Education

• University of Pittsburgh (PhD in Administrative and Policy Studies in Educaiton, 2004)
• University of Pittsburgh (MEd in Administrative and Policy Studies in Educaiton, 2002)
• Zagazig University, Egypt (Diploma in Special Educaiton, 1998)
• Zagazig University, Egypt (Professional Diploma in Educaiton, 1997)
• Zagazig University, Egypt (BA in Educaiton, 1995)

Areas of Expertise

• Higher Education
• Comparative Education
• Multicultural Education
• Teacher Education

Professional Biography

Ali Ibrahim is currently an Assistant Professor in the Foundations of Education Department at the College of Education of the United Arab Emirates University. Prior to moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, Ibrahim served as a full-time visiting faculty member at the Foundations and Educational Administration Department, College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. In 2005, he served was an Assistant Professor at the Comparative Education and Educational Administration Department, Faculty of Education at Zagazig University in Egypt. During his stay in Egypt, Ibrahim served in several consultancy capacities, such as a consultant on Education Reform, Decentralization, and Community Participation on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Egypt’s Education Reform Project for Decentralized Governance and Management (ERP–DGM). He was also a consultant on the Induction and Mentoring of New Teachers Program, USAID-Egypt’s Education Reform Project–Faculties of Education Reform (ERP-FOER). Ibrahim served as a Technical Translator and English-Arabic Website Administrator at Michigan State University–FOER. Earlier, and while he was still in the United States, he served as a Research Associate and an Assistant to the Director of IISE. Ibrahim's teaching career started early in 1996 when he worked as a high school teacher of English as a Second Language and then as an Assistant Faculty at the Faculty of Education at Zagazig University.

Research Interests & Current Projects

Ibrahim's research focuses on reforming administration, processes, content, and output of education in the Middle East region (from a cross-cultural comparative perspective). This interest stemmed from a feeling that education in the region faces huge challenges that need to be critically explored and addressed. Among the other research interests Ibrahim has is the professional life and development of school teachers, administrators, and teacher educators (i.e., socialization, professional development, power relations) as well as the dialectic between the local and global dimensions on the culture of and education for learners and teachers. He is also interested in looking at issues in higher education in the Middle East, such as finance, administration and governance, quality, and technology. Dr. Ibrahim also works on issues pertaining to waves of international reform, among which are aspects of decentralization, school-community partnerships, privatization, and cost sharing and their impacts on educational systems in the Middle Eastern Region.

Courses Taught

• Learning Communities
• Educational Supervision
• Research Methods in Educationn
• Comparative Education

Selected Publications

Ibrahim, Ali; & Al-Kaabi, A. (2009). The Politics of Educational Policy Making in the Arab World: The Cases of Egypt and the UAE. Paper presented at the Annual Comparative and International Education Society Conference, March 21–26, Charleston, SC.

Abdel-Dayem, M.; & Ibrahim, Ali. (2007). Contextual Issues Impacting on Teacher Education: A Comparative Study between Japan and Egypt. Paper presented at the Distance Education and Teacher Training in Africa Conference, August 5–8, in Uganda.

Ibrahim, Ali; & Hozayin, R. (2006). Educational Decentralization in Egyptian Education: Understanding the Past and Building for the Future. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Conference in Education, March 24–25, in Egypt.

Ibrahim, Ali; & Hozayin, R. (2006). History of Educational Policy Reform in Egypt: Lessons Learned for Decentralization and Community Participation. Paper presented at the National Council for Education Research and Development (NCERD) Symposium, March 29, in Egypt.