Summer 2016 • Volume 19 • Issue 3PRINCIPALCONNECTIONS

LEADERSHIPTransformaTional

We are always looking for interesting articles. Submissions should be 800-1000 words. Images should be 300 dpi minimum and in jpg, tif, or png formats. Please do not reduce the size of digital images.

Send the articles in Word format only to Editor, Deirdre Kinsella Biss at dkinsellabiss@cpco.on.ca

Upcoming themes and deadlines:

Fall 2016 - Creating Collaborative CulturesArticles due by July 8, 2016

Winter 2016 - Developing HumanityArticles due by October 21, 2016

We want to know what’s happening in your school community. Send stories about new initiatives, events and any other special happenings.

Submissions should be 300-800 words. Images should be in jpg or png formats.

Send your stories in Word format only to Communications Officer, Stephanie Zakhem at szakhem@cpco.on.ca

CPCO reserves the right to edit all materials. Please understand that a submission does not automatically guarantee publication.

CPCO reserves the right to edit all materials. Please understand that a submission does not automatically guarantee publication.

PRINCIPALCONNECTIONS

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CPCO BLOG

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New Practising Associates

Welcome!We look forward to assisting you in your new role as a school administrator and answering any questions you may have about the CPCO services you are entitled to.

Long Term Disability Plan (LTD)

If you are a Practising Associate of the following school boards, you need to apply for the CPCO Benefits Plan within 90 days of your appointment:

Algonquin & Lakeshore, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, Durham, Halton, Huron-Perth, Niagara, Nipissing-Parry Sound, Northeastern, Ottawa, Peterborough/Victoria/Northumberland and Clarington, Simcoe Muskoka, St. Clair, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Waterloo, York.

For more information about the Plan and its enhancements:

• Visit the CPCO website at www.cpco.on.ca under Become an Associate;

• Contact the Protective Services Coordinator, Joe Geiser at the toll free number: 1-888-621-9190 ext. 34; or

• Contact Johnson Inc., the Plan Administrator at the toll free number: 1-800-461-4155.

The CPCO Benefits Plan is a voluntary program. Eligible PAs need to apply for coverage.

Communicating with our Practising Associates is important to us. Up-to-date information is essential to ensure that we can provide you with uninterrupted services.

Make changes online or contact Gaby Aloi, Manager of Corporate Operations at galoi@cpco.on.ca.• Retiring/Retired• Moved schools• Moved boards*• Moved to a new home• Going on leave or have been seconded• Received a promotion or change in your position

* If you have moved boards, check to see if your Association is a member of the CPCO Benefits Plan for LTD.

Considering retirement this year?Contact CPCO if you have questions regarding the cancellation of your LTD Plan.

Need legal advice?Contact Protective Services Coordinator, Joe Geiser at 1-888-621-9190 ext. 34.

www.cpco.on.ca

Associate Information

EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING & SALES

Deirdre Kinsella Biss, Editor dkinsellabiss@cpco.on.ca

Ania Czupajlo, Senior Designer/Principal Connections Art Director aczupajlo@cpco.on.ca | ext. 25

John Nijmeh, Advertising Manager events@cpco.on.ca | ext. 28

Gaby Aloi, Manager of Corporate Operations galoi@cpco.on.ca | ext. 26

CORPORATE, PROGRAMS & SERVICES

Wayne Hill, President president@cpco.on.ca | ext. 22

Paul Lacalamita, Executive Director placalamita@cpco.on.ca | ext. 23

Hannah Yakobi, Marketing & Communications Manager hyakobi@cpco.on.ca | ext. 38

Stephanie Zakhem, Communications Officer szakhem@cpco.on.ca | ext. 30

Luciana Cardarelli, Program & Member Services Coordinator lcardarelli@cpco.on.ca | ext. 37

Vanessa Kellow, Professional Learning Assistant vkellow@cpco.on.ca | ext. 31

Joe Geiser, Protective Services Coordinator jgeiser@cpco.on.ca | ext. 34

Ron McNamara, Protective Services Assistant Coordinator rmcnamara@cpco.on.ca | ext. 27

Maria Cortez, Administrative Assistant mcortez@cpco.on.ca | ext. 32

Bessy Valerio, Receptionist bvalerio@cpco.on.ca | ext. 21

IN THIS ISSUESummer2016•Volume19•Issue3

We thank all those who contributed to this issue. Please note, however, that the opinions and views expressed are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily those of CPCO. Similarly, the acceptance of advertising does not imply CPCO endorsement. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40035635

CPCO assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, event or organization has been provided by such individual, event organizers or organization without verification by us. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of CPCO. Copyright ©2016 Catholic Principals' Council | Ontario. All rights reserved.

CONTACT US

Catholic Principals’ Council | OntarioBox 2325, Suite 3030, 2300 Yonge StreetToronto, Ontario M4P 1E4

1.888.621.9190 toll free • 416.483.1556 phone416.483.2554 fax • info@cpco.on.ca • www.cpco.on.ca

10% Total Recycled Fiber

We would like to acknowledge that the CPCO office is on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHTWhy, How and When to Be a Transformational Leader | 6Our Promise In Action | 8Accountable Talk Ain’t Just for Kids | 10The Innovator’s Mindset | 12Creating a Culture of Learning and Innovation | 14Professional Collaboration: Who could be against it? | 16Professional Learning in the Learning Profession | 18Transformation | 23Deep Leadership for Transforming Learning | 24Syria - Transforming Lives | 28

Transformational LeadershipCover design by Ania Czupajlo

Transformational Leadership inspires us to respond collaboratively and innovatively to the complexities of change within our Catholic school communities. By fostering a culture of “Yes,” we create a growth mindset and build practices that make our schools places of deep learning.

The Innovator’s Mindset

Deep Leadership for Transforming Learning

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession

Syria - Transforming Lives

@CPCOtweet

youtube.com/CPCOtoronto

linkd.in/1vBkhw3

blog.cpco.on.ca

IN EVERY ISSUEFrom the President: Empowering Transformation | 4From the Executive Director: Leading through Change | 5Tech Talk: Technology that Defies Reality | 22

KEEPING YOU INFORMEDIntegrative Thinking - Creating Better Solutions | 26Transformative School Leadership: An Ethical Imperative | 30Being Data Literate Transforms Our Practice | 32Ref lection of a Principal as Co-Learner | 34Monitoring to Pivot | 36Assessment for Learning to Assessment as Learning | 38Christian Meditation with Children | 40Supporting Your Learning, Your Way! | 43Ref lections on Transformational Practices for Catholic Leaders | 44CPCO 2016 Awards Recipients | 46AGM Address to Designates | 50

FROM THE PRESIDENT Wayne Hill

Empowering Transformation

In describing transformational change Michael Fullan says,

Change really isn’t as hard as we thought if we capture people’s interest and give them enjoyable and worthwhile experiences. We are learning more about large-scale change, making it less complicated by focusing on a small number of ambitious goals with a coherent strategy that attends in concert to half a dozen or so key factors: intrinsic motivation, capacity building, transparency of results and practice, leadership at all levels, and a positive but assertive stance on progress … I call this “simplexity” – a small number of key factors that must be made to gel with large groups of people.

Clearly Fullan is not speaking about change for change sake.

The theme of this issue of Principal Connections is transformational leadership. Of course leadership in all of its many forms has been a topic of intense conversation throughout the province this year. Currently, there are working tables on initiatives, transformation, the future of the Principalship, and other focused leadership issues that directly affect each one of us.

There is no doubt that principals and vice-principals are leaders in our schools and in our communities. At the end of the day, it will be principals who will inf luence, or not, teachers, school communities and students to embrace change. Their support of change and transformation is key to generating support inside school communities and from institutions outside of schools who are wary of both the pace and scope of change.

But for change to be effective it must be rooted in good practice and cultural expectations, and free of the educational jargon that generally only serves to confuse those outside of our educational community. Change must be enduring and if we are enacting change to support student learning then it must be measurable and able to stand the test of time. We in education have gone from being among the slowest institutions to implementing change to one that is often guilty of trying to implement every suggestion of educational improvement that comes our way.

Change in the educational context is a constant. Our ability to measure effective change, to successfully implement those changes that will improve learning for our students and stand up to critics will drive the kind of preferred school system that we hope will be resilient to the kinds of monumental change we see in our society. As Fullan says change must be a worthwhile experience, embraced by large groups of educators who are focused on clear directed initiatives that we know – not guess – will support student achievement and well-being.

In this issue, we are most fortunate to include articles on the various aspects of transformational leadership, especially in its relationship to educational leadership, by some of our country’s – and beyond – foremost thinkers and authorities, including Kenneth Leithwood and Michael Fullan. We thank them all for their contributions, which we trust you will find enlightening and useful in your own transformative journey as a Catholic servant leader. Enjoy your read.

I would like to take this last opportunity to thank Editor Deirdre Kinsella Biss and the staff of Principal Connections. This magazine has become an important resource not only to Catholic principals and vice-principals across Ontario but to the wider educational community. I am very proud of the work that they have done on behalf of CPCO and all of the associates we serve.

At the time I am writing this article Fort McMurray is being consumed by wildfires. Thirty-five years ago this wonderful community of what was then some 35,000 souls welcomed me as a first-year teacher. It was a time when jobs for teachers were hard to come by in Ontario and so Fort McMurray provided this opportunity for many of my fellow Ontarian teachers. A number of us who were there are now CPCO associates. I stayed in Fort McMurray for six years, met my wife Catherine there, and our oldest child was born there. It was also where I first became a vice-principal. Today, the neighbourhoods where I lived and taught are largely a smoky ruin. This is a great community and it will rebuild itself but I encourage all of my CPCO associates to be generous with both your prayers and your donations as Canadians helping our fellow Canadians.

Thank you and God bless you for the wonderful opportunity you have given me to serve as your CPCO President. I extend a warm welcome to Randy Bissonnette from Renfrew CDSB who will act on your behalf as CPCO President 2016-17.

4 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paul Lacalamita

Leading through Change

As a professional association, CPCO serves, leads and advocates for a distinct group of 2085 principals and vice-principals working to bring exemplary leadership to Catholic school communities across Ontario. The type of leadership we ascribe to is that of servant leadership, which is steeped in the model of Jesus. Through Jesus we learn about service, truth and the importance of community. In 1998, CPCO’s letters patent underpinned CPCO's incorporation as a non-profit organization. This continues to guide the growth and maturity of our organization. Members and associates have many reasons to be proud of their professional association and its established credibility in serving, advocating and leading the interests of principals and vice-principals in Catholic school boards across the province.

The move to define CPCO members from individuals to entities has cemented the purpose and structure of provincial-local relationships and organizations. It has also transformed our culture and practices to drive future improvements for all CPCO associates and the school communities in their care.

This year, a main focus of our strategic thinking has been improving communication practices thereby fostering the growth of trust-based relationships with increased opportunities for engagement and collaboration with members. The benefits of the new governance model have come to light as the dynamic relationship between CPCO and its members has f lourished and has presented an effective reality of the conditions of support required from our organization. To support our work, CPCO continues to collect data from our members and associates. This research guides staff in the preparation of supports and materials that cater to a very diverse set of demographics and conditions across the province, as well as the general CPCO governance and organizational development. The survey data collected this year will help fuel the Executive Director selection process next year. It will also impact strategic plan development and determine the importance, relevance and effectiveness of current member services and supports in our attempts to achieve extraordinary outcomes and capacity building.

CPCO continues on its path to meet targets set out in the current strategic plan with increased capacity in staffing and attention to good governance by the Executive Council. Clarity continues to be evidenced with our efforts to attain our vision and increase confidence in the CPCO brand.

It has been a tremendous privilege to work with this year’s Executive Council. They have continuously demonstrated a maturity that has lead them to becoming a highly effective group of governors throughout their elected term; guiding with resilience, responding to member needs and governing through important issues and opportunities. Indeed, they have embraced contemporary approaches to risk management, operational oversight and member relations. The ripple effect has been a very natural alignment of the strategic plan with an exemplary service delivery model that distinguishes the CPCO brand of excellence, building a community of support and efficacy to all those involved with the organization.

The success of their work is in no small way attributed to the ability and leadership of President Wayne Hill. Throughout the year Wayne has been supportive of CPCO staff in their work, processes and decision-making. Additionally, he has been a strong advocate for principals and vice-principals, and to all those whom he has met throughout his term. Wayne’s long-time experience in leadership has served him well in setting agendas, planning strategies and advocating for the role and demands of principals and vice-principals especially during the provincial negotiations process.

Given CPCO’s established role in negotiating provincial terms and conditions of employment for its associates, there has never been better added value and a more compelling reason for principals and vice-principals to be proud of our organization and to engage fully in it.

At this juncture in the implementation of our strategic plan, I believe CPCO is meeting the challenges implicit in our value propositions. We continue with resolve to serve, advocate and lead with our members and associates, making the most of our budget revenue. We have successfully built a great team, thereby creating an improved condition for capacity building and sustainability. I am confident that over the last year you have seen evidence of initiatives well underway and prescribed systems of practice that clearly attend to good governance, management and the maturity of our organization. These organizational structures and practices individually support our strategic plan and holistically serve to advance CPCO’s mission and purpose. Thank you for your leadership in your Catholic school communities and for your support of CPCO as your professional association. It has been an honour to serve you this year in my capacity as Executive Director.

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 5

6 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

“Instructional” approaches to leadership acknowledge the significance of developing academic press or emphasis, while “transformational” leadership approaches, the main focus of this article, help build the sense of community that Seashore Louis and her colleagues consider so central to the success of all students. The Ontario Leadership Framework combines the most important features of both “instructional” and “transformational” approaches to leadership; it is an explicit account of what has been more recently referred to in Ontario as “learning leadership.”

Dictionary definitions of the terms “transform,” “transformative” and “transformational” are not much different from definitions of “change.” But most people invoking transformative language typically mean something more like “really big change.” As it is used in the field of leadership theory, the term “transformational leadership” encompasses a specific set of leadership practices intended to create a shared vision for the efforts of organizational members and to align members’ personal goals and aspirations with those of their organization. Transformational leadership practices also aim to nurture members’ commitment to the organization, enhance members’ capacities to achieve organizational goals and encourage initiative-taking on behalf of the organization.

Evidence collected in many different sectors about the impact of these transformational leadership practices generally support claims about sig-nificant, if not “really big,” change – change in key organizational mem-bers’ beliefs, values and dispositions and consequent improvements in organizational outcomes. But not all schools need large doses of transfor-mational leadership and some schools may need none because the qualities transformational leadership practices aim to develop are already infused throughout the schools’ staffs. Transformational leadership practices are particularly valuable in organizations that are experiencing one or more of the following; significant goal conf lict, low levels of member capacity and

motivation, minimal commitment to the organization and its goals, as well as a dearth of initiative on the part of many of its members.

Most of the challenges transformational leadership is designed to address in school contexts are rooted in a small handful of teachers’ dispositions, traits or emotions known to significantly shape school cultures and inf luence student learning, engagement and well-being. These qualities include collective teacher efficacy, teacher trust in colleagues, parents, and students, and teachers’ organizational commitment or organizational citizenship behaviour. For the past eight years, these teacher qualities have been among the “key learning conditions” advocated for leaders’ attention by Ontario’s Leading Student Achievement: Networks for Learning (LSA) project. Together, these three teacher dispositions constitute the most powerful conditions for learning found on the Emotional Path of LSA’s theory of action.

Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) is the level of confidence a group of teachers feels about its ability to organize and implement whatever educational initiatives are required for students to achieve high standards of achievement. The effects of such efficacy on teacher performance is indirect through the persistence it engenders in the face of initial failure and the opportunities it creates for a confident group to learn its way forward rather than giving up. Considerable international evidence demonstrates the significant effects of collective teacher efficacy on valued student outcomes. Local evidence2

Why, How and When to Be a Transformational Leader

Based on a wide-ranging review of evidence, Karen Seashore Louis and her colleagues1 recently concluded that:

Over the last 30 years, we have come to understand that creating schools in which all students reach ambitious targets of learning is fundamentally about two core ideas: creating a strong sense of academic press and crafting a powerful sense of community for students, teachers and families.

by Kenneth Leithwood

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 7

provided as part of LSA’s annual evaluations have consistently found statistically significant correlations between CTE and EQAO measures of student math and language achievement in the .40 to .50 range.

Teacher trust is conceptualized in many different specific ways. But almost all efforts to clarify the nature of trust include a belief or expectation on the part of most staff members, that their colleagues, students and parents support the school’s goals for student learning and will reliably work toward achieving those goals. In addition to a large corpus of international research3, LSA’s annual evaluations report significant correlations between teacher trust and EQAO measures of student achievement in the .35 to .57 range.

Teacher commitment encompasses commitment to students, the teaching profession and the school organization. A wide range of teachers’ emotions, attitudes, capacities, values, beliefs, motivations and overt behaviours make up what is typically conceptualized as “commitment.” Evidence from available research indicates that teacher commitment is positively correlated with student achievement, typically in the .30 range.

Transformational leadership practices which inf luence teacher efficacy, trust and commitment are to be found throughout the Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF). Collective teacher efficacy is enhanced, for example, when leaders help clarify shared goals, create opportunities for professional learning through various forms of collaboration, provide individualized

support and model desired practices and values. Teacher trust develops when school leaders, for example, genuinely listen to staff and take their views into account, buffer staff from distractions to their instructional work and demonstrate their own capacity to provide the support teachers need to carry out their instructional work the best way they know how. When school leaders and teachers together create high expectations for their students and leaders provide the opportunities and resources for teachers to follow through on those expectations, teacher commitment to students, teaching and the organization are all enhanced.

The OLF identifies many practices evidence associates with increases in teacher efficacy, trust and commitment. But several of OLF’s Personal Leadership Resources also have transformational effects. A leader’s optimism, for example, is often contagious. Those working in the same building “catch” that optimism becoming more confident about their work and more committed to that work. Leaders able to discern the emotions of their teaching colleagues are more likely to build productive relationships with those colleagues, a key to nurturing trust in the school.

Assuming that how teachers feel about themselves and their work is at the core of almost any successful effort to improve schools, transformational leadership helps develop that “powerful sense of community for students, teachers and families” identified by Seashore Louis and her colleagues. But such leadership has only weak direct leverage on schools’ “academic press” or emphasis; it needs to be complemented with instructional leadership practices. That is why the model of leadership captured in OLF is referred to as “integrated.”

Footnotes: 1 Seashore Louis, Murphy and Smylie (in press, p. 1) 2 Tschannen-Moran & Barr (2004). 3 Goddard and his colleagues (2001) provide one of the largest estimates of trust effects on student learning. In this study, trust explained 81% of the variation between schools in students’ math and reading achievement.

References: Goddard, R.D., Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, W.K. (2001). A multilevel examination of the distribution and effects of teacher trust in students and parents in urban elementary schools. The Elementary School Journal, 102(1), 3-17. Leithwood, K. (2012). The Ontario Leadership Framework: with a Discussion of the Research Foundations. Toronto: Institute for Educational Leadership. Seashore Louis, K., Murphy, J., Smylie, M. (in press). Caring leadership in schools. Tschannen-Moran, M., & Barr, M. (2004). Fostering student learning: The relationship of collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 3(3), 189-209.

Know Thy impact: Teaching, learning and leading www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/spring2013.pdf

Learn More

Kenneth Leithwood, PhD Professor, University of Toronto Ontario Institute and Studies in Education Educational Researcher

8 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

CAThoLIC PR INCIPALs PuT ouR sTuDENTs AT ThE CEN­TR E oF ALL ThAT WE Do. We deliberately and frequently use the word “student-centred” in our words and actions. However, a shift in mindset allows the term “student-centred” to be replaced by a more en-compassing concept, “learner-centred.” In broadening the definition to ref lect an investment in all those whom we serve, our greater accountability therefore is to assist everyone in devel-oping and demonstrating their leader-ship capabilities in order to increase the common good. Learner-centred envi-ronments consider all employees and stakeholders in education to embrace and deliver upon their responsibilities in serving students and each other.

We know that leadership is more than a title or position. Leadership is not a passive state but occurs when we each take initiative and use our inf luence to make a positive impact on others. Every time we take action that brings us closer to our vision, we are being leaders. No longer is leadership reserved for a few people in an organization. We are transforming what it means to be a leader through the use of a more inclusive model and framework whereby all individuals and roles are valued and invited to develop leadership capacity. In choosing to work and support the Catholic education system; parents, trustees, teachers, support staff and administrators are asked to be living examples of change, inspiration and innovation.

Is it possible to inspire everyone involved in Catholic education to become a transformational leader? I believe the answer is a resounding yes! The culture of leadership in our Catholic education system is not about an accumulation of inf luence and power but rather a distribution of inf luence and service. We actively empower people across the system to contribute their voice with action in order to create a greater connectivity with each other and our collective preferred future.

At a minimum, we need to support each other in developing a motivational and inspirational standard of transformational-servant leadership. We who work in Catholic learning communities are fortunate to have Jesus as our role model for leadership. The “Jesus Way” of empowering and leading people is the ultimate transformational leadership example.

Jesus’ leadership as represented in the Gospels provides purpose and depth for our leadership development. In using our inf luence, no matter how large or seemingly small, the result of that inf luence should always be to elevate another to greatness.

Learner-centred Catholic schools re-quire a deep belief that each of us is empowered and entrusted with the God-given capacity to use our inf luence to make a positive difference for our students. In using Jesus’ ways as our ex-ample, perhaps two greater transforma-

tional leadership questions remain: Who exemplifies hope in your life? And will your leadership bring hope to others?

This is our promise in action, to empower people the "Jesus Way."

Our PrOmise in ActiOnempowering People the "Jesus Way"

“The Lord of the harvest will send forth workers to meet every human need. These workers will have a shepherd’s heart who can lead effectively, with love and in spite of great burden.”1

Everyone is expected to be a leader in their work. Together we are accountable to make

things better.

1 Robert E. Coleman, (2008). Preparing for Transformational Leadership Distinguished Professor of Discipleship and Evangelism, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Pam Garbutt Principal St. Timothy Elementary School Waterloo CDSB

by Pam Garbutt

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 9

• Jesus was a servant.Be a self less leader: cultivate self-knowledge and demon-strate self-management in order to serve others genuinely and authentically.

• Jesus looked for disciples.Actively look for new learners: be fully present, open and available to others.

• Jesus worked with everyone.Stay with the people even when it is difficult: build open, honest, trusting and forgiving relationships because kind-ness truly matters when there is hurt or misunderstanding.

• Jesus honed individual gifts and talents.Involve others in ministry and give them purpose: inspire, encourage devotion and dedication to others and special areas of service within the organization.

• Jesus taught lessons and asked for feedback.Keep others growing: provide links and opportunities for integrated knowledge acquisition.

• Jesus was mindful about others perspectives.Good leaders never predetermine answers to difficult situations or force consensus but are fully engaged, inclu-sive and authentic with their communications in order to mould consensus.

• Jesus talked about how to reach the Kingdom.Show others how the Kingdom comes: exhibit integrity, courage and resilience, listen deeply, and respect the dignity of all persons, treating each with compassion and fairness.

• Jesus took breaks to find work-life balance.Trust in the Holy Spirit: leverage yourself with quieter and peaceful times throughout your day/week, and give yourself and others opportunities for rest and prayer. Find comfort in the Mass.

• Jesus knew there would be false starts, doubts and setbacks with people.Nurture and expect that followers, despite missteps, will be turned into leaders: adapt and lend voice to solve prob-lems and select solid opportunities that manifest them-selves positively in rapidly changing environments.

• Jesus broke bread and drank wine and even ate some fish with many.Keep others motivated: celebrate milestones in the leadership journeys of others; offer words and symbols of appreciation.

As I was working on Adding Talk to the Equation: Discussion and Discovery in Mathematics, a talk toolkit aimed at improving student capacity to engage in rich, challenging conversations, it struck me that charging educators to

develop students’ capacity to talk and listen in the service of learning is a bit ironic. We are aiming to hold kids accountable to expectations and skills that

many of us do not engage in professionally. Here’s a quote from the Accountable Talk Sourcebook: (if l.pitt.edu/index.php/educator_resources/accountable_talk)

We want students to dig deep, to question their underlying assumptions, to evaluate the adequacy of their evidence, and to see things from a variety of perspectives.

Explicating one’s reasoning in words or in writing makes it public and available for others (or oneself) to assess, critique, question or challenge.

AT Sourcebook p6

How often and how deeply do teachers, coaches, principals or district supervisors explicate their reasoning and hold it out for scrutiny by the professional community? How often do we speak

up, ask questions, challenge assumptions and dig deep when it comes to questioning our practice and beliefs? How many of us avoid these behaviours for fear of offending someone or being seen as resistant or difficult? When people around us do question our beliefs or practice, how many of us receive these questions with an open mind and an inquiry stance?

According to the research of Kerry Patterson and his team at VitalSmarts (www.vitalsmarts.com), the number one characteristic of a healthy learning organization is the willingness and ability of people at every level of the organization to speak up to anyone in the organization – no matter rank or title – when they see or hear something that doesn’t sit right with the mission, espoused values or agreed upon behaviours of the organization. How many of us speak up and do so skillfully? Isn’t this what we are asking students to do? I wonder how educators who do not themselves engage in these practices can teach students how to do so?

As someone who has worked at every level of the school system, I know from experience how difficult it is to engage adults in accountable talk as defined in the Accountable Talk Sourcebook.

Accountable Talk Ain’t Just for Kids

by Lucy West

Learn, Teach, Lead Video: Questioning to Understandhttp://learnteachlead.ca/videos/lucy-west-questioning-to-understand

Learn More

Lucy West is Education Consultant and author of Content-Focused Coaching: Transforming Mathematics Lessons. You can contact her at lucy@lucywestpd.com www.metamorphosistlc.com

Here’s another quote:

While students would consistently pay attention to other students’ contributions there would be a climate of respect, trust and risk-taking, with challenges, criticisms or disagreements directed at ideas, not at individuals.

How often do we take things personally when we would fare better to realize that the discussion is about the work – not us!

Several weeks ago, I was facilitating a webinar with a group of teachers from a school in which I have been working. The teachers tried on a new math routine I shared with them. They paired off and one taught the routine and the other took notes and offered feedback. After they taught the lesson and returned to the meeting room, they were enthusiastic and full of praise for their colleagues who taught the routines. It is easy to hear praise and feel good. I then offered a way of increasing the cognitive demand in the routine that involved estimation. One of the teachers volunteered that she taught her kids to estimate by rounding up and then adding or multiplying. I suggested she consider holding off on teaching this strategy until students had a chance to muck around a bit with estimation. She felt strongly that it was important to give them a strategy first. Clearly, we held two different beliefs about teaching. Within moments, the exchange got a bit heated with the teacher defending her perspective. A colleague shared that her daughter who had been in the teacher’s fourth grade class had in fact learned to estimate as described and was a terrific estimator – now in 7th grade.

Let’s unpack this a bit. How is it that the moment there were two different ideas on the table, the conversation got turned into a debate? While I enjoy debate, and at first was enjoying this one, I quickly realized that the teacher was not. She took my suggestion personally. Since we were engaging via the internet, I didn’t pick up the signals that safety was breeched quickly enough. A key skill in managing conversations when differences arise! Psychological safety is crucial to maintain when engaging in challenging conversations. I was an outsider who was seen as an expert rather than a thought partner. Questioning practice was not yet part of the culture of this group of teachers. In a f lash a productive meeting ended on a sour note, though I did my best to mend things before the bell rang. Still, emotions ran high.

Since I was not physically present, I emailed the teacher and apologized. My goal was to restore safety by finding out what she was thinking and feeling and what stories she was telling herself and others about the exchange. We

all tell ourselves stories, especially when things don’t go well. It is hard to separate facts from fiction – the fact is I made a suggestion she disagreed with. She heard a question as a personal attack. As a result of my email, she shared her story, which included rallying colleagues to ‘take her side’ and registering a complaint with the administration.

While this was not easy to hear, it was important to me that she shared these actions and feelings. This was a step toward transparency and trust

– albeit an uncomfortable one. I have learned how important it is to wade through uncomfortable interactions, own my part in them, and initiate new agreements. When we learn not to take things personally and to hear differences as opportunities for further inquiry, we might be able to hold our beliefs lightly, engage in genuine accountable talk, and upgrade our professional dialogue.

According to their definition, there are three aspects of accountable talk:

• Accountable to the community• Accountable to knowledge • Accountable to reasoning

How often do we speak up,

ask questions, challenge assumptions

and dig deep when it comes toquestioning our practice and beliefs?

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 11

12 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

MINDSET

“Innovation” is a word that is used often in education, but often without much thought of what it truly means for educators and learning. In my work with CPCO, we have focused on the idea of innovation being more about “mindset” than “skill set,” and with change being the only constant in our world, and happening at a pace more rapidly than ever before, leaders need to not only be comfortable with change, they have to embrace it. Through this process, leadership will also be essential in creating the conditions where meaningful change is embraced by those that we serve.

In this extract from my book, The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, I discuss why “growth” can no longer be optional in our schools.

A historic tour of a Blockbuster store offers visitors a glimpse into the hardships of people who lived in the era of video stores. In a revealing video on YouTube, reporters from The Onion interview period actors who explain that people once travelled great distances (sometimes six miles each way!) to rent and

Change almost never fails because it’s too early. It almost always fails because it’s too late.

seth Godin

by George Couros

The Innovator’s

innovator’s mindset – study Guide georgecouros.ca/blog/the-innovators-mindset-book

What makes leaders innovative? a new study identifies The 10 Keys http://onforb.es/1UVObbN

Learn More

return movies. These poor souls lived in terror of never knowing if the movie they wanted would even be available! The Onion’s video, of course, is a satirical look at a company that tried to continue operating as if the Internet didn’t exist. It was only a few years ago that video-rental stores, like Blockbuster, were the best way for people to watch movies in the comfort of their own home. In some places around the world, these stores still exist. But in the western world, cheaper and more convenient options (no travel required) have put most neighbourhood video stores out of business. The Internet completely changed the movie rental industry. Companies that took advantage of new technology, like Netflix with its DVD-by-mail and online streaming options, are thriving. Meanwhile companies that refuse to let go of outdated business models, like Blockbuster, experience a slow, painful death. Blockbuster had the opportunity to buy Netf lix a few times, but declined1. And by the time it attempted to start its own DVD-by-mail program, the company had lost its place as an in an industry leader. The hard lesson that Blockbuster and its fellow neighbourhood movie rental businesses failed to heed is this: innovate or die.

Defining Innovation“Innovation” is a common term in many educational circles today. But what does it actually mean – especially in the terms of education? In my book, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, I define innovation as: a way of thinking that creates something new and better. Innovation can come from either

“invention” (something totally new), or “iteration” (a change on something that already exists), but if it does not meet the idea of “new and better,” it is not innovative. That means that change for the sake of change is never good enough. Neither is using innovation as a buzzword, as many organizations do, to appear current or relevant. Note, too, that I say innovation is a way of thinking. It is a way of considering concepts, processes and potential outcomes; it is not a thing, task or even, technology. As Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, explains in his TEDx talk, The New Rules of Innovation, “Innovation is the process by which we change the world … It’s the practical application of ideas and technologies to make new and better things.”2

So, although many organizations approach innovation as if the word is synonymous with technology, it isn’t. Technology can be crucial in the development of innovative organizations, but innovation is less about tools, like computers, tablets, social media and the Internet, and more about how we use these things.

