Overview
The Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP) is designed to prepare teachers for a successful transition to a school administrator role. The five-hour online modules are facilitated by practising principals and provide an opportunity for reflection and dialogue with other emerging leaders. The ELDP focuses on topics described in recent research or identified as helpful by new and experienced principals and vice-principals in building their capacity to deal with the complexity of the role.
Modules may be completed in any order. You can choose as many or as few as you would like to participate in. Microcredential badges will be issued, however this is not a certificate program.
Module Information
Module 1 – Developing an Understanding of the School Principal Role
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- The legal duties of principals as outlined in the Education Act
- The Ontario Leadership Framework: developing an understanding of the 5 domains and how the OLF can be used as a guide for professional growth
- The personal leadership resources and how they impact the role of the principal
- Emotional Intelligence (EI)
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Module 2 – Having a Professional/Challenging Conversation
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- Different types of conversations
- Cognitive and emotional barriers
- Active trust as an essential part of making change and leading a school
- Recognizing the power of listening throughout the conversation
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Module 3 – Exploring your Equity Stance
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- The impact of privilege and unconscious bias impact on school, students, staff and communities
- The principal as change agent
- Recognizing biases/privilege and the extent to which these inform our decision-making attitudes and actions
- The moral imperative in creating an equity and inclusive stance
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Module 4 – What is Instructional Leadership?
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- How leadership and management are intertwined in the role of principal
- The changing nature of school leadership
- The difference between professional learning and professional development
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Module 5 - Leading Safe Schools |
- The role of the principal in creating and maintaining safe and caring schools
- Progressive discipline as a whole-school approach
- Bullying intervention and prevention as integral to a positive school climate
- Restorative circles as a means of working through conflict in schools
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Module 6 - Data Informed Decision Making |
- The role of the principal in promoting a culture of excellence and accountability
- Internal, external and holistic accountability
- Types of data: achievement, demographic, perceptual, and program
- Data and the School Effectiveness Framework and the School Improvement Process
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Module 7 - What are the Legal Duties of a Principal? |
- The similarities and differences between the legal duties of a teacher and principal
- The relationship between a principal's legal duties and their daily practice
- Health and safety of students and staff
- Principal duties related to statutes, regulations, PPM's and board policy
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Module 8 - Growing Your Personal Leadership Resources
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- Social resources, psychological resources, and cognitive resources
- Self-awareness through assessment surveys
- Strategies to build strong PLR's
- Personal action plan & SMART goals
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Module 9 - Life-balance for Aspiring Leaders
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- Examine life-balance and it's complexities
- Explore the wellness wheel
- Understand your well-being and link to practice
- Ways to enhance your well-being
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Module 10 - Fostering a Culture of Reconciliation |
- Build understandings of the origins, histories, and historical contributions of Indigenous Peoples.
- Develop awareness and knowledge of treaties and treaty relationships to further our journey towards reconciliation.
- Learn and understand more about the Indian Act and how it has impacted the lives of Indigenous peoples since 1876.
- Understand Indigenous experiences related to forced assimilation and the legacy of residential schools.
- Develop an understanding of the Indigenous protest movement.
- Set goals of reconciliation for ourselves and our school communities.
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Module 11 - Leaders Supporting French as a Second Language Programs in Ontario
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- Explore the benefits and transferable skills afforded through second language learning
- Understand the similarities and differences between the three French as a Second Language programs in Ontario.
- Examine the important role of leadership in French as a Second Language teacher support and retention.
- Reflect on how leaders create equitable and optimal conditions for learning for all learners in French as a Second Language programs.
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Module 12 - Supporting Student Mental Health
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- Explore a shared language of mental health via the School Mental Health of Ontario (SMHO) website and resources
- Understand culturally responsive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and the Aligned and Integrated Model (AIM) from the SMH-ON website
- Compare and contrast mental health supports/strategies within your school
- Understand the role of schools in supporting student mental health
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Program Resource Access |
All program content and Learning Management System access will be available to candidates beginning on the module start date and will remain active two weeks after the end of the program. Following this period, candidates will no longer have access to assignments, conversations, resources or other content related to the program.
Please be sure to save any information that you would like to retain during the timeframe that you have access to the LMS as extensions to program access will only be granted under special circumstances, as approved by the Registrar.
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Course fee*
$100 + HST per module
*Full payment is required for registration to be confirmed. Our registration system charges based on the number of modules selected. Each module has a separate deadline. If you choose multiple modules, please be prepared to pay upfront.
Schedule
2025-26 Schedule |
All modules are online and are ten days each. Participants are expected to complete five hours of work within this timeframe.
2025-26 Course Dates
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Module
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Registration Deadline
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October 4 - 14 |
Module 1 - Developing an Understanding of the School Principal Role |
September 28 |
October 18 - 27 |
Module 2 – Having a Professional/Challenging Conversation |
October 12 |
November 1 - 10 |
Module 3 – Exploring your Equity Stance |
October 26 |
November 15 - 24 |
Module 4 – What is Instructional Leadership? |
November 9 |
November 29 - December 8 |
Module 5 - Leading Safe Schools |
November 23 |
January 10 - 19 |
Module 6 - Data Informed Decision Making |
January 4 |
January 31 - February 9 |
Module 7 - What are the Legal Duties of a Principal? |
January 25 |
February 14 - 23 |
Module 8 - Growing Your Personal Leadership Resources |
February 8 |
February 28 - March 9 |
Module 9 - Life-balancing for Aspiring Leaders |
February 22 |
March 28 - April 6 |
Module 10 - Fostering a Culture of Reconciliation in our Schools |
March 22 |
April 18 - 27 |
Module 11 - Leaders Supporting French as a Second Language Programs in Ontario |
April 12 |
May 2 - 11 |
Module 12 - Supporting Student Mental Health |
April 26 |
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Board Partnerships
The ELDP can be locally customized to meet the unique needs of your district. If you are interested in offering this program or individual modules with your board, please contact us at learning@principals.ca to discuss further.
Terms and Conditions
Professional Learning Expectations and Standards |
Online facilitated learning courses draw from the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) Ethical Standards and Standards of Practice. Our online facilitated learning courses have a combination of asynchronous and synchronous components. This structure is intended to recognize the demands that school leaders have on their time, while providing essential opportunities to collaborate and engage in discussions to critically reflect and solidify learning.
Participants in online facilitated learning are expected to:
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demonstrate honesty, responsibility and trust in the submission and representation of their academic work and related professional experiences
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be respectful, collaborative and inclusive through their interactions, assignments, synchronous and asynchronous dialogue/discussions and any other form of communication
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be open to receiving feedback from facilitators and peers, using it constructively to improve their learning
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Engage in learning activities and complete all required tasks and assignments as outlined at the start of the course and
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demonstrate a commitment to their own learning and growth throughout the course, actively seeking opportunities to expand their knowledge and understanding by attending all synchronous session and engage in all course dialogue / discussions.
All participants should communicate with the course facilitator(s) if there is an issue with completing coursework or attending synchronous sessions.
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Refund Policy |
Up to one week before start date |
Full refund |
One week before start date |
$50 |
After start date |
$0 |
A full refund applies when an offered module is cancelled due to low enrollment.
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Accessibility and other policies |
Our Accessibility and other policies that relate to our programs are outlined this webpage. |
For more information about the program, please contact eldp@principals.ca or reach out using the contact information on the right menu.