As educational organizations pivot to a post-pandemic future, the landscape will be forever changed. Leaders in school systems must be ready to shift to meet known challenges that have become even more urgent at this unprecedented time and to face new challenges that require innovative and creative leadership thinking.
This free series, sponsored by the Catholic Principals Council of Ontario (CPCO), Learning Forward Ontario and the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC), is designed to engage school leaders and administrators in conversations related to the emerging issues in educational leadership in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world. The sessions will maximize participant connection and the sharing of ideas. Each session, facilitated by CPCO, Learning Forward Ontario and OPC representatives will feature short articles from the three association publications for participants to consider that reflects relevant topics to contemporary school leadership and learning.
Upcoming Sessions
Save the dates!
Leading Change / Implementation - October 22, 2024 |
Description: Confirmed to join us to discuss their articles are Stephen Katz and Usha James. Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. EDT Cost: Free Articles for Discussion:
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Leading in a Digital World - January 14, 2025 |
More information will be available soon. |
Data, Self-awareness and Professional Trust - April 8, 2025 |
More information will be available soon. |
Past Sessions
2023-24
Game Changers: Leading in times of Transformational Change - October 24, 2023 |
Description: During this session, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for education and leadership will be examined. Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2023 Panel:
Session 1 Articles for Discussion: Volante, Dr. Louis, Deluca, Dr. Christopher and Klinger, Dr. Don A. May 15, 2023. Forward-Thinking Assessment in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Strategies to facilitate deep learning Education Canada (web exclusive), Summer 2023 Additional Resources: Sylvester, Mark. 2023, May 3. Dr. Philippa Hardman: The AI Education Revolution is Coming - or is it? Facebook live recording by TEDx Santa Barbara Salon On Learning Design and AI - A Conversation with Dr. Philippa Hardman, Future Learning Design Podcast, June 27, 2023 Selects: AI in Education with Chris Dede (S5E4), Learning Futures Podcast, March 8, 2023 |
Trauma-informed School Leadership - January 16, 2024 |
Description: Spurred on by the pandemic, the idea that schools are not only places of learning, but should also be places of “healing,” trauma is now a widespread educational aspiration. But how are we, as leaders, actually doing when it comes to genuinely supporting students and others who experience trauma? Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024 Panel: Dr. David Tranter, Professor, Lakehead University Session Two Articles for Discussion: Trépanier-Bisson, Dr. Nadine, Tratner, Dr. David and Pollock, Dr. Katina. 2023. Trauma Informed Practice: Why Educator Wellbeing matters. Education Canada (web exclusive), Fall 2023 |
Leading Transformational Change: Students as Agents of Change - April 2, 2024 |
Description: Join us for a thought-provoking discussion session focusing on the urgent need for education to adapt to the rapidly changing global landscape. This session will examines key challenges such as demographic shifts, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise of populism, intolerance, and fake news. We will also look at the role educators play in preparing students for these challenges by fostering critical thinking, creativity, and social responsibility. Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 Panel: Dr. Ann E. Lopez, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Session 3 Articles for Discussion Lopez, Ann E. 2023. Students as Agents of Change. Principal Connections, Winter 2023 |
2022-23
What Does Leading for Equity Look Like? - November 3, 2022 |
Date: Thursday, November 03, 2022 Session 1 Articles for Discussion: Lopez, Anne E. Navigating Equitable Leadership in Schools Learning Forward. 2022. Standards for Professional Learning Planche, Beate, Elliott, Sue, Hobbs-Johnson, Audrey and Campbell, Carol. 2022. The View from Canada: Different terminology, but a shared commitment to professional learning. The Learning Professional, June 2022, pp. 48-51. Singh Dhaliwal, Kulbir. 2022. Anti-Oppressive Education: Adapting to the demands of educational and social reform. The Register, Fall 2022. pp. 22-25 |
Facilitating Professional Learning for Equity - February 28, 2023 |
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Session 2 Articles for Discussion: Rodway, Dr. Joelle, Campbell, Dr. Carol, Lopez, Dr. Ann, Moore, Dr. Silvia, Ng-a-Fook, Dr. Nicolas and Schnellert, Dr. Leyton. 2023. Decolonizing Professional Learning: Gathering together for educational change. Education Canada, Winter 2023 Bocala, Candice and Holman, Rolesia. 2022. Identity is at the Heart of Facilitating for Equity. The Learning Professional, April 2022, pp. 66-70. |
Educating the Next Generation - April 13, 2023 |
Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2023 Panelist: Josh Fullan, MFA, BEd, OCT, IAP2 Session 3 Articles for Discussion: Schmidt, Dr. Bonnie. 2020. Designing Schools of the Future. The Register, Summer 2020, pp. 15-21. Fullan, Josh. 2022. Citizenship for a New Age. Principal Connections, Winter 2022, pp. 8-10. |
2021-22
The Right Drivers for Whole System Success - October 21, 2021 |
Date: Thursday October 21, 2021 Guest Facilitator: Michael Fullan - Author, Speaker and Educational Consultant Session 1 Article for Discussion Fullan, Michael. 2021. The Right Drivers for Whole System Success. Victoria, Australia: The Centre for Strategic Education |
Navigating Educational Equity in the Time of COVID-19 - January 20, 2022 |
Description: OPC and Learning Forward Ontario will be joined by guest Dr. Vidya Shah for the second session of the article series. This session will examine how we navigate the pandemic that has amplified the many longstanding inequities inherent in school systems that created even more significant gaps. How can we mitigate against this? As Vidya Shah asks in one of the articles we will use as a jumping-off point - "Who will we choose to be and how will we choose to live? How will it influence the how and why of schooling? " Date: Thursday January 20, 2022 Guest Facilitator: Vidya Shah - Faculty of Education, York University Session 2 Articles for Discussion: Shah, Vidya. 2020. Opportunism or Opportunity? Navigating educational equity in the time of COVID-19. Education Canada, Winter 2020 The Leadership Academy. 2020. Leading an Equity-Focused Response Through and Beyond COVID-19 |
Supporting School Leaders Beyond Wellness and Resiliency - April 12, 2022 |
Description: Principals’ and vice-principals’ work has intensified. Professional leadership learning predominantly focuses on individual personal wellness and professional leadership strategies. However, changes in the education system structure may provide more long-term solutions to the work environment. How can school leaders bring about these system changes? Date: Tuesday April 12, 2022 Guest Facilitator: Dr. Katina Pollock - Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy in the field of Critical Policy, Equity, and Leadership Studies at the Faculty of Education, Western University. Session 3 Articles for Discussion: Pollock, Dr. Katina and Wang, Dr. Fei. 2020. Principal Well-being: Strategies and coping mechanisms in times of uncertainty. The Register, Summer 2020, pp. 22-27. Pollock, Katina, Nielsen, Ruth and Bir Singh, Shanker. 2023. School principals work intensification and resilience - A call for structural change. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, No. 203, pp. 2-12. |