Middle East Professional Learning Initiative

Overview & Mission

The Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI) is an initiative with Professional Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Professional Education serves nearly 18,000+ educators in 140 countries annually with transformative professional learning experiences. MEPLI supports teacher educators and system-level leaders in developing practices, programs, and structures to help improve student opportunities for learning and achieving productive sustainable lives.

Recognizing the value of these opportunities and the enthusiasm of past participants from the Middle East, a Harvard alumnus and his family made a generous gift to the School in 2016. This support-enabled Professional Education to collaborate with governmental and non-governmental entities alike to identify and educate change-makers in the region and give them access to resources and networks that advance their work. Thus began the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI).

Our Objectives

• Develop professional learning experiences that enhance educators’ knowledge of pedagogies that enhance students’ 21st century skills.
• Develop a cohort of teacher educators and their networks, with skills to facilitate and advance teaching 21st century skills.
• Support the capacity building of system-level leaders in the teacher development field.
• Support the development of original and translated Arabic language resources to support teacher learning 

Our Offerings

Middle East Professional Learning Initiative Fellowship (MEPLI) | Learn More
The MEPLI Fellowship aims to support educators committed to advancing teacher education systemically in the contexts in which they serve. Download a flyer to share with your colleagues.
*The selection process involves submission of an online application and participation in an interview. English proficiency is required.

Usable Knowledge | Learn More
This page offers relevant research for today's educators in Arabic.

MEPLI Knowledge Sharing and Just-in-time Learning Opportunities
Our Fellows regularly host and conduct virtual webinars and workshops to share their learning and expertise with educators across the Middle East and other Arabic-speaking communities. For more information about these opportunities, please visit our Facebook page.

Reimagining Teaching and Learning: Building Skills for the New Era of Online and Blended Education
Developed and Presented with the Queen Rania Teacher Academy
This course is a three-week online workshop that provides just-in-time support for teachers preparing to welcome their learners to school in September. Participants begin by reviewing the fundamentals of how people learn and what those fundamental theories mean for distance and blended education. They will then put this theory into practice and collaborate with your peers to design learning experiences — for example, an e-learning lesson plan or a blended curriculum unit — for their context.

Agile Thinking | Learn More
This course covers the fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction. A semester long course on this topic is also offered in English. Learn more about Differentiated Instruction.
*This course is offered in Arabic. The program will be delivered based on the request of 50+ participants. The date will be agreed upon with the participating organization.

Collaborating Organizations

MEPLI operates through collaboration with organizations in the region. A partial list of collaborating organizations is below.

• Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA)
• Teach for Lebanon (TFL)
• Teach for Morocco (TFM)
• AMIDEAST
• Sonbola
• United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA)

Faculty Advisors

• Fernando Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of Practice in International Education, HGSE
• Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Associate Professor of Education, HGSE
• Katherine Merseth, Senior Lecturer on Education (retired), Teacher Education, HGSE

Related News

• MEPLI Fellows Share Resources to Support Teaching Through a Crisis
• Connect with the MEPLI Fellows and program updates  on Facebook
• "A Thriving Partnership with Middle Eastern Educators"
• Frequently Asked Questions for the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative Fellowship
• HGSE's Usable Knowledge in Arabic

Contact Us

We encourage inquiries at mepli@gse.harvard.edu.