The leadership of Qatar has a social and political vision that calls for improving the outcomes of the Qatari K-12 education system. With this vision in mind, the leadership asked RAND to examine Qatar's K-12 education system, to recommend options for building a world-class system, and, subsequently, to develop the chosen option and support its implementation. The option that was selected includes internationally benchmarked curriculum standards, national testing based on those standards, independent government-funded schools, and parental choice among schools using annual school report cards. This monograph describes Phase I (2001-2004) of the Qatari education reform initiative, "Education for a New Era," based on RAND's experiences as part of this ambitious effort involving Qataris and Qatari organizations, and international consultants and contractors. It is organized into 11 chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Qatar and Its Education System; (3) Analysis of Qatar's Education System; (4) The Reform Model; (5) Realizing the Independent School Model: Refined Design and Implementation Strategy; (6) Building the Organizational Structure; (7) Developing the Curriculum Standards and Supporting Their Implementation; (8) Developing the Assessment System; (9) Establishing the Independent Schools; (10) Challenges of a Rapid and Comprehensive Reform; and (11) Accomplishments, Recommendations, and Implications. A glossary is also included. (Contains 3 figures, 8 tables, and 27 notes.) [This monograph was prepared for the Supreme Education Council of Qatar; conducted within RAND Education and the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute, programs of the RAND Corporation; and funded by the State of Qatar.]