The U.S. University Pipeline

An interesting facet of elite education at Olive Grove Academy in Jordan is the fact that many students attend American colleges and universities following graduation. This fact enables the students to appreciate a liberal arts education as they enter their (designed) journey to becoming democratic leaders. As we are investigating how this school produces students that become democratic leaders, it’s important to understand what Olive Grove Academy values about American, democratic education and how they send students to these schools. For example, one of the students interviewed is a junior named Karim who plans to apply to Amherst College, as well as other liberal arts colleges in the U.S. He states that Olive Grove Academy has a liberal view on academics and that he enjoys the autonomy he is given within selecting subjects, which makes him  feel as though a liberal arts school will allow him to continue on an enjoyable path of academics. Many of his classes are AP classes, which are selected based on prior achievement and mastery of subjects, rather than a track-based curriculum. This allows students to choose courses based on what they feel comfortable and happy with, a key tenet of democratic principles. The fact that the Academy models their curriculum and course selection like an American, liberal arts college, which is quite different from the rest of the world’s universities, demonstrates a desire to encourage students to appreciate a liberal arts education.

A study from Lafi Ibrahim Jaafari (1973) looks at the migration of Jordanian students to the United States and explores the motivations behind this. Many described their reasons for studying in the United States as either better schooling, or more opportunity in terms of admission restrictions or degree offerings. Essentially, Middle Eastern schools do not offer the same types and amounts of classes as many U.S. schools do. This would of course be the case in liberal arts schools, which are famous for the variety of classes and the goal of students to explore said variety. However, the highest percentage of students answered “more benefit to my country” as their reason for seeking further education abroad. If we are considering how Olive Grove Academy, and in general, elite schools in Jordan are preparing their students to be democratic leaders in Jordan, we could assume from this survey answer that the teachers and faculty are encouraging attending American universities as a means of coming back to Jordan and being prepared to help their country. In addition, it could be because they can become experts or knowledgeable in different and new fields than the typical Jordanian university students, which would suggest a growth mindset. Keeping an open mind regarding what can improve the country and guiding students to do just that represents a democratic mindset.

Karim stated that both at school and at home, there was an implicit expectation that he attend college like his three brothers did before him. He describes the atmosphere at school as competitive in a friendly way, with most feeling the same expectation to attend higher education. With that in mind, we must consider another reason that Jordanian elite students tend to attend American schools: there are only 39 recognized universities in Jordan, with a handful of those being considered “good” schools. Thus, there are far more options in the U.S., especially because all of the Jordanian universities are considered to be more of a research university with liberal arts programs offered, rather than exclusively liberal arts schools like Amherst or many others in the U.S. If Olive Grove Academy offers a liberal arts minded curriculum, students will be motivated and inclined to seek out a similar one if they find success at Kings Academy. 

Liberal arts schools are democratic in nature. They promote choice and opportunity, key democratic principles. They also encourage critical thinking, and opportunity. Students with those qualities will then come back to Jordan with a hopefully positive view of their experience, and possibly, in the minds of Kings Academy, attempt to make a way of life similar to that in their home country. As such, it seems that sending students to liberal arts American schools is a way of importing democratic principles back into Jordan. This is an important facet of the Olive Grove experience to consider, as we are researching how the school produces democratic leaders. This happens not only at the school, but also how they influence life in the time period between attending Olive Grove Academy and becoming said democratic leaders of Jordan. Many students take the path of higher education, and to understand where they go for higher education and what it consists of is vital to how they become democratic leaders. They do not pick these experiences of their own accord. They are guided and influenced by their school, and as such we must learn and consider why in order to understand a key facet of the journey.

References

Jaafari, L. I. (1973). The Brain Drain to the United States: The Migration of Jordanian and Palestinian Professionals and Students. Journal of Palestine Studies, 3(1), 119–131. https://doi.org/10.2307/2535531