and degree for teachers and leaders in Bahrain. We also met with a group of prospective graduate students who were interested more generally in our BU Wheelock programs and degrees, including the master’s degree program in curriculum & teaching, which we’re rolling out in Bahrain this September.

BU Wheelock: What do you hope will be accomplished by adding this second option to the program?

Dean Bishop: We believe an additional degree option will be mutually beneficial, which is a key condition of all our partnerships. Because this second program is focused on curriculum, assessment, and instructional strategies, it is a way for Bahraini educators to further increase their pedagogical skills and knowledge, while learning more about research-based practice. In this way, the program is designed to strengthen Bahrain’s education sector.

We are proud of the 100% completion rate for the first cohort of the educational leadership program, and we’re excited for a similar level of success and support in this new program. On the flip side, we at BU Wheelock benefit from the partnership in lots of ways, from learning firsthand about the BTC faculty’s latest research to infusing our curriculum with global perspectives. All these things, in turn, increase the quality of our students’ experience, both in Boston and in Bahrain.

BU Wheelock: What were a couple of the highlights of your visit?

Dean Bishop: Oh, there were many! This was my first time in Bahrain, and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet with educators across that fascinating country. But being a former middle school teacher, I must admit I especially loved visiting Bahraini schools and interacting with K–12 students. They were eager to engage with us and spoke with such pride and enthusiasm about their learning. For example, the students at Khadija AlKubra Intermediate Girls School taught us about Bahraini culture through short presentations and games—it turns out I’m not as good at hopscotch as I remember. And because most of the graduate students in our educational leadership program are working full time in schools, it was really rewarding to see them in action at the schools as well.

BU Wheelock: What is BU Wheelock’s ultimate goal with this work?

Dean Bishop: Systems-level change is a hallmark of BU Wheelock. We have a long track record of deep, reciprocal, and sustained partnerships that transform the systems that impact learning and human development, such as our former decades-long partnership with Singapore as that country built out its early childhood education system. During our visit, we conversed with Bahrain’s minister of education, the president of the University of Bahrain, the dean of Bahrain Teachers College, the president of the Royal University for Women, and others regarding the crucial role that education plays in a country’s overall health and sustainability. We look forward to further amplifying that work.