Another word that is often used interchangeably with innovation

is transformation, which is really more about dramatically altering the work educators do. Although I can see why

some administrators are calling for transformation, the truth is innovation – in our thinking as individuals and

organizations – is within easy reach; no dramatic shifts required. Katie Martin, Director of Professional

Learning at the University of San Diego Mobile

George Couros is the Division Principal for Parkland School Division and an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership consultant. You can contact him at georgecouros@gmail.com or visit his website at georgecouros.ca

Technology Learning Centre, eloquently explains the importance of leadership in developing an innovative mindset:3

There is no substitute for a teacher who designs authentic, participatory, and relevant learning experiences for her unique population of students. The role of the teacher is to inspire learning and develop skills and mindsets of learners. A teacher, as designer and facilitator, should continually evolve with resources, experiences and the support of a community. It is becoming increasingly clear that we don’t necessarily need to transform the role of teachers, rather create a culture that inspires and empowers teachers to innovate in the pursuit of providing optimal learning experiences for their students.

Establishing an innovative culture doesn’t require transformation. However, it does require leaders who will develop and sustain systems that support “optimal learning experiences” and who value the process of creating and refining ideas.

A Constant Opportunity for Growth

One of John Maxwell’s famous quotes is, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” In many respects, that sentiment is true. We choose whether or not we will grow, change or innovate. But in schools, where we focus on our students as the future, growth can no longer be simply an option. Change is an opportunity to do something amazing. Perhaps, the great thing we can do is make growth mandatory – for ourselves as educators, as well as for our students. That is how we can truly serve our children. Education cannot become the new Blockbuster, where we refuse to embrace the new, in hopes that the old ways will suffice. In a world that constantly changes, if our focus is to only maintain what’s already been done, we are bound to become worse. The innovator’s mindset is necessary for all of us, if schools are to move forward.

1 “Epic Fail: How Blockbuster Could Have Owned Netflix”, November 12, 2013. variety.com/2013/biz/news/epic-fail-how-blockbuster-could-have-owned-netflix-1200823443 2 Bass, Carl. “The New Rules of Innovation”, February, 2012 www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKV3rhzvaC8 3 Martin, Katie. “Creating a Culture of Innovation versus Transformation”, June 10, 2015. katielmartin.com/2015/06/10/creating-a-culture-of-innovation-vs-a-transformation

1. Shared Vision

As technolog y becomes more prevalent in schools to keep pace with the world we l ive in, we must remember that devices are only one part of this shift. Winschitl and Sahl (as cited in Ertmer, 2005, p. 32) argue that there can be no institutional ‘v ision of technolog y use’ that ex ists separately from beliefs about learners, beliefs about what characterizes meaningful learning, and beliefs about the role of the teachers within the vision. This is important to ground the work of educators and help create a shared vision to lead complex change in schools today.

• Do you have a shared vision and operate in alignment with the answers?• What do you want students to learn? Who decides?• How will student learn?• What is the role of the teacher?• How will you assess learning, progress, growth?• What is the role of technology?• How are you learning and sharing to be the best educators we can be?

These beliefs drive learning experiences and a shared vision that aligns with clear expectations can help educators understand their role in this change. Teachers thrive when they understand the vision aligned to clear expectations, yet have the autonomy to get there in a way that meets the needs of the learners in their classroom.

EVOLVING TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND ACCESS TO ONE AN­OTHER IS R APIDLY CHANGING HOW WE LIVE, WORK AND LEARN. David Price, in his book Open, describes how this increasing ac-cess to information has created a “messy and at times chaotic phenomenon ... It has changed how we live and learn, socially.”

This unprecedented access to one another’s ideas and information has also transformed the notion of how we can teach and learn. To harness the power of these advancements and equip students with knowledge, skills and dispositions for the world we live in, our schools must embrace this sooner rather than later.

However, making shifts across diverse classrooms will require more than adding technology and online resources and programs. Creating a culture

of learning and innovation that empowers educators to take risks and implement new learning requires transformational leadership.

Transformational leadership can be characterized as 1) empowering and inspiring people to achieve great success; leading with a vision, confidence and greater sense of purpose (Castanheira & Costa, 2011), 2) providing opportunities for continuous learning that are cyclical, participatory and ref lective (Joyce & Showers, 2003), and 3) creating a collaborative, open culture that inspires risk taking and innovation in order to create authentic and relevant learning experiences for the learners.

Through research and partnerships with transformational leaders, I have identified three critical factors leading to a culture of learning and innovation to change how students learn today in school.

Creating a Culture of Learning and Innovationby Kathryn Martin

14 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Professional Learning cycle: mtLc, 2015

Kathryn Martin, PhD Director of Professional Learning, Mobile Technology Learning Center, University of San Diego

How Am I Doing?http://bit.ly/1MTbTkJ

Learn More

2. Approach Learning as a Process, Not an Event

Educators should continually evolve with resources, experiences and the needs of the community. Effective leaders empower teachers to learn and develop their practice in the pursuit of providing optimal learning experiences for their students. Seminal research from Joyce and Showers (2003) highlights that to truly acquire new skills and integrate new learning in practice, it is critical to carve out time for learning new skills, trial and error, collaboration, and coaching and feedback.

It is in application of the new learning that breeds innovative ideas and practices. A predictable cy-cle with clear goals, focused learning outcomes, facilitated collaboration and a shared sense of accountability, can support teams to achieve the desired outcomes.

3. Go Open

Teachers have been far too isolated and the teaching professional is plagued by a culture of closed doors. Leaders who are changing how students learn in school are opening classroom doors and creating a culture where teachers are observing each other and sharing strengths and challenges. They provide opportunities to observe models and engage as learners to experience the resources and opportunities that exist for their students.

Creating an environment where teachers are encouraged to take risks and receive feedback that is specific to their goals, in pursuit of learning and

growth rather than perfection, is foundational to shifting practices. Going open is about a culture that welcomes new ideas, approaches and tools. To align schools with the world we live in, we need to provide access to ideas and information and leverage networks to learn, share and improve.

Transformational leaders understand and com-municate how any new change aligns with the vi-sion and goals. They create a culture of learning and embrace an open culture. In The Innovator’s Mindset, George Couros pushes educators to understand that change is an opportunity to do something amazing, and all educators should have, what he defines as, The Innovator’s Mindset: The belief that abilities, talents and intelligence are developed so they lead to the creation of new and better ideas.

It is with this mindset that transformational leaders can create a culture and develop systems where teachers are empowered to take risks to develop and implement new knowledge and practices.

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For more than a quarter century, the teaching profession has increasingly come to embrace collaboration with colleagues as one of the best ways to improve the quality of educators’ work-life and to raise student achievement. From the late 1980s, large-scale research has demonstrated that, on average, educators who work together feel more self-confident and have a more positive impact on student achievement than those who mainly work alone.

Collaborate with colleagues and you get access to more ideas, are more ready to innovate and take risks, and are more likely to get moral support when you have a bad day or a lesson falls f lat.

Educators today know they still make most of their professional judgments alone with the students in their own classes. But they also know they develop the basis for those judgments through planning, inquiry and dialogue with their professional peers.

In high achieving Alberta, for example, according to international comparisons of teachers’ working conditions, teachers score far above the average on participation in collaborative research and commitments to teacher professionalism; a result of long-term partnerships between the government and teacher’s union on collaborative professional inquiry.

But professional collaboration takes time to build as it benefits from teaching professionals staying in teaching rather than turning over quickly. And it requires investments of time and professional development so that educators enjoy the conditions to be able to work together effectively. For these reasons, professional collaboration has started to attract opposition as well as support.

Three cases against collaboration

First, there is the argument that as well as increasing teacher effectiveness we should also explore different ways to get high quality more cheaply. In other words, find the lowest cost example and move everyone down to it. So if there are four provinces with similar records of high performance, then reduce expenditure on educators’ salaries, professional development and time to collaborate to the least expensive of them. It may not be better, but at least it will be cheap.

Second, replace expenditure on professional development that does not have an immediate impact on student out-comes with accountability measures that evaluate educators according to their individ-ual performance. This argument came to the fore in 2015 in the United States in a report

PROFESSIONAL COLLAbORATIONWho could be against it?

16 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

by Andrew Hargreaves

called The Mirage: confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. The report concluded that despite massive investment in professional development, there was no large-scale evidence that any par-ticular strategies of continuous professional development were effective. The authors, however, discounted effects other than ones of very short-term impact. And, despite no evidence in support of their own claims, the

authors nonetheless advocated relating compensation and (non) retention of teachers to clear evaluations of in-

dividual performance rather than investing in professional devel-

opment that, they say, had no proven impact.

Third, in Collaborative Overreach: why collaboration probably isn’t

key to the next phase of school reform, the London-based Centre for the Study of Market

Reform of Education says that only some kinds of collaboration between schools are effective. But it

then goes on to overstate the case against all

collaboration by arguing for alternatives that have schools competing with one another instead.

In truth, collaboration can indeed be weak and unfocused. It can also be forced, artificial and imposed from the top. This is why some educators remain uncertain about the province’s move towards collaborative professionalism. They have concerns that collaborative professionalism may amount to being required to collaborate on mandated initiatives.

Eight strategies for constructive collaboration

These are reasonable fears, and they need to be acknowledged and addressed. But they are not a reason to revert to a kind of professional autonomy where individual educators can be like university professors and teach without reference to shared standards of quality. So how can we ensure that professional collaboration delivers on its promise and potential? Here are eight suggestions from my own research and policy advisory work.

1. Identify, acknowledge and build on the ways that educators already collaborate.2. Establish the expectation that teaching is a collaborative profession, not

an individual one. 3. Ensure that learning teams commit to doing some things early together

rather than just talking about things. It is through doing things together that ideas get developed and refined.

4. Establish a norm of collective responsibility for participation and results. Move forward from a culture of “my class” and “my students” to “our school,” “our community” and “our students.”

5. Identify and value the varying strengths of the team. Don’t expect everyone to be good at everything or collaborate in the same way. Find a way for all participants to contribute something of value.

6. Turn meetings into professional learning events. Good meetings should be like good classes – actively engaging people in different ways.

7. Don’t be afraid to use protocols like Japanese Lesson or acting as a critical friend with warm and cool feedback to structure the interaction so everyone can participate properly and so that active listening occurs.

8. Don’t be averse to collaborating online. The Boston College team is currently supporting the development of networks of rural teachers to design lessons and curriculum together face-to-face and online.

The world is finally realizing that we cannot create societies of highly skilled and successful learners, unless well qualified and highly valued educators are able, encouraged and expected to collaborate for the benefit of all students. If collaboration and teamwork are important for our students, they have to be a priority for teachers and principals too. Professional collaboration has opponents who want a cheaper system that ranks teachers individually. And it also has its sceptics who worry that to collaborate may mean consorting with the imposed agendas of one’s enemy. But the overall evidence in favour of professional collaboration is now overwhelming. The challenge is no longer whether to do it or not, but how to employ it so it benefits students and educators alike.

Andrew hargreaves is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He serves as a key education advisor to the Premier of Ontario. Andrew was the keynote speaker at the 2016 CPCO Conference. www.andyhargreaves.com

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 17

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession

Figure 1: Relative Impact of Five Leadership Domains on Student Outcomes

(robinson, Hohepa & Lloyd, 2009: 39)

Indeed, in a best evidence synthesis involving analyses of 134 studies to address the question of School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why, Robinson, Hohepa & Lloyd (2009) identified promoting and participating in teacher learning and development as the most impactful type of leadership activity. As outlined in Figure 1, of five key leadership practices identified, the impact of school leaders promoting and participating in teacher learning and development had an effect size of 0.84, which is substantial and twice the effect size of the next two leadership practices (establishing goals and expectations; and planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum).If school leaders promoting and participating in teacher learning and development is vital, the question next becomes what are effective approaches to teachers’ professional learning and how can these best be supported?

Leading Professional Learning in the Learning Profession

Linda Darling-Hammond and colleagues coined the phrase “profes-sional learning in the learning profession” in a study of the status of teacher development in the USA and internationally, with a particular focus on “what research has revealed about professional learning that improves teachers’ practice and student learning” (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009: 5). As outlined in the following chart, there are now several substantial reviews and syntheses of literature concerning professional learning (see also Campbell et al., 2015). In summary, a clear picture of effective professional learning is emerging:

A focus on improving student outcomes is vital:• Teachers’ professional learning needs to focus on aspirations,

practices and learning to support student outcomes and to the identification of linked priority needs for improvements in teaching and leadership practices.

A vital leadership practice for school principals and vice-principals is to engage in their own professional learning and to foster, support and participate in professional learning for teachers.

18 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

by Dr. Carol Campbell

Professional learning that is personalized and practical is required:• Teachers value professional learning which is personalized to their

learning needs, relevant to their instructional and classroom practices, and contributes to valued student outcomes. The focus of professional learning also needs to consider school and system priorities.

• Effective professional learning involves multiple, active opportunities for personalized and practical application through experimenting, observing, sharing, monitoring, adapting and applying changes in school and classroom practices.

The quality of content of professional learning is important:• High quality content connecting theory and practice to relevant

professional standards, curriculum, assessment, and pedagogical knowledge and skills is vital.

The learning activities and processes involved are critical:• To develop their knowledge, skills and practices, teachers need

multiple and active opportunities to participate in experiences

involving professional inquiry, learning, application and ref lection. • Job-embedded and collaborative professional learning opportunities

are important to develop professional relationships and collective practices within and across classrooms focused on student outcomes.

• Importantly, however, external expertise is also required to model, demonstrate and develop new knowledge, skills and practices and also to challenge existing mind-sets and practices. The expertise may come from a school leader and/or teachers, although often an external facilitator such as a coach can be involved.

Consideration of sustainability needs to be integrated from the outset:• To be effective over the longer term, professional learning requires

sustained support from administrators.• The duration and intensity of learning opportunities are important

for supporting changes in practice that are impactful and sustainable – research suggest a minimum of 50 hours of professional development to effectively change knowledge and practices and up to two to three years to transform student outcomes (see Darling-Hammond et al., 2009).

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 19

Features of Effective Professional Learning Identified in Existing Research Syntheses

CuREE (2012) understanding What Enables high Quality Professional Learning

Cordingly et al. (2015)Developing Great Teaching: Lessons from the International Reviews into Effective Professional Development

Darling-hammond et al. (2009) Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A status Report on Teacher Development in the united states and Abroad

Timperley (2008) Teacher Professional Learning and Development

PL for teachers is more likely to benefit students if it is:• collaborative • supported by specialist

expertise• focussed on aspirations

for students • sustained over time• exploring evidence from

trying new things PL approaches which demonstrated the characteris-tics linked to effectiveness included:• collaborative inquiry• coaching and mentoring• networks• structured dialogue and

group work

To have a significant impact on student achievement PL should:• be prolonged, lasting a year or longer• carefully consider participant needs,

stepping away from one size fits all approaches and focusing on teachers day-to-day experiences with their student

• ensure alignment between professional development processes, content and activities

• consider both subject knowledge and subject specific pedagogy

• provide opportunities for discus-sions, experimentation, and the analysis of and ref lection on relevant student data

• use external input to challenge orthodoxies, acting as coaches and mentors

• empower teachers though collaboration

• actively involve school leaders in teacher learning to embed cultural change

PL should:• be intensive, ongoing,

and connected to practice

• focus on student learning and address the teaching of specific curriculum content

• align with school improvement priorities and goals

• build strong working relationships among teachers

Benefits identified also for use of coaching, mentoring and induction.

