Together We Are Better
I am an educator. I was a teacher and retired as a superintendent of education with the Toronto District School Board. Like many of you, I believe in the importance of a strong public education system as the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy.
I am deeply concerned about our schools and the future of public education. But I am not the only one.
I know that it is an understatement and a forgone conclusion at this point, but I think that it is a point worth making again...education across Canada and the world for that matter is undergoing the most radical change to what pubic schools will look like...forever.
I think that we are still stuck in a crisis response mode. The crisis that we are experiencing in education right now is not only that we were poorly prepared to deliver online learning, but rather is further complicated with the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any end in sight or a clear understanding of what the new normal for schools will be.
Many are starting to wonder if we will ever return to schools as we knew them. Students, teachers and parents are feeling this burden.
Where do you find your hope that public education will triumph overall?
Education Onward Council– Together We are Better
Remember last spring when schools across Canada and the world were shut down. Public education was forced to act like emergency medicine, responsive and immediate…basically close schools and then scramble to provide remote learning in any way, shape or form. It was not surprising many school boards were unprepared and struggling.
It was at this time that Martha Jez, Co – Founder of Fair Chance Learning, and I recognized the need to create a national support network of cross-sectoral members comprised of school board leaders and EdTech partners that would address the challenges of responding to the pandemic. We approached Rob Gorbet, Associate Professor Department of Knowledge Integration and his colleagues at the University of Waterloo and Memorial University; together we created a research framework to explore school board responses to COVID-19, the shift to remote-learning, and return-to-school planning for this past Fall and beyond.
At the end of this month we will celebrate one year together as the Education Onward Council.
The Education Onward Council includes Directors of Education and superintendents from public school boards from New Brunswick to British Columbia, representatives from key industry partners such as Microsoft, Apple and Desire 2 Learn, as well as several K-12 educational policy research organizations such as People for Education. The University of Waterloo has written two reports on the work of our Council detailing key themes and challenges of these schools leaders. These are:
Balancing Competing Tasks;
Health, Well being and Safety;
Providing Equitable and Rich Learning Environments;
Role of Digital Technology and;
Variation in Expertise of Staff
Always with a growth mindset, the Council has continued to reflect on the short- and long-term implications of the pandemic with particular attention to advancing the teaching profession, equity and achievement and effective assessment and evaluation practices.
Martha and I are honoured to be a part of the Council and are always impressed by the passion and commitment of these fine individuals to rise to the challenges of this pandemic, providing insight, sharing problems of practice with attention to equitable responses to the ever evolving nature of public education in Canada.
I have found my hope in the Education Onward Council.
If you would like to learn more about Education Onward Council please feel free to reach out to Martha or I. We would be happy to share the two reports with you and to answer any questions that you might have.
Finally a huge thank you to council members:
Camille Williams -Taylor, Ottawa-Carleton District
Michael Furdyk, Taking It Global
Larry Hope, Education Consultant, formerly with Trillium Lakes DSB
Kassia Kukurudza, Desire 2 Learn
Elwin LeRoux, Halifax Regional Centre for Education
Marianne Mazzorato, Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board
Loretta Notten, Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Michael Owen, Brock University Faculty of Education
Rob Policicchio, Apple
Marc Seaman, Microsoft
Wayne Toms, Educational Computing Network of Ontario
Christopher Usih, Calgary Board of Education
Loretta Notten, Waterloo Catholic District
And to the research team at University of Waterloo and Memorial University:
Jessica Rizk, Svetlana Kopan, Allyson Stokes and John McLevey.
Howie Bender, Desire 2 Learn
Camille Rutherford, Brock University Faculty of Education
Elyse Watkins, People For Education
Carol Campbell, U of T, OISE
Janice Aurini, University of Waterloo
Nicole Figueiredo, University of Waterloo
Rob Gorbet, University of Waterloo
Bevan Daverne, Alberta Directors Association
Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Peel District
Curtis Ennis, Toronto District
Patricia Gartland, SD 43 Coquitlam
Manny Figueiredo, Hamilton-Wentworth District
Diana Barbosa, Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)
Tiffany Bastin, Gov’t of New Brunswick, Education and Early Childhood Development
About the Author: Jeff Hainbuch
Retired as a Superintendent of Education with the Toronto District School Board, Jeff is an experienced educator with over 30 years in public education with extensive experience leading family of schools; curriculum development; special education; leadership and staff development; and serving marginalized communities. Jeff joined Fair Chance Learning as Sr. Director of Learning and Impact, with responsibility of managing the relationships with Directors, Superintendents and Ministry officials in Canada.
You can reach out to Jeff here.
