QF Leads Global Dialogue on the Future of Progressive Schools at WISE 12

Doha, Qatar:WISE, aglobal educationinitiative of Qatar Foundation,held the latest edition of its biennial summit WISE 12 under the theme Humanity F...

Doha, Qatar: WISE, a global education initiative of Qatar Foundation, held the latest edition of its biennial summit – WISE 12 – under the theme ‘Humanity First: Embedding Human Values at the Heart of Education Systems’, which featured a session titled ‘Innovating Schooling: Towards a Progressive Schools Movement’, bringing together leading global educators, school founders, and education policymakers.

The session explored the current landscape of progressive schools and highlighted innovative school models centered on purpose, empowerment, and learner well-being, reflecting the rapid transformations shaping education worldwide and the growing need for learning environments that foster creativity, independence, and social responsibility.

Participants also discussed how to balance experiential and innovation-driven learning with cultural identity and educational traditions, ensuring the development of more flexible and inclusive education systems.

Elizabeth Kennedy, Director of Academyati, one of QF’s Pre-University Education schools, presented the progressive school’s model and said: “Progressive education is not a passing trend, but a response to an increasing need we are seeing in schools around the world: the need to slow the pace, provide genuine space for learners, and build learning rooted in meaning and purpose.”

“A progressive approach begins with a shared mindset based on a clear mission, vision, and institutional values committed to renewing educational practices and moving beyond traditional methods. It is not merely a conventional curriculum delivered in a new form, but a deliberate educational choice that reduces content in favor of deeper learning grounded in values, meaning, and purpose.”