PL demonstrated to have a positive impact on valued student outcomes involves:• a focus on the links between particular teaching

activities and valued student outcomes• worthwhile content that has been established as

effective in achieving valued student outcomes• the integration of essential teacher knowledge

and skills • information about what students need to know

and do to identify what teachers need to know and do

• multiple opportunities to learn and apply information

• different approaches depending on whether or not new ideas are consistent with the assump-tions that currently underpin practice

• opportunities to process new learning with others

• external expertise to challenge existing assumptions and develop new kinds of knowledge and skills

• active leadership in promoting engagement in professional learning opportunities

• supportive organizational conditions to maintain momentum

Dr. Carol Campbell is Associate Professor of Leadership and Educational Change at OISE, University of Toronto. She serves as an Education Advisor to the Premier of Ontario and Minister of Education, Government of Ontario. She is also Director of the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research-Réseau d’échange des connaissances pour la recherche appliquée en education (KNAER-RECR AE), a tripartite partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Education, University of Toronto and Western University to advance the mobilization and application of research for educational practice in Ontario.

• Finally, although less frequently operationalized, designing program evaluation to monitor the implementation, impact and outcomes of professional learning is critical.

The features of effective professional learning for teachers are also appropriate for school leaders’ professional learning. However, two main additional considerations have been identified:• The need to develop school leaders’ ability to promote and participate

in teacher learning and development.• The potentially even greater need for school leaders to access

expertise and networks beyond their own school building to enhance their professional learning opportunities.

Leading the Transformation of Knowledge and Practices in Ontario

Attention to leadership development, teachers’ professional learning and capacity building are central to the education strategies and practices in Ontario (Campbell et al., forthcoming). In our research on Ontario’s Teacher

Learning and Leadership Program (Campbell et al. , 2013, 2014, 2015), we have strong evidence of the benefits of professional learning opportunities that enable teachers to lead collaborative projects to develop, improve and share professional knowledge and practices with and for other teachers and school leaders and with benefits for students’ engagement and learning.

For school leaders, engaging in and modelling professional learning is critical as well as providing the school conditions to enable teachers to be leaders of their own and their peers’ professional learning. The transformation of knowledge and practices requires teachers and school leaders making their tacit knowledge explicit, co-learning new knowledge through collaborative professional learning and work, and sharing that knowledge through co-development of practical resources, such as lesson plans, instructional materials or assessment practices that can be shared and adapted more widely across professional networks in person, in print and online (Lieberman, Campbell & Yashkina, 2016). Leading professional learning of, by and for the learning profession is critical to transformational leadership for informed professional judgement, knowledge and practices.

20 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 21

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22 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Oculus Rift Oculus Touch

Tech Talkby Ania Czupajlo

TECHNOLOGY THAT DEFIES REALITYLearning in the Future

Can you imagine your students learning about the galaxy while travelling through space? Discovering the deepest secrets of the oceans without scuba gear? Roaming the ruins of ancient Rome or watching dinosaurs in their native habitats? All this from the comfort of their classroom!

Yes, this can happen. All thanks to the new technologies that offer next generation virtual reality (VR).

I had the opportunity to try Oculus Rift, one of the newest and most exciting offerings recently released to the consumer market. With the Oculus Rift headset on I became immersed in an incredible virtual reality world. Even though I knew it wasn’t real, it felt real. I tried everything from visiting faraway places around the world to learning about the universe, human anatomy, the evolution of our planet, and so much more. I didn’t want to stop – I wanted to keep learning. And all this happened in my own living room.

With Oculus Rift you will experience a sensation of presence to the point that you will want to reach out and touch things, which will be possible

other VR technologies:

hTC Vive: www.htcvive.com/casony Playstation VR: www.playstation.com/en-au/explore/playstation-vr

thanks to the Oculus Touch technology. Oculus Touch is a pair of holding controllers that will deliver a natural hand presence and they will make you feel like your virtual hands are actually your own.

Oculus Rift and other VR technologies are now primarily seen for gaming. However, after experiencing a new virtual world of learning for myself, I can see the education sector embracing this technology in the very near future. In the same way we now have classrooms filled with computers for every student, we will have VR technologies for each student with their own headset. Students will have the opportunity to become more engaged and focused when exposed to the knowledge that can come from the VR world.

Imagine kids exploring the universe together, or educators involved in webinars where everyone can interact with each other on a more “real” level?

Until this happens many schools are using Google Cardboard, a more simple and affordable technology. You can find more about Google Cardboard at: www.google.com/get/cardboard.

For more information on Oculus Rift and apps that may be of interest to you or your students, visit www.oculus.com.

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 23

They believe we need leaders who not only accept the context but act in ways that change the context. They say leaders can “either remain a victim of fragmented and top-down policies or they can turn the tables. The idea is not to be a rebel for the sake of it but to change the game from compliance to purposeful focus.”

Sometimes good leaders have to interrupt and even disrupt in order to make a dramatic change in form or appearance.

Transformation. That’s what life is all about. It’s what good leadership is all about, too.

by Debbie L. Kasman, Authorlotus of the Heart: reshaping the Human and Collective soul

It’s what Good Leadership is aboutTransformation

here is their “sensible first attempt at the job description” of a successful Leader in the Middle:

✓ Skilled at giving robust and honest feedback with candour and empathy

✓ Highly data literate, able to combine quantitative and qualitative information to create new insights into inter-school performance

✓ Skilled at problem definition and solution design, helping to create innovative new approaches with key local partners

✓ Able to create and drive effective collaborative networks of schools; learns from the group and helps the group learn

✓ Able to develop approaches which share accountability and collective responsibility

✓ A courageous grasper of nettles, willing to confront poor performance on the basis of moral purpose

✓ Having a deep understanding of whole-system reform issues and how to make sense of them at local level in the interests of student learning

✓ Passionate about the work and able to agitate for systemic change at the local level

✓ Exceptional networker and connector of people, able to broker constructive relationships where none looked possible

✓ Demonstrates ambition for the system whilst modelling humility for self.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word transformation as “a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.” In January 2016, Steve Munby and Michael Fullan published a think/action piece to stimulate discussion about transformation in education at their Global Dialogue event. This event brought educators together from five countries across three continents to debate the challenges and opportunities presented by cluster-based school collaboration. Munby and Fullan see these networks as a vehicle for school improvement and entire system transformation.

In their think/action piece, Munby and Fullan state that the key to making real change – transformation of an entire system – is through system-wide school collaboration. They write: “Our strong belief is that all schools, 100%, should be involved in focused, productive networks within which leaders, teachers

and students challenge, support, innovate and learn from one another in ways that measurably improve outcomes. The solution we advocate is one of networks at local, regional and national level that respect the autonomy of schools and their leaders, but connect them together in focused cooperation, leading to improved outcomes and strong collective accountability for achieving those outcomes. Our solution also connects schools and school leaders to the political and accountability system in a coherent, positive and proactive manner.”

Munby and Fullan recognize that we are in a climate of “strong and often counter-productive top-down national accountability measures” where leaders are “hard-pressed” and “time poor” but they recognize building system transformation through a widespread commitment to effective collaboration can be achieved with “insightful and skilled leadership over time.”

Deep Leadership for Transforming Learning

Traditional schooling is either boring or less relevant to the lives of students, or both, as the 21st century unfolds. I will call this the push factor. At the same time the digital world innovates a mile a minute; new engaging pedagogies are emerging; and change knowledge (how to engage people in transformation) is beginning to become clearer. Let’s call these the pull factors. These two sets of forces add up to dynamic tensions that call for more sophisticated leadership than hitherto required.

by Michael Fullan

issue that lightning killed five people on a beach, so they built a device that could detect imminent lightning and then sound an alarm. One 10-year-old observed, “I am supposed to help humanity, so I decided to start in my own neighbourhood.”

As another example, a school in Australia built its learning around what they called enigma missions, which are complex problems or issues to be solved. One group studied autism because they knew relatives who were autistic; another took up the issue of homelessness; and still another tackled DNA, which one boy observed is an enigma in itself. The students were incredibly engaged and came up with great insights. One pupil who examined homelessness and drew some important conclusions said, “I feel so complete,” not in the sense of being finished, but having brought something valuable to fruition.

Educators report changing their pedagogy as students give them feedback on what is working, and as they realize they are no longer the font of knowledge. As these new practices evolve educators must become learners as well as leaders. We recently conducted three case studies of Ontario school districts engaged in this work that contains many examples of the new pedagogies in action (Fullan, Rodway and Rincon-Gallardo, 2016).

Because this work is new, i.e. it involves innovation on a scale not yet seen, there are many unknowns. Thus, it calls for a certain kind of leadership. For example, leaders must learn and lead in equal measure (Fullan, in press). The f low of change looks something like this: directional vision (deep learning), letting go (a culture of yes), and reigning in (what is being learned, what is the impact). More specifically, leadership in these situations evidence the following traits:• Supports a cycle of trying things, and making meaning• Co-learning among many parties dominates• Leaders listen, ask questions, learn and leverage• Leaders help articulate what is happening and how it relates to impact

All in all leaders are facing new demands that will require them to cultivate coherence under conditions of complexity (Fullan and Quinn, 2016).

We will be documenting many more outcomes of this work. In Ontario alone, there are currently 15 districts (with more to come) engaged in implementing deep learning. We believe that these developments have the characteristics of a social movement. That is to say the push and pull factors are combining to transform the status quo. The implications and impact on all schools is quite profound. The next phase of change will be qualitatively different than the present, and will call for dynamic leadership at all levels of the system.

Thanks to my two co-directors of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL), Joanne Quinn and Joanne McEachen for our global work in deep learning.

In this brief note I will:1. Identify the new learning outcomes2. Portray the new pedagogical partnerships between and among stu-

dents, educators and families3. Identify the main implications for the kind of leadership that will be

necessary to guide a highly dynamic and unpredictable transformation

We are helping to implement these ideas in a global network of some 700 schools in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Uruguay and United States (www.npdl.global).

For us the deep learning outcomes are the six Cs or what could be called Global Competencies:

1. Character2. Citizenship3. Collaboration4. Communication5. Creativity6. Critical Thinking

Four of these – the latter four – have been around, at least superficially, for the past two decades and are sometimes referred to as the 21st century learning skills. The addition of Character Education (reliability, perseverance, resilience) and Citizenship (thinking like global citizens, interest and ability to address real-world problems) has brought life to the other four Cs as educators and students tackle problems relevant to their interests, their communities and the world.

We have a set of rubrics and deep learning progressions to guide educators in implementing the six Cs. Within this work a major problem remains which is how to measure and assess these global competencies. New measures and new polices will be required. Finally, content knowledge must provide a foundation and is developed along with implementation of the Cs. Put another way content knowledge is part and parcel of pursuing the six Cs in action.

The new pedagogies refer to a learning partnership between and among students, educators and families. Educators are designers, activators and supporters of proactive learning on the part of students pursuing real-life problems. The pedagogies in question are not necessarily brand new as they have appeared in individual classrooms, but what is new is their presence on a large scale, and their explicit nature. Students are becoming not only more active in shaping and processing their own learning, but are also beginning to impact pedagogy (how their teachers teach), learning environments in the classroom, school and community, and even how society might evolve – what we call the helping humanity theme (see nationswell.com/students-help-humanity-core-learning).

For example, our partner schools in Uruguay were given simple robotic kits with instructions via YouTube. The kits sat on the shelf until one day the students, who are about 10 years old, asked the teacher if they could start to use them. Quickly, they created the following: One group studied World War II and built a device that could detect land mines; another group solved the problem of birds eating vegetables in the garden by building a simple robot that vibrated when birds came near. A third group took up the

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 25

Michael Fullan, OC, is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Michael is recognized as a worldwide authority on educational reform, he advises policymakers and local leaders around the world in helping to achieve the moral purpose of all children learning. www.michaelfullan.ca

26 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

INTEGRATED THINKINGCreating Better Solutions

Integrative Thinking: An Opportunity for Co-Leadership

by Nogah Kornberg

Schools are among the most challenging leadership environments to work in – the stakes are high, resources are limited and the results are always on display. What’s more, school leadership challenges are diverse and wide-ranging, from student enrolment, to parental engagement to instructional leadership.

Traditional management approaches don’t always apply and increasingly, leaders are being asked to shift from traditional top-down approaches to models that are collaborative, transparent and geared toward developing the leaders around them.

At the I-Think Initiative, we work with leaders in education to cultivate this new approach to leadership. Through the use of Integrative Thinking – our unique approach to problem solving – we’ve seen these leaders carve a path forward through some of education’s most difficult challenges.

All of us face tough choices every day: for example, when it comes to professional learning, do you focus on the educators who are most keen, or do you seek to

involve the entire staff? On one hand, a small group of engaged teachers have the potential to go deep into the learning and to bring it to life in the classroom; on the other, you have the potential to create a shared learning community with meaningful scale and inter-nal supports. Both options have real benefits and some significant drawbacks.

With limited resources, we often accept that we have to make a trade-off and simply choose between the models. In Integrative Thinking, we challenge the trade-off and instead seek to explore the tension between the possibilities, working to create a better answer that gives us the best of both worlds.

Initially developed at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Integrative Thinking was designed to help business leaders make better choices, more of the time. Over the last 10 years, we’ve taken the concept from the boardroom into the school. Through professional learning programs, we’ve introduced Integrative Thinking to over a thousand educators across Ontario.

The Integrative Thinking Process:

1. Articulating Two opposing Models: In this step we seek to understand what works about each of the opposing models by looking at the benefits of each model from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

2. Examine the Models: Here we make sense of the benefits and gain insights that can move us on to the third stage. We ask questions and challenge assumptions as we purposefully experience the tension between options.

3. Explore the Possibilities: We move from understanding our existing models to imagining several new, integrative answers to the challenge. We leverage the tools of design thinking, such as ideation and prototyping, to build out the solutions.

4. Assessing the Prototypes: We must understand the condi-tions that would have to exist for our solutions to thrive. We ask, “What would have to be true?” from the perspective of the multiple stakeholders.

INTEGRATED THINKINGCreating Better Solutions

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 27

Integrative Thinking provides both a process and set of tools to help leaders engage with their colleagues and teams in a new way – one closer to the collaborative, transparent and development models. Using Integrative Thinking, leaders design experiences that position the leader, not as the “knower” with the right answer, but as co-learner and facilitator towards new possibilities.

Case Study – Integrative Thinking in Action

When vice-principal Audrey Hensen moved to a new school as acting principal, she encountered a concerned team; the school schedule was the issue. The school had been moving away from a full-rotary schedule, despite strong opposition from the bulk of the teaching staff. Increasingly, students were staying with a single teacher for multiple periods at a time.

As a proponent of working shoulder-to-shoulder with staff to solve problems, Audrey worked with a team of teachers on the school schedule, using the Integrative Thinking process. She hoped to make progress on the issue, while at the same time shift the school’s culture.

To start the Integrative Thinking process, the team identified two opposing models: a full rotary model where students moved to a new classroom with a different teacher for every subject; and the single-teacher model, where one teacher would teach all subjects to the same group of students. Each model represented an extreme way to approach scheduling. While neither of these extremes was realistic, the goal was to learn from the extremes and identify the value of each model.

Many teachers firmly believing that the rotary model was the right answer. They began with identifying the benefits of that model before turning to the single-teacher model. This approach helped keep the energy up and ensured that the participants felt that their favoured model was being seriously considered. By the time they turned to the single-teacher model, the group was able to keep an open mind and began to see potential benefits to this least-preferred choice.

After looking at the benefits of each model from the perspective of students, teachers and the community, the group began to see shifts in understanding. The team saw, for instance, the longer-term impact on the community and that deep relationships with students could be developed in both models, something they didn’t previously believe to be true.

Rather than immediately deciding on the right answer, the team transitioned into a space of dialogue and exploration. Instead of choosing between benefits, the team sought to re-imagine how they might organize the school schedule to drive both student engagement and teacher expertise.

As the team’s leader, Audrey Hensen did not begin the process with one right answer in mind. Instead, she used Integrative Thinking to honour her teachers by drawing from their experiences and knowledge. She also deepened her leadership by co-learning alongside them.

Conclusion

Integrative Thinking was born out of the understanding that it is not what we do, but how we think, that leads to innovative solutions. A new way of leading is not about copying others, crossing our fingers and hoping it

Nogah Kornberg Associate Director, I-Think Initiative Rotman School of Management

works out. Rather, leadership is about a new way of thinking — thinking through tensions. In living our leadership, simply holding the intention to embody a new model of leadership isn’t always enough. Instead, we need tools to enable experiences in creative problem solving.

Nogah Kornberg and Josie Fung lead the I-Think Initiative at the Rotman School of Management. I-Think brings the creative problem solving tools of Integrative Thinking and Business Design to students, teachers and leaders in K-12 education.

Email us at I-Think@rotman.utoronto.caCheck out our website at www.rotman.utoronto.ca/i-think

Learn More

Thank you to everyone who participated in our free draw at the CPCO Conference. The winner of 3 Motorola DTR410 two way radios valued up to $1050.00 is Liz MacIntyre from St. Gabriel Catholic School from Halton Catholic District School Board.

Congratulations Liz!

Motorola’s current promotion is “Buy 6 radios Get 1 Free Multi-unit Charger”. Please visit us at www.twowayradio.ca and see what other school principals are saying about these "license free" radios!

CONTACT JURIS UTNANS at twowayradio@bell.net

1-844-2W-RADIO 1-844-297-2346

MOTOROLA, MOT, M OTOROLA SOLUTI ONS and the Stylized M logo are trade marks or registered trade marks of Motor ola.Trade mark Holdi ng s, LLC and are use d under license. All other trade marks are the property of their respective ow ners. ©20 15

A special thank you to Audrey Hensen, for sharing her experiences in Hamilton-Wentworth DSB in the case study.

December headlines announced the federal government’s commitment to facilitate the immigration of 20,000 Syrian refugees. These hopeful headlines contrasted the tragic stories of war, camps and the collective grief we felt as Canadians for the young Syrian boy whose lifeless body washed up on the beach in Turkey. On January 6, 2016, following an administrative meeting regarding schools with enrolment pressures, I approached a senior staff member to ask a question. “Will my school be welcoming Syrian refugee arrivals?” Although anticipating an impact on our system, his honest answer was, “We

just don’t know, at this time, exactly when these new families will arrive or where they will settle.”

The following morning, opening exercises complete, the hallways clear, I sat at my desk taking advantage of the quiet to review my notes from the previous night’s meeting. My secretary broke the silence to advise me that a family had come to register. “They’re from Syria,” she said.

“They have just arrived.” The Syrian refugees anticipated through my questioning had come through our school’s front door and were seated in the office.

As I stretched out my hand to greet the waiting gentleman, he shared with me that just last week, our Prime Minister had greeted him at the airport. I was immediately humbled as I shook the hand that had been shaken by the Prime Minister. My eyes were then drawn to his family, still bundled against the January cold and seated on our school office bench. We had just opened our doors to a new opportunity to witness our faith, to be part of this historic moment and to embrace the 25 Syrian children who would register over the next few weeks.

SyriaTransforming Lives

SyriaTransforming Lives

28 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

by Maria Meehan

maria meehan and maral Zarikian

Maral’s Reflection

Just a few months ago, I was front and centre as principal of the Aleppo Armenian School, encouraging parents and students to be strong and continue. Then suddenly things changed and I am now a student and parent looking to others for that same encouragement. War destroyed everything. There is peace here, a new life, with daily and new challenges. St. Timothy Catholic School staff are part of that support system. They feel our pain and do their best daily to bring smiles back to our children’s faces. Special thanks to the Toronto Catholic District School Board for opening their doors and welcoming us, and especially to Mrs. Meehan the principal of St. Timothy for her humanity and understanding. As a Syrian-Armenian we are so grateful to Canada. Our promise is to become great citizens of this great country. - Maral Zarikian

Maria Meehan, Principal St. Timothy School, TCDSB

My former classmate pleaded that we regard our students not as refugees, but as

“children from Syria.”

Bending down to look into the eyes of the children and greet them by name, we began the journey of building relationships. St. Timothy School has a strong tradition of welcoming newcomers from around the world. Our school population is diverse and ref lective of the multi-cultural mosaic of the city of Toronto. At the root of our tradition is our shared faith that unites us as a community regardless of our country of origin. However, the arrival of so many new students all at once was uncharted territory. It was a call to ref lect on our practice, refine our routines and open our minds to new possibilities.

The first point of contact for these families was our secretary who facilitated registrations. She does not know Arabic or Armenian, but she has mastered the universal language of a smile. We bridged language barriers by reaching out to settlement workers, translator services, family sponsors, parent community members and staff. Observing and listening to the families during the registration process, it was evident that although sharing a common background, this was not a homogeneous group. Some children were excited and at ease, some silently stoic, while others were easily triggered into a fight or f light response. It was going to take a very individualized approach to integrate these students and the collaborative work of the entire staff and the parents to meet the varied needs.

As a school leader I rely on two things: my past experiences and the learning that I need to undertake to address new situations. I sought out professional reading materials and was grateful for the wisdom that came through the rich conversations that ensued with a variety of individuals. All levels of TCDSB staff, community settlement workers, the priest from the local Armenian church, staff members who immigrated from Middle Eastern countries, refugee sponsors, and members of the local Armenian Community Centre helped inform my steps forward.

Interestingly, through my unique situation of being the present day principal of St. Timothy, as well as a former student of the same school, I had a unique opportunity to connect my past and present experiences. Through the medium of technology, I reached out to a St. Timothy classmate with whom I had not personally connected in over three decades. In the 1970s, my classmate had f led similar turmoil in the Middle East, eventually joining my grade six class. Her subsequent career has included working professionally with Save the Children International. I had previously read her Special to CNN article detailing her first hand experiences with Syrian refugees in Al Qaem, Iraq. Our heartfelt exchange over social media moved us both to tears. It provided me with a much deeper understanding of her childhood experiences that mirrored those of my present day new registrants. My former classmate pleaded that we regard our students not as refugees, but as “children from Syria” and she commended our efforts to welcome them.

When I shared some of her words and insights with staff, directly quoting some of her poignant posts, her words resonated deeply. We understood that the arrival of these students was a gift that enhanced our understanding of our vocation to serve as educators.

One afternoon, while speaking with me about her child, one of our new parents shared with me that she had been an elementary school principal in Aleppo, Syria. That day I learned a new expression. Said first in Armenian

as she rubbed her fingers of one hand on the top of the other hand, the words were then translated to, “I feel your skin.” In Aleppo, her school had grown to serve more than a thousand students, as over time it absorbed four other schools. These schools had been trying to educate children in areas that were no longer safe, as a result of the violence and destruction that was plaguing the city. She understood the challenge of finding ways to meet needs as they arise, and to welcome individuals who are in distress and have no power over that, which has displaced them. She could relate to my experience, but I did not have the personal life experience to relate to hers. I had the skills and the training as an educational administrator, but I was very reliant upon the experience and expertise of many others in the community to support me.

We have had only incidental glimpses into the lives of our Syrian families prior to their arrival. Privately sponsored, we have among our new parents doctors, lawyers, engineers and educators. They are managing their new challenges to find work, seek accreditation in their field, learn English and adapt to their new city and Canadian culture. They are well aware of the continued destruction taking place in their country, but their immediate focus is not there. Stories of their experiences are guarded. They are focused on the present and the future of their families.

Our children from Syria have brought with them a richness of language and culture that will be woven into the fabric of our school. Along with the majority of our students who are born outside of Canada, immigrating from places including the Philippines, Korea, India, Pakistan, Venezuela, Columbia, the Ivory Coast and Romania to name a few, their arrival has both challenged us and rewarded us with an opportunity to “feel the skin” of those who have travelled different roads.

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 29

30 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Transformative leadership offers school principals an approach explicitly centred on inclusion, equity and social justice. It certainly embraces some of the well-known tasks of school principals related to setting direction, managing people, and so on, but it goes further. Transformative leadership holistically addresses eight specific tenets (identified here in bold italics) focused on providing an excellent education to all children. It provides

a new lens through which to lead and manage all aspects of schooling – including climate, curriculum, human resources, fiscal and facility issues, and so forth.

Transformative leadership begins by examining the material conditions of students outside of school and how they may impinge on the ability of

Suppose you and a few friends are playing a game of Monopoly. You are at a crucial point in the game: properties have all been

purchased and players have begun to develop them. Two newcomers, let’s call them Sheyenne and Michelle, enter the room

and ask to join the game. You respond, “Sure pull up a chair.” But they resist, asking for you to redistribute some of the property,

insisting they have no means of getting ahead. All they can do is roll the dice, pay the rent and fines, and face the consequences

prescribed by Chance and Community Chest cards.

We can quickly understand the inequity of the situation in which Sheyenne and Michelle are expected to join and play on a very uneven Monopoly playing field.

Unfortunately, we are often much less aware of the inequities in our schools that present challenges to the many students who may not benefit from a typical middle class family background, may have different cultural values and beliefs, and may not even speak English. Too rarely do we examine the educational institution itself to identify barriers that prevent all students from feeling fully included, welcome and respected.

Yet, consider how difficult it must be to focus on the educational task at hand if you are worrying about if you are hungry, where your family finds shelter, or if you are afraid of being taunted or physically bullied because of your name, your culture, the colour of your skin, your accent, your sexual orientation or your country of birth. This is one reason why the achievement gap should more appropriately be known as an empowerment gap, or at the very least, as an opportunity gap – more appropriately putting much of the responsibility on the school rather than placing the blame on the students and families themselves.

TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

An Ethical Imperative by Dr. Carolyn M. Shields

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Dr. Carolyn M. shields Professor, Educational Leadership College of Education Wayne State University Detroit, MI

the school to successfully educate all students. It begins,

therefore, by accepting the moral mandate for deep and equitable change not

only in the structures and pedagogies of the school, but also in the beliefs, values and assumptions of educators themselves.

It proceeds by examining and deconstructing negative beliefs and attitudes and by instituting new and more equitable knowledge frameworks. Thus it requires that educational leaders keep issues like race, sexual orientation, cultural background and home language in front of the whole staff as possible barriers to student success. Deficit thinking must be addressed and any blaming must be eliminated. Educators must take responsibility for the success of all students.

Other aspects, too, need to be changed. The inequitable distribution of power must be rectified. As in the Monopoly game, school leaders need to examine every decision by asking questions about who holds the power, who is included or excluded, who is advantaged or disadvantaged at every turn. This applies to advanced classes, extracurricular activities and all decision-making bodies in the school.

Similarly, we must ask ourselves whether we have an appropriate balance of what are often called private and public goods. In other words, do we adequately focus on the collective good and responsibility of the community or is our focus almost exclusively on individual actions? Do we acknowledge, for example, that when students misbehave that there is most often a collective societal aspect to behaviour? In other words, we cannot simply address an angry student response, without attending to the underlying racism, sex-ism or other inherent prejudices that may have contributed to it. If our goal is truly an excellent school, we cannot focus on individual student achievement without recognizing the responsibil-ity of educators to prepare students to take their places as full citizens in our democratic society.

Hence, the next tenets require a focus on emancipa-tion, democracy, equity and justice and recognition of the inter-connectedness and interdependence of our world and of the need for global awareness and curiosity. Again this has implications for how we organize our schools, as well as for our curriculum and our pedagogy. We must teach for deep meaning

and understanding, focusing on creating spaces in which each student may bring the totality of his or her lived experience to the sense-making conversa-tions of the classroom. In sum, transformative leadership offers both critique and promise – critique of the ways in which the current organization of both schools and society advantages some and disadvantages others, of ways in which the power and privilege perpetuate the social advantage of some to the exclusion of equitable opportunities for all. And, thus, transformative leadership offers redress by emphasizing the promise of more inclusive schooling as we prepare students for a more equitable democratic society.

This is not an impossible task. Transformative leaders in many Ontario schools as well as those in other countries are working to create more inclusive, equitable and socially just schools in which all students may f lourish, but every case requires moral courage. There will be pushback as those with power fear the loss of personal power and privilege. There may be mistrust as transformative educators work for difficult and significant change. But unless we are content to keep as onlookers, never being fully able to compete or to participate, change must happen. And as educational leaders, it is our moral duty and responsibility to create schools in which all are empowered, respected, included and welcomed into a vibrant learning environment in which they may succeed.

Being Data literate Transforms our Practice

32 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Random Acts of Improvement

PLAN

IMPLEMENT

IMPROVE

EVALUATE

Focused Acts of Improvement

PLAN

IMPLEMENT

EVALUATE

IMPROVEGreatest

Area of Need

Random Acts of Improvement

PLAN

IMPLEMENT

IMPROVE

EVALUATE

Focused Acts of Improvement

PLAN

IMPLEMENT

EVALUATE

IMPROVEGreatest

Area of Need

Figure 1

This past September, I was fortunate to join the province’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) as the Chief Assessment Officer. In many of my past roles in education, as teacher, principal, professor and superintendent, I have analyzed data as part of leading school and system improvement planning processes. While I have always believed in evidence-based planning and decision making, I’ve learned much more over the past few months about the importance of data to truly drive transformational change and improvement.

To bring about change that is impactful, change that improves students’ learning experiences and outcomes, requires a deep understanding of the areas where growth is needed. Without data and analysis leading to a commitment to specific goals, it is easy to be inf luenced by the

momentum of a new promising practice or initiative and lose sight of targeted needs. The two Figure 1 graphs included with this article, modified from Victoria Bernhardt’s1 excellent representation of random versus focused acts of improvement, quickly demonstrate how investing in the wrong initiatives can result in little or no improvement.

Principals have a unique lens from which to identify necessary change. They have the “big picture” in terms of school context, instructional practice in classrooms, strengths and needs of stakeholder groups, and broader ministry and board goals for education. How school leaders consider all of this information to set a beneficial direction for their school is the key to successful change practices.

by Lisa Walsh

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 33

Lisa Walsh, PhD Chief Assessment Officer Education Quality and Accountability Office lisa.walsh@eqao.com

Transformational leaders begin with a mindset for seeing all data as important, informative and necessary to the change process. Before analyzing data, it is important to understand how to use data effectively. Some of my key learnings about data are as follows:

1. Data do not provide answers. Data are a catalyst for asking good questions. For example, when looking at the EQAO School, Board and Province Report, some questions a school team might ask could be:

a. Are there any glaring results? If so, what?b. What is new to us that we did not already know?c. What may have caused some of the results that we are seeing?d. What are some actions we can take in the short and long term?e. What other data do we have that confirms or differs from

these results?f. What other data will we need to collect to guide the

implementation of our goals?g. What research will support our direction and our thinking?

2. Multiple sources of data analyzed through a focused lens must be considered before arriving at any conclusion. For example,

“How do students progress in mathematics?” When looked at in relation to one another, the EQAO School, Board and Province Report, the EQAO Trend Over Time Report and the Three-Year Aggregate Report all provide different information that can help a team determine whether a school is really improving or simply maintaining status quo over time. (see Figure 2)

3. Your school story contributes to understanding data. The demographics of your community, the focus for improvement ref lected in your School Improvement Plan (SIP) and the learning stance of students, staff and parents can help your school team narrow in on goals that will make a difference in improving student achievement.

4. Determining a goal for looking at the data, before analysis, is strategic and focuses the decision-making process. The EQAO Reporting Tool allows school teams to correlate different types of data. While manipulating the data may be interesting, it may leave the team feeling frustrated and overwhelmed if time is invested without an established clear purpose and outcome. Develop a focused question before looking at the data. For example, “How do girls progress in mathematics in our school, over time?”

5. Data can be used as both leading and lagging (or trailing) indicators of student progress. Data can be viewed as the final impact (lagging or trailing indicators) of a particular initiative or program over time and/or as the indicator for the next steps for learning going forward. For example, poor Grade 3 results in mathematics can be interpreted to discover instructional needs during the primary years. These same results can be used as leading data to inspire a focus on specific next steps for students and staff in the following junior years. When used with additional sources of classroom data and EQAO Cohort Reports, a clear plan can be created in both areas.

Three-Year Aggregate Report

Percentage of All Grade 3 Students at or Above the Provincial Standard

Reading Writing Mathematics

2011-2013 2012-2014 2013-2015

71 71 68

8679 72 78

62 68

School Board Province

7387 82 80 85 80 80 85 81

Reading Writing Mathematics

GRADE 3

EQAO School, Board and Province Report

Percentage of All Grade 3 Students at or Above the Provincial Standard (Levels 3 and 4), 2014–2015

EQAO Trend Over Time Report

7481

57

72 7384

100

71 67

80

95

6271

56

80

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

Reading Writing Mathematics

SCHOOLPercentage of All Grade 3 Students at or Above the Provincial Standard (Levels 3 and 4), Over Time

Figure 2

The journey of ongoing, positive change is far from straightforward. It requires optimism, a positive learning stance and a scientific approach based on data-informed decisions. Transformational leaders bring about change by using all relevant data available to them. Sharing our learning will help all of us on this journey of improvement.

1 Victoria Bernhardt, Data Analysis for Continuous School Improvement (New York: Routledge, 2013). Page 117

34 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

“PRINCIPAL” Is JusT A TITLE. VERY oFTEN TITLEs GET IN ThE WAY oF WhAT R EALLY MATTERs. When asked what I do for a living I always respond that I am a teacher. When the subsequent question is, “What grade do you teach?” I answer that I have experience teaching all grades from 1 to 8 but that currently I am in the role of principal. In my heart of hearts, I see myself no differently than I see everyone else on staff. In fact, I am happiest and most effective when I blend into the community as a fellow educator working side by side with the teachers.

I understand the role of principal comes with many added responsibilities but I feel that learning is at the heart of it all. I realize that as a “principal” I can be inf luential but that inf luence must revolve around the best interests of staff and students. It must be manifested through an intentional focus and commitment to lead by being a co-learner in our journey of learning. It cannot be a top down approach, but rather an equal partnership.

Four years ago, I joined the staff of St. Andrew Catholic School. I was fortunate that I came into a staff where there was an openness and a willingness to engage in a collaborative learning community. All staff desired to do the best they could for their students. However, there was a lack of coherence and a common vision for the school that all staff could pursue in their quest to achieve such admirable aspirations.

As “the new principal,” I suggested that as a whole school initiative we concentrate on studying Mathematics as the primary focus for our own learning and for the learning of our students. While the proposal was met with agreement, clearly there was an underlying sentiment whereby the staff wondered if this was just another top down request with which they would be left to struggle on their own. I believe that the staff soon came to realize that through my actions, this was definitely not the case. I have a vested interest in our school, especially where the staff and students are

concerned, and this was conveyed through my work with the staff as a colleague and as an equal. In my opinion, building a relationship of trust with staff, students and parents is pivotal to the success of a school vision.

What were those actions? In order to answer the question as authentically as possible, I went to my staff and asked them. The following are the salient points or “instructional leadership moves,” which helped to build a professional and collaborative learning culture at St. Andrew.

I see myself as a teacher.I co-plan with teachers. I go into classrooms and co-teach. I ref lect with staff about the lessons, about the strategies used, about what we learned from our students and about determining next steps. This is done in partnership. I am never considered the expert (because I’m not), but rather I am a co-learner in our journey of improvement. Since all of us are on a different point in the continuum of learning, the collective voice has more to offer than the individual voice.

I make our joint journey a priority.When a teacher approaches me with a question, a concern, a request to come to his or her classroom to observe or co-teach, I stop what I am doing and I engage. This is the part of my role as principal that I enjoy the most and from which I derive the most satisfaction and sense of fulfilment. It provides me with a fundamental connection to staff and students which serves to strengthen our relationship.

I am truly interested in the ongoing learning.I provide work embedded time for professional development and dialogue. Based on student needs, we structure our learning to include up-to-date research on the topics pursued, we invite numeracy experts to join our conversation either by Skype technology or through their physical presence,

REFLECTION OF A PRINCIPAL AS CO-LEARNERby Debby Culotta

Debby Culotta Principal St. Andrew Catholic School TCDSB

we include our Student Achievement Officer (S.A.O.) from the ministry in our planning and our dialogue, and we encourage open, honest conversation to include successes and challenges and for an opportunity to raise questions in regard to our work. I am always present and participate at all of these math study groups. I am not afraid to reveal my vulnerabilities therefore the staff feel safe to discuss their own doubts or perceived inadequacies.

I value my staff.I celebrate them at every opportunity. Teachers need to be acknowledged for all the hard work and dedication that they bring to the table. I do this informally, through conversations with the teachers, publically over the school’s PA system, through community newsletters and finally through nominations for awards through our Board of Education and through provincial initiatives. The staff know that I think they are the best. Collectively we have given a “face” to St. Andrew School. We have placed our school on the proverbial “map”.

How have these “instructional leadership moves” impacted our school?

Establishing a trusting relationship with staff and students has allowed us to build a school vision. There is an innate sense of pride and a true professional identity, which defines who we are at St. Andrew School. In our quest to improve our own instructional capabilities, we have built relationships with other educators that extend outside of our own school and contribute to our learning and efficacy.

St. Andrew teachers have opened their classroom doors for visiting educators to come and observe some of the strategies we have been working on, they have hosted public research lessons, they have given seminars and presented at conferences about our learning and they have participated in a ministry webcast. Our staff continually have both formal and informal conversations with one another in regard to mathematics. Teachers who teach the same grade meet regularly on their own time to continue the learning and sharing. Our professional learning is deeply rooted in all that we do and it is self-perpetuating. Teachers feel efficacious and want to pursue their quest to improve and to learn.

We have evolved into a vibrant professional learning commu-nity at St. Andrew. There is a genuine sense of accomplishment and worth. Together, we are St. Andrew School, a place of con-tinuous learning and improvement.

Our collaborative efforts make a difference for our students every day. I am proud to say that I am part of such a dedicated staff and community.

A Focus on Actions

Transformational leaders view successful practice in their school contexts in terms of the degree to which educators have implemented strategies. Transformational leaders spread practices by setting a vision, creating common goals for the school, inspiring and setting direction, buffering staff from external demands … giving educators a high degree of autonomy (Hattie, 2015) and facilitating structural changes that allow for collaboration and inquiries.

Monitoring may entail observing lessons, participating in planning sessions, and talking with educators about how implementation is going. The focus is primarily on the adult activities that will support student learning.

With this focus, educators concentrate on planning what they are going to do and gather the resources they will need. Their plans for inquiries focus on actions such as small group instruction, use of structures like the three-part lesson plan, use of technology and hands-on strategies like math-talks. The resources they coordinate include materials, time, classroom arrangements/groupings and scheduling of time to co-plan/teach with colleagues (adapted from Guskey, 2014 ). The Activity Trap!

Avoiding the Activity Trap

Educators can avoid the Activity Trap through ongoing monitoring of impact in order to pivot and adapt instruction to student learning. Without monitoring and pivoting, valuable time f lashes by and opportunities to increase students’ learning through nuanced or significant changes in instructional practice are lost and anticipated student achievement is not realized.

To impact student learning, the questions all educators must ask are NOT, How can we collectively do a better job of teaching students through better instructional strategies? How can I support their implementation? BUT What learning outcomes will we focus on? How will we know when we are successful and when we need to pivot our work to respond to students’ learning needs?

A Focus on Outcome

In contrast to Transformational leaders, Instructional leaders focus more on students, according to Hattie (2015). They are concerned with the educators’ and school’s impact on student learning and instructional

mOnitOring tO PivOtAvoiding the Activity Trap by shifting the Lens of school improvement to impact

Designing effective inquiries that support school improvement plans is a challenging process that has led to various degrees of success in achieving desired outcomes in increased student learning. In creating these plans many schools become ensnared in a familiar situation that Guskey (2014) refers to as the Activity Trap, resulting in little or no growth.

Avoiding the activity trap requires a fundamental shift in focus from the actions of school improvement to the impact on student learning. Making this shift entails keen use of student data, collective visioning, clear success criteria, learning from

mistakes and active ongoing monitoring of student learning to pivot responsive instructional decisions (Hattie,2015; Guskey, 2014; CBS# 38, 2014, DuFour & Mattos, 2013; Moss & Brookhart, 2013).

According to Hattie (2015), two kinds of leaders emerge from the process: Transformational and Instructional. Transformational leaders focus on the actions of moving student achievement, while Instructional leaders focus on the impact of the actions and context on student learning. Their different styles often determine very different results in increased student achievement.

36 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

by Marybeth De Rose

responsiveness, conducting learning-focused classroom observations, participating in timely capacity building that enhances student learning, communicating high academic standards, and ensuring that all school environments are conducive to learning (p.37) The focus is on the outcome – LEARNING! Not just the actions!

starting with the end in mind

• The first major step in avoiding the Activity Trap is to deeply understand the nature of any student achievement issue. Gather a variety of data and consider its purpose, its limitations and any holes.

• Reserve judgement until all necessary information has been gathered and the patterns described (CBS#38 p4). How does data from different sources align? What differences stand out? What other information do you need?

• Dialogue as a school team about challenging targets, what the intended impact on student learning will look like and the convincing evidence that will indicate that your work is successful (Guskey, 2014; Hattie, 2015) Does the evidence detail the finer attributes of the intended learning targets?

• Decide as a team which classroom practices connect most tightly with the student learning needs. Are there practices that have not helped in the past and need to be changed or eliminated? What does research say about your response(s) to student learning needs?

• Put in place organizational supports so that the team can work well towards the vision (Guskey, 2014; Hattie 2015). Educators will need time to learn, collaborate, plan and moderate. The more time leaders involve themselves, the greater the understanding of everyone’s needs.

• Engage in the tough work of monitoring to pivot. Review student work, assessments, conversations and observations frequently as a team. “Instructional leaders” are agile and use data on an ongoing basis to monitor student learning in order to pivot. Pivoting may entail reorganization of supports, such as co-planning/teaching opportunities, so that everyone can make the shift to more impactful ways.

What does monitoring Look Like?

Monitoring is the process of ref lecting on the evidence of impact, on the potential dissonance between educator actions taken and student learning outcomes realized that fuel new educator learning and next steps. (CBS#38 p7). Monitoring should begin early. Examples include:

• Co-learning/teaching with staff – observe, listen, learn• Walk-throughs focused on student learning – looking at instruction

through the eyes of the learner• Collaboratively gathering and analyzing the agreed upon data at

specific intervals• Conversations with students• Knowledge building circles/exit tickets/ feedback forms

summary

Traditionally, school improvement has focused on implementing strategies to increase student achievement. However, plans/inquiries focused only on implementation of actions can lead to an activity trap that frequently does not yield desired success.

Instructional leaders support strategic use of data, collective visioning of high level outcomes and agreement about convincing evidence that indicates success. They engage as co-planners/teachers to understand the work and needs of the educator team. They participate as co-learners and/or observers of learners to experience first-hand whether adult actions are appropriate. Most importantly, Instructional leaders focus on impact and monitor to pivot. By monitoring frequently, they can see when and if nuanced or substantial pivots in instruction are needed in order to effect student learning.

References: Hattie,J. (2015). High impact leadership. Educational Leadership, February p36-40. Horn,I., Kane, B.& Wilson, J. (2015). Making sense of student performance data: Data use logics and mathematics teachers’ learning opportunities. AERA 52(2) p 208-242. Guskey, T. (2014). Planning professional learning. Educational Leadership, (71)8 p 10-16. Ontario Ministry of Education, (2014). Principals as co-learners: Supporting the promise of collaborative inquiry. Capacity Building Series (38). Dufour, R. & Mattos, M. (2013). How do principals really improve schools? Educational Leadership, April p34-40. Moss, C. & Brookhart, S. (2013). A new view of walk-throughs. Educational Leadership, April,p42-44.

Capacity Building SeriesPrincipals as co-learners: supporting the promise of collaborative inquiry.http://bit.ly/1nbILKQ

Video Series: Teaching mathematics Through a social Justice lensBuilding a Collaborative Culture of Learning curriculum.org/secretariat/justice/building.html

Learn More

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 37

Marybeth De Rose Student Achievement Officer Ontario Ministry of Education

38 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Embedded throughout Board Improvement Plans for Student Achievement (BIPSA) and School Improvement Plans for Student Achievement (SIPSA) across Ontario is a focus on assessment for and as learning. This focus has allowed educators to become more responsive and f lexible to individual student need by responding with tiered and targeted intervention that respects different entry points, learning styles and interests. The ultimate goal is for students to take greater ownership over their learning in order to become more independent, self-directed, life-long learners who will be able to take on the challenges of the 21st century.

We have directly responded to learning gaps in literacy and numeracy by making thinking and learning more visible (Hattie, 2012). We have done this through clearly posted and co-constructed learning goals and success criteria, and by providing individualized and targeted descriptive feedback to build on student strengths and to respond to areas that require continued growth. This assessment for learning stance aligns beautifully with "a learning for all" stance (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013) in that it provides equity and inclusion for all learners. Educators are also moving into an assessment as learning stance as they empower students to self and peer assess using the supports provided around the classroom.

But have we hit a wall? Does there continue to be a gap between the assessment for learning stance and the assessment as learning stance? How do we bridge that gap for our vulnerable learners who thrive in highly structured classroom environments with consistent teacher intervention and who now need to transfer these skills into new situations and environments. I am not just speaking about our level 1 and 2 vulnerable learners. I am also referring to our level 3 and 4 learners, as well as our gifted learners who struggle to independently move forward through time and space to achieve a goal or complete a task?

This has been identified as a "problem of practice" (City, Elmore, Fiarman, Teital, 2009) at our schools, as we reach targets in literacy and numeracy, but strive to provide students with the skills they need to independently face challenges and meet goals. Our questions are: How do we bridge the gap between descriptive feedback and self-directed learning? How do we empower students to self-ref lect and self-monitor to independently solve problems or respond to rich tasks?

Our response is the explicit teaching, modelling and use of executive function skills to move students through time and space to complete a task with greater independence and awareness of the challenges and obstacles that could impede learning and a "growth mindset" (Dweck, 2007). Embedded within this response is the understanding that assessment is also a spiritual process that makes Christ more visible to our students (EOCCC, 2013) and that executive function skills not only provide our students with the strategies and tools to complete a task or achieve a goal, they are also a pathway to becoming a ref lective and creative thinker who is a self-directed, responsible, life-long learner (Ontario Institute for Catholic Education, 2011).

You may have students in your school who have the potential to achieve, but not the executive function skills to move themselves forward to complete a task or achieve a goal. Understanding executive function as a brain function supports us in understanding the brain during various stages of development and the types of supports students may need to move forward.

Executive functions are a cluster of cognitive skills rooted in the prefrontal structures of the frontal lobe. They include the ability to anticipate consequences, generate solutions, initiate appropriate actions or responses to situations, monitor the ongoing success or failure of one’s behaviour, and modify performance based on unexpected changes. (Pennigton & Ozonoff, 1996)

Assessment for Learning to Assessment as LearningFocus on Executive Function

BRIDGING THE GAP

Executive functions can include:

• self-regulation• flexibility• organization• working memory• planning• focus• time management

by Melissa Monachino

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 39

Melissa Monachino Vice-Principal Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary School Halton District Catholic School Board

Some principles for improving executive function skills include:1. Explicitly teach and model the executive function skills - e.g.,

"What does 'organization' look like, feel like, and sound like in your classrooms?"

2. Make executive function skills visible in your classrooms through anchor charts and through the physical structure of the room. (in-out boxes, visibly posted success criteria with exemplars, zones of regulation or sensory scales, co-constructed expectations for a safe, caring inclusive classroom, Christ visibly present in instruction, assessment and evaluation).

3. Make executive function skills accessible to all students regardless of entry point or developmental ability.

4. Strengthen executive function skills through reinforcement and timely descriptive feedback.

5. Walk and talk students through executive function and apply gradual release of responsibility model.

6. Keep executive function student- and Christ-centred.

Executive function or “learning skills” is a main focus in the Growing Success document. The importance of home-school collaboration in supporting and modelling these skills to improve student achievement and engagement is clearly highlighted in the document.

In addition, Planting the Seeds of Success: Exploring Learning Skills and Work Habits from a Catholic Perspective examines learning skills by providing sample behaviours of each learning skill from Growing Success and links it to Catholic Graduate Expectations and Catholic virtues and values. Planting the Seeds recognizes that moving a child from assessment for learning to assessment as learning is not simply an instructional strategy or a best practice in assessment and evaluation, it is a covenant of trust between an educator and a student that moves him/her forward through a task and towards his/her full dignity as a child of God. This covenant is beautifully described by the Council of Ontario Directors of Education:

When a student becomes a learner and an adult chooses to be a teacher, a covenant is created between that teacher and that student. This covenant should spell out clearly what each expects from the other and what each will do for the other … Without this clear statement, assessment and evaluation are turned into a guessing game and often the student guesses incorrectly.

Consistency in Classroom Assessment (CODE, 2006)

As we continue to move students forward in Catholic education there are three important considerations for ref lection:1. By making thinking and learning more visible to our students, we are

making the goal and the pathway to success more accessible and more visible for all. (assessment for learning)

2. By making learning skills and executive function skills more visible to our students, we are providing students with the explicit skills and strategies to move themselves forward through time and space along the pathway to success. (assessment as learning)

3. By bridging the gap between assessment for and as learning and placing assessment and evaluation within the context of our faith, we are forming a covenant of trust with our students that makes Christ more visible and accessible to all and an integral voice and presence in our descriptive feedback.

In addition, we must ensure that Christ is visible in our instructional, assessment and evaluation practices. He must be visibly present in our thinking, our learning and our anchor charts, rubrics, interventions and supports. As we, the Catholic community of learners, focus on assessment for and as learning to move students through time and space to respond to tasks and achieve goals, we must also make explicit in our classrooms Christ’s unconditional love and support along each student's individual pathway to success.

Gradual increase of responsibility:

i. I do it/You watch me (Model)ii. I do it/You help me (Be inclusive and respectful

of entry points)iii. We do it together/I help you (Guide through

descriptive feedback)iv. You do it/I watch you (Provide on-going

descriptive feedback and praise)

Adapted from: Fisher, 2008

City, E. A., Elmore, R. F., Fiarman, S. E., & Teital, L. (2009). Instructional rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press. Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE). (2006, May). Consistency in classroom assessment. Support materials for educators. A resource document compiled by CODE for the Ministry of Education. Dweck, C. (2007). Mindset: The new psychology of success - How we can learn to fulfill our potential. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group. Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Corporation (EOCCC). (2013). Seeing through the eyes of Jesus: Growing success for students in Catholic schools: A support document for the implementation of growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario schools, covering grades 1 to 12. Pembroke, ON: EOCCC. Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Corporation (EOCCC). (2011). Planting Seeds for Success: Exploring Learning Skills and Work Habits from a Catholic Perspective, covering grades 1 to 12. Pembroke, ON: EOCCC. Fisher, D. (2008). Effective use of the gradual release of responsibility model. Retrieved from www.mheonline.com/_treasures/pdf/douglas_fisher.pdf Hattie, J. (2012). Making thinking visible for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge. Ontario. Institute for Catholic Education (ICE). (2011) 2nd edition. Toronto: Author. Available at iceont.ca/resources/ontario-catholic-school-graduate-expectations Ontario. Institute for Education Leadership. (2014). Understanding the whole child and youth – A key to learning: An interview with Dr. Lise Bisnaire, Dr. Jean Clinton, and Dr. Bruce Ferguson. In Conversation, 4, pgs. 1-26. Toronto: Author. Available at education-leadership-ontario.ca/media/resource/spring2014.pdf Ontario. Ministry of Education. (2013). Learning for all: A guide to effective assessment and instruction for all students, kindergarten to grade 12. Toronto: Author. Available at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/LearningforAll2013.pdf Pennigton, B. F. & Ozonoff, S. (1996). Executive functions and developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychology, 37, pgs. 51-87.

40 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

Christian Meditation with Children

It will come as no surprise to educators that a Canadian study commissioned by Microsoft in May 20151 found the attention span of consumers has been decreasing in the digital age. The study reported the average human attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds. In 2013, this dropped to 8 seconds. Meanwhile, the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds!

Seeking an antidote for this digital age phenomenon has led to the recent surge in mindfulness practices. The MindUP2 curriculum is spreading throughout North America. Current research on mindfulness practices shows an increase in attention span for students along with a number of other benefits. The big question for Catholic educators today is, “What are we paying attention to?” In response to this, I would like to introduce an ancient form of prayer many Catholic schools are rediscovering called Christian meditation.

History

Christian meditation dates back to the 3rd and 4th centuries with the early Desert Fathers and Mothers.3 In the deserts of Egypt, Syria, Palestine and other Middle East areas, they sought a simpler way of focusing their attention on God’s presence in all that surrounded them. St. John Cassian of the 4th century stressed repeating a formula or mantra during meditation and insisted this practice led to the silence of “pure prayer.” That is, praying without words and images.

Fr. John Main OSB was a Benedictine monk who rediscovered John Cassian’s writings. In 1977, the Archbishop of Montreal invited him to teach lay people Christian meditation. His former student, Fr. Laurence Freeman OSB,4 first taught Christian meditation to children in Montreal.

Why and How to Meditate

Fr. Freeman tells us “… the mind races from one thought to another. We meditate to calm the mind and to bring the mind into the heart. The real stillness is the stillness within.”5

The 3 Ss – silence, stillness and simplicity, best describe Christian meditation as taught by Fr. Main.6 It is quite simple as outlined here.

1. Sit still and upright with your back straight. 2. Place both your feet f lat on the floor or legs crossed if sitting on the floor.

by Paul Tratnyek

3. Place your hands on your lap facing either upwards or downwards. 4. Close your eyes lightly.5. Be aware of your normal breathing pattern for a minute or two as you relax. 6. Silently, interiorly, begin to say your sacred prayer word or mantra

“ma-ra-na-tha,” in four equal syllables.7. Listen to the sound of your sacred word as you say it, slowly, gently

and continuously. 8. If thoughts and images come, keep returning to simply saying the word.9. Maintain this stillness for the entire period of the meditation.7

Fr. Main recommended using the word “maranatha” as the sacred prayer word or mantra. It is an Aramaic word Jesus used meaning, “Come Lord,” found in the scriptures.8 Because it is in a foreign language, it tends not to conjure up images during meditation as we sit in stillness and silence allowing the Spirit who dwells within9 to speak in our hearts.

The Benefits

• Meditation deepens the children’s personal relationship with God• Meditation leads to increased self-knowledge and self-acceptance• Meditation increases the desire to build community with others• Meditation reduces stress and increases children’s sense of well-being

and harmony

The 2014-15 school year saw an overwhelming interest and participation of Catholic teachers, principals and senior administrators across the province learning about, experiencing and teaching Christian Meditation with Children. The compelling response of students and others is captured in an 11-minute video.10

Educators report that Christian meditation enables children to be: • Still and silent, and experience God in the silence • More considerate and loving • More caring and thoughtful of others• Kinder to friends • Eager in anticipation of their meditation times• Calmer and more relaxed • Still for longer periods

We should not be surprised by their observations, as many are fruits of the Holy Spirit.11

PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3 41

Paul Tratnyek Faith Animator Brant Haldimand Norfolk CDSB School Liaison World Community for Christian Meditation - Canada

Brain Research

Dr. Shanida Nataraja in her book, The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and proof of the power of meditation12 reveals the scientific evidence that proves meditative practices benefit our health. More research is emerging on

the positive impact meditation has on well-being. What we are seeing in the sciences is empirical evidence emerging that parallels what the early Desert Fathers and Mothers knew through intuition and experience.

MINDFuLNEss ChRIsTIAN MEDITATIoN

Rooted in Buddhist practice Rooted in our Christian Tradition

Technique Surrender - contemplation is not the result of a well-honed technique but of grace

Mind activity “Pure prayer” of the heart

Attention is on self (time limited) Attention is coming off yourself (leaving the self behind)

Focus on the present Focus on the present

Measurable results focus (self-regulation, calming)

Faithfulness and trust focus

Way of preparing for meditation by calming the mind and harmonizing mind and body

Produces mindfulness – makes you more aware, mindful

Benefits include reducing stress, self-regula-tion, increased self knowledge and acceptance, increases sense of well-being and harmony, increases the desire to build community with others, calmness, enhances learning

Benefits include reducing stress, self-regulation, increased self knowledge and acceptance, increases sense of well-being and harmony, increases the desire to build community with others, calmness, enhances learningFruits – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5: 22)

Transactional Transformational

As Christian meditation spreads in Catholic schools throughout the province, it is important to remain faithful to the simplicity of it as described here and to maintain a daily practice.

Meditation is not intended to replace the sacraments and other forms of prayer, but rather, can help enhance their experience. Bishop Gerard Bergie of St. Catharine’s Diocese said:

I hope that as the children feel more comfortable with silence, they’ll also see the role of silence in the liturgy, and how it is being active, it is participating but in a new and wonderful way.13

Let us rediscover the richness of Christian meditation and help our students and staff enter a deeper awareness of Christ’s presence that constantly surrounds us when seeing with the eyes of the heart. Our digital age is in desperate need of this kind of attention.

References:

1 Microsoft attention spans, Spring 2015 | @msadvertisingca #msftattnspans 2 thehawnfoundation.org/mindup 3 See The Sayings of The Desert Fathers by Benedicta Ward SLG and The Forgotten Desert Mothers by Laura Swan OSB 4 Fr. Laurence is currently Executive Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation - wccm.org 5 Listen to the CD Lord Teach us to Pray: Introduction to Christian Meditation, Laurence Freeman OSB, MedioMedia 6 See The Heart of Creation Meditation: a way of setting God free in the world by John Main, edited by Laurence Freeman, Caterbury Press, 2007 7 Adapted from the Canadian Christian Meditation Community. www.wccm-canada.ca 8 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Revelations 22:20 9 See Matthew 6:6, Luke 17:20-21 and 1Corinthians 3:16 for scriptural references to the indwelling of the Spirit. 10 The video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2CK8h3E9f0 with French, Spanish and Polish subtitles. 11 See Galatian 5:22-23 - “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.” 12 Dr. Nataraja provides evidence of health benefits for long term meditators including lower stress levels, improved cardiovascular health, cognitive changes, psychological impact, coping strategies. 13 www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2CK8h3E9f0

For more information and resources on Christian Meditation with Children, visit the World Community for Christian Meditation at:www.wccm-canada.ca/#!meditation-with-children/cx2k

Learn More

Christian Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation can be found in all of the world’s major religions. Below is a table drawing the similarities and differences between mindfulness practice and Christian meditation.

42 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

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Welcome to TVO’s TeachOntario! TeachOntario is an online platform to support sharing, collaboration and knowledge exchange amongst educators across Ontario. TeachOntario was created by TVO, in partnership with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), its Affiliates, the Ministry of Education (EDU), and in consultation with elementary and secondary teachers from a variety of districts across the province. It is a unique destination “for Ontario’s teachers, by Ontario’s teachers.”

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Reflections on Transformational Practices for Catholic Leaders

Our daily work as Catholic leaders can be equal parts joyous and challenging. During stressful times, we are called to remember that we all contain the divine spark, the connection with God or a part of God. Supporting those in our care to connect with their own spark is an awesome and humbling responsibility. Presenters at the 2016 CPCO Conference helped us to focus on the sparks that light our fires, the robust ideas that fuel our vocations as Catholic leaders and transform our practice.

Key note speaker Andy hargreaves (Boston College) pointed out, “It’s bad to be burned out, but worse to never be fired up.” He asked us to consider three questions: Do you have a passion for something? Are you good at it or can you become good at it? Does it serve a compelling need? If you can answer “YES!” to all three, you will experience absolute joy. This joy is necessary as we are called to uplift the people we serve (students) by uplifting the people who serve them (teachers). He spoke of the need for collective professionalism as well as collective autonomy, suggesting we find a balance to both by leading from the middle. Despite the busyness of our schedules, one practical way to lead from the middle is to attend professional learning opportunities with our staff. In this way, we are walking the walk with our teachers. Lastly, he encouraged us to focus on our local school communities and to understand their unique characteristics and needs. Positive change occurs when we take the initiative, not just lead the initiatives.

The other keynote speaker, Father Thomas Reese (National Catholic Reporter) encouraged Catholic leaders to look to the leadership of Pope Francis as a model and guide of what is possible through the power of one focused leader. From his very first words (Buona sera) from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square and his choice of name honouring St Francis of Assisi, the champion of the poor, Pope Francis signaled that he would be

a unique and transformational head of the Church. Eschewing the ornate trappings of the office, both in clothing and residence, he has consistently lived his message of servant leadership and pastoral care. His simple and humble actions speak as loudly as his thought-provoking treatises on the joy of the Gospel, family values and the environment. Father Reese believes that there were three key steps which Francis took: changing the culture of the institution, appointing people who support reform to key positions and then changing structures, policies and procedures to support the change.” Fr. Reese encouraged us too, to reach out and model what it means to be a leader. He told us that “style is substance” and reminded us to evangelize through witness, not just words. We need to encourage all stakeholders to speak

“parrhesia” or boldness as we shape school communities that authentically meet the needs of the people we serve. He too, reminded us to be gentle and caring to those we lead. “Francis’ new papal style, gentle, patient and merciful, animated by inner poverty and outward simplicity” is consistent with his vision of the Church as a “field hospital for the wounded.” He cautioned, “lead people back, since we only listen to people we care about.” Our work should be more pastoral than administrative as we strive to keep a proactive mindset that promotes opportunities and possibilities and lets our school community participate and share in the mission.

Perhaps one of the most significant challenges we face as Catholic administrators is healing broken relationships among and between staff, parents and students. In one of the breakout sessions, John hopfield from Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC ) used a historical indigenous perspective to illuminate our understanding of how relationships can be repaired. The Kaswenta, or two row wampum, symbolized the historic treaty between his ancestors and the newcomers to this land. Three rows in the centre (trust, friendship and respect) separate

When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say,

‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Luke 17:20-21

by Aggie Nemes, Carol Soper and Joan Tschernow

44 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

CPCO 2016 Conference Coverage

the two main rows. If we keep these three integral qualities at the forefront of all our interactions, while there may be a degree of separation, no one would control the other or “no one would steer the other’s boat.” Although history has proven that the agreement has been broken on many occasions and for many years, the Kaswenta still exists and while it exists, there is always a chance to re-build and make things right again.

Navigating the 21st century world of media within the context of Catholic education is an ever present reality for today’s principals and was the topic of the second breakout session. Carole Allen (Friends and Advocates for Catholic Education FACE), Peter Landry and David sieger, Enterprise Canada, reminded us that principals are the face of Catholic education in our schools and we are, therefore, a critical piece to Catholic education advocacy. As principals we have the opportunity to spread the message that our Catholic schools are a pillar of Ontario’s successful public education system. We do this by sharing the good news stories that occur in each and every one of our Catholic schools. Cumulatively our school success stories add up to a great system. As leaders we need to be pro-active, strategic and politically savvy. The greatest threat to Catholic education is complacency and hubris, so it is critical to share the good news not only within our communities but also with those who make the decisions about the future of Catholic education. One opportunity to raise awareness and reinforce the importance of Catholic education is to build relationships with our MPPs and connect them to our school communities. We need to create the opportunities for our politicians to get to know our schools; invite them for classroom visits, events and milestones. These are the news stories we want the media to highlight so it is the opportune time to share our hopes and passion for Catholic education as we continue “Sparking the Divine Light” in all our communities.

The third breakout session led by Dr. Greg Wells (University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Children) reminded us how important it is for us to take care of ourselves if we are to be successful in taking care of others. Like airline passengers who are encouraged to put on their oxygen mask first, we must prioritize our own mental and physical well-being if we are to support those in our care. Dr. Wells provides a simple four-part prescription to

combat the four epidemics of sleeplessness, obesity, physical inactivity and mental health issues (such as anxiety and depression): sleep soundly, eat smarter, move more and think clearly. By sleeping six to seven-and-a-half hours a night (four to five complete REM cycles), we ensure that we are at our best in making decisions and consolidating learning. In particular, he recommends protecting the hour before sleep by turning off our Blackberries and leaving emails until the morning. As we all know, the emails will still be there in the morning! What we eat impacts our days in profound ways. Foods that are high in sugar, salt and fats do not provide the fuel we need for us to optimally do our jobs. On the other hand, diets that include healthy alternatives such as avocados, fresh-water fish and quinoa make us feel sharper and able to focus for longer periods of time. Studies have also shown that executive functioning and creativity are enhanced with five-minute movement breaks every 45 minutes. Finally, he recommended meditation or even taking three long, slow breaths to help us survive cortisol-producing times of high stress. Looking after ourselves helps us look after the others in our care.

In his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri noted, “From a little spark may burst a mighty f lame” (Poca favilla gran fiamma seconda). As we continue in our vocations as Catholic administrators and encounter the daily joys and struggles, we can ref lect on the conference’s sparks of inspiration to sustain and challenge us to be the best leaders we can be.

Aggie Nemes, Coordinator, NTIP/TPA/PPA, Toronto CDSB Carol soper, Principal, St. Malachy Catholic Elementary School, Toronto CDSB Joan Tschernow, Principal, Blessed Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, Toronto CDSB

Andy Hargreaves Father thomas reese John Hopfield Dr. greg Wells

carole Allen Peter Landry David sieger

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CPCO 2016 AWARDS RECIPIENTS

Elise DaragonWindsor-Essex CDSB

Elise Daragon's teaching experience has spanned Grades 1 through 8 and includes special education. She spent approximately 20 years in the classroom before becoming a Literacy/Numeracy Consultant. Elise has been a principal for eight years in the communities of St. Jules, St. John Vianney, St. Bernard and Our Lady of Lourdes. She is currently involved in the twinning process of St. Bernard and St. Jules. Outside of school, Elise has served in various ministries in her St. Paul parish for the past 15 years. She recently took a step back to promote her own children’s involvement in the parish. Elise has been married to Bob for over 33 years and is the a mother of four.

Stephen EganPeterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington CDSB

Steve Egan's leadership in education began during his 17 years of teaching at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg. During his administration at St. Mary Port Hope, St. Mary Campbellford and St. Anthony Port Hope, Steve served on several board committees. His work in Cooperative Education and OYAP developed into highly successful Specialist High Skills Major Programs that assist students to succeed academically while developing their personal interests. Through his leadership, Steve’s schools have assisted homeless families and have helped support their basic needs. He is a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and has served as Basketball Free Throw Chairman for 25 years. Steve and his wife have three daughters.

Michelle SawaKenora CDSB

Michelle Sawa has taught at the primary, junior and intermediate levels, and has been a Literacy, Reading Recovery and Special Education Teacher. In 2011, she became Principal, St. John School in Red Lake and also began her work on Franklin Covey's "The Leader in Me." Subsequently, she

became a Franklin Covey's 7 Habits of Effective People Facilitator and her school was named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. In 2013, Michelle received the Director's Award of Excellence in Leadership. Michelle has been a parishioner of St. John the Apostle Church in Red Lake for over 20 years. She belongs to the CWL, and is a lector and Eucharist Minister. She and her husband John have one daughter.

Marguerite ThomsonToronto CDSB

Marguerite Thomson was a vice-principal for three years before being appointed Principal, St. Agnes, St. Conrad, St. Brigid, St. John and, presently, St. Michael Catholic School. She is committed to Catholic education and has served on numerous CPCO Committees since becoming a member in 1998. Among other roles, Marguerite has been part of the Assembly of Member Representatives, and has acted as AGM Delegate and LSA Lead for TCDSB. In addition, she is a dedicated member of the Toronto Catholic Principals and Vice-Principals Association. During her 17 years of involvement, she has served as Councilor, Treasurer and President for the past five years. Marguerite has been married to Rob for 24 years and they have two children.

Graziano VavalaSimcoe Muskoka CDSB

Graziano Vavala serves as Principal, St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School. He has served on a number of board committees including Kaleidoscope (the board’s Special Education Policy and Procedure document), IEP Writing Guide and Transition Planning. Over the course of his career, Graziano has led four Catholic school communities as an elementary administrator. Prior to that, he was a teacher at Monsignor Lee and Monsignor Clair Catholic Schools, teaching in all divisions and working as a Reading Recovery Teacher. Graziano is a strong advocate for students with special education needs and those who may not be able to advocate for themselves. He and his wife Kyla have three children.

elise Daragon stephen egan michelle sawa marguerite thomson graziano vavala

PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR AWARDS

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FR. JOHN REDMOND MEMORIAL AWARD

Theresa Harris

As Executive Director of OCSOA, Theresa Harris has worked with a number of Boards of Directors and has positioned the Association as a prominent leader in Catholic education. She is provincially renowned for her contribution to Catholic education and to the Supervisory Officers of Ontario. Theresa is the retired Director of Education with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board. Prior to joining the board, she was a Supervisory Officer with the Niagara Catholic District School Board for 11 years, where she was responsible for Human Resources and a family of schools. Prior to her appointment as Superintendent of Education, Theresa was a secondary principal with Toronto Catholic District School Board and teacher with the Peterborough Catholic School Board. Theresa is a great leader, a wonderful mentor, extremely hard working and has a keen sense of humour. Her strong belief in OCSOA’s mission To Lead and To Serve has fostered a strengthening of the role of Catholic education within Ontario and Canada.

It is with great appreciation that CPCO presents Theresa Harris with the Fr. John Redmond Memorial Award.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Caterina BovaDufferin-Peel CDSB

Caterina (Cathy) Bova was hired by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board while still at the faculty, and taught Italian on Saturday mornings while in university in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. She has served as a Catholic leader in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board for 13 years as a vice-principal and principal, and as a Catholic educational leader throughout her 31 years as a language teacher, elementary school teacher and OECTA executive member. In 2003, Cathy won the OECTA Service Award. Within her local Principal/Vice-Principal Association (Family representative, Treasurer and President), Cathy has provided exemplary leadership, inspired mentorship and dedication to both staff, parish and – most importantly

– the children under her care. Cathy is heavily involved in parish life both in Guelph and Toronto as a Eucharistic Minister and as a member of parish councils. She has also won the Volunteer of the Year award from St. Joan of Arc parish in Toronto.

CPCO extends its warm congratulations to Cathy Bova on receiving the Distinguished Service Award.

PAST-PRESIDENT'S AWARD

Pam GarbuttWaterloo CDSB

Pam Garbutt was a teacher with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, prior to her as-signment as a principal. Previous to WCDSB, she was a teacher with Simcoe CDSB and TCDSB. While serving as Principal, St. John’s Elementary School, she established the first Virtual YMCA in a Canadian school. The school community was acknowledged with the EQAO Bette Stephenson Award in 2009. Pam has mentored and trained 12 vice-principals, and has won a number of awards, including WCDSB Staff Member of the Year, Premier’s Award of Teaching Excellence, CWL Women of Faith Award and York St. John University Merit Award. She is currently serving in her 25th year as a Catholic principal. At CPCO, she has served in various capacities, includ-ing Local Association President, President, and Chair and Spokesperson for the CPCO Executive Council. Pam is also a lector, Eucharistic Minister and CWL member at St. Anthony Daniel Parish in Kitchener. She and her husband Phil have two daughters.

CPCO extends a sincere thank you to Pam Garbutt for her many contributions and service to Ontario principals and vice-principals.

CPCO 2016 Conference Coverage

CPCO 2016 Conference Coverage

Conference photography by Edge Imaging

50 PrincipalConnections•Summer2016•Volume19•Issue3

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AGM Address to DesignatesRandy Bissonnette, President-Elect

It is my great honour to address you as the incoming CPCO President. I want to take this opportunity to thank our CPCO Conference 2016 Co-Chairs Stephen O’Sullivan and Christina Brown, as well as the principals and vice-principals of Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington, and Renfrew for their hard work in organizing and hosting an excellent 2016 conference and an exemplary professional learning opportunity. Through our conference participation, we take away the Joy of the Divine Light and a renewed purpose as Servant Leaders.

Congratulations to the elected and returning members of our Executive Council. Together, we will continue to build a culture of excellence and growth, mobilizing learning and innovation, recognizing that as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, “Better is always possible.”

To Pam Garbutt, Past-President, who now finishes her tenure with the Executive Council, I offer our sincere thanks for your Service, Advocacy and Leadership. As a respected principal who personifies servant leadership and eloquence, Pam’s caring, insightfulness and political acumen are. Her voice will certainly be missed and, on behalf of the members of CPCO, I would like to thank her for her many years of dedicated service. Best wishes for a long, healthy and well-deserved retirement.

I also wish to commend and thank our current President, Wayne Hill. Wayne has not only provided perspective, clarity, and an unwavering voice for Catholic principals and vice-principals, but he also remains the absolute definition of hospitality. Wayne, thank for your exemplary work as our President.

And, finally, a special welcome goes out to our 2016-2017 Executive Council: Paul Lacalamita (CPCO’s Executive Director), Wayne Hill (Past-President, Algonquin & Lakeshore CDSB), Richard James (President-Elect, CDSB of Eastern Ontario), Jennifer Yust (Vice-President, Halton CDSB), Michael Schreider (Treasurer, Ottawa CSB), Janice Bazaluk (Elementary Councillor, Thunder Bay CDSB), Blaine MacDougall (Elementary Councillor, Niagara CDSB), Antonella Rubino (Secondary Councillor, York CDSB) and Annalisa Varano (Secondary Councillor, Simcoe Muskoka CDSB).

Thirty-two years ago, I became a Catholic educator. Nearly 18 years ago, I became a principal and CPCO member with a very clear purpose: to make a difference in the lives of students and their families.

For decades, I have witnessed the life-changing difference Catholic principals and vice-principals make by providing help and hope. Our caring, our inclusivity and our mercy, not only provide part of the answer for our students but also define us as authentic people who live our faith. As faith-filled principals and vice-principals, we exemplify inspired leadership in Catholic education while we remain faithful to our commitment to Gospel values.

Thank you for embracing your vocation and for recognizing that we are Sacrament. As Winston Churchill once said, “You make a living out of what you get, but you make a life out of what you give.”

Looking forward to next year, I am confident of our continued success. Through the expertise and excellent work of our Executive Council, AMRs, committees and members, we will continue to build our CPCO. Catholic Principals’ Council | Ontario will remain clearly focused and well-positioned recognizing that:• Member voice and engagement,• Strategic planning, and • Building relationshipsare essential ingredients to our success.

As your incoming President, I am aware of a number of important local and provincial priorities that are emerging for 2016 – 2017. These will define our year and determine our activities. Naturally, the successful completion of all local Terms & Conditions negotiations continues to be of paramount importance along with reaching a comprehensive provincial benefits agreement. In addition, our Executive Council must develop and implement a selection process for determining CPCO’s next Executive Director who will be named for June 2017.

Also from my perspective, enhancing our relationships with our Catholic partners requires our continued attention to preserve the gift of Catholic education in our province. With our collaborative approach, the guidance of our Executive Director and the team work of our professional support staff, we will successfully meet these challenges and deliver a result that exceeds expectations.

In an overall perspective, while we have much to celebrate in Catholic education, I am concerned that the role of the principal and vice-principal continues to become increasingly more complex and more demanding. On a daily basis, Catholic school administrators complete a multitude of tasks that require their immediate attention, often leading them away from their roles as instructional leaders. We must continue to focus on the wellness of our Practising Associates, and work with school boards to ensure both manageable working conditions and effective principal and vice-principal supports as identified in the Workload Study.

I look forward to the opportunity to add my voice as your President in support of all members and associates of CPCO. Throughout the upcoming year, I am eager to learn and grow from the story, the culture and the challenges that define each of the 29 Catholic School Boards in Ontario.

Be assured of my prayers and support as your President. I wish everyone a very successful conclusion to this school year. God Bless!

CPCO CONFERENCE 2016

CPCO CONFERENCE 2016

CPCO would like to take this time to thank all of our vendors that participated in this year’s conference.Without your participation and contributions the conference could not have been the success that it was.

Your contribution made a real difference in our effort to educate, motivate and empower through Catholic Education.

CPCO wishes to thank the following companies for their sponsorship of this year’s conference.

• Accent Learning Environments• Apple Athletic Products Inc.• B & B Education (Brault & Bouthillier)• Bark Lake Leadership Centre• Bookswap Inc. • Branches Catholic Ministries• Brightspark Travel• Business to Business Network• Camp Muskoka• Catholic Curriculum Corporation• Dairy Farmers of Ontario Milk Program• Dairy Farmers of Canada - Teach

Nutrition• Development & Peace• DGN Kilters• Edge Imaging• Educators Financial Group• Excelavue Inc.

• Experiences Canada (Formerly SEVEC)• Explorica • Fair Glen Outdoor Christian

Education Centre• Friesens Corporation• Green Apple Studio• Halenda's Fundraising• Herff Jones Yearbooks• "How Cool Is That?"• Huronia Historical Parks• Johnson Inc.• Lamontagne Chocolate• Lifetouch Canada Inc.• Little Caesars Pizza Kits• Marathon Learning Materials Ltd.• Medieval Times Dinner &

Tournmanent• Nelson Education Ltd.

• Ontario College of Teachers• OPHEA• OTIP• Pearson Canada• Picaboo Yearbooks• Retired Teachers of Ontario • R.J.McCarthy (RHB Group Ltd.)• Roseneath Theatre• Rush Embroidery Ltd.• Serkin Promotions• Spectrim Label & Equipment Inc.• Supreme Learning• Tandia Cooperative Banking• TVO - Never stop learning• Two Way Radio• Veseys Seeds• World's Finest Chocolate• 3P Learning-Home of Mathematics

Edge Imaging

Johnson Inc.

Lamontagne Chocolates

Pearson Canada

RhB Group

World’s Finest Chocolates

C AT H O L I CPRINCIPALS’C O U N C I L ON

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C AT H O L I CPRINCIPALS’C O U N C I L ON

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