Supporting school administrators to become instructional leaders is an important step in supporting quality instruction in the classroom, said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie.
“The quality of our education system depends a great deal on the quality of instruction offered by teachers,” said Minister Currie. “The instructional leadership school teachers receive from their administrators will enhance their ability to offer the quality instruction we expect in our education system today.”
Dr. Avis Glaze, one of Canada’s outstanding educators and an international leader in the education field, played a key role in advancing student achievement in Ontario. She will be sharing her successes and challenges with school administrators during the professional development day on Friday, April 9.
Dr. Glaze is recognized for her work in leadership development, student achievement, school and system improvement, character development, and outcome equity for all students.
She believes strongly in a supportive but accountable education system that prepares students to be good citizens as well as highly literate citizens. She says schools are in control of achievement, and teachers must have the support of instructional leaders in order to do their best.
Dr. Glaze will focus her presentation on instructional leadership and how it can influence school culture to effectively support teachers and improve learning.
“One of my priorities as Minister is to engage teachers and all educational partners to work together to initiate effective, positive change for a stronger system of learning for the future,” said Minister Currie. “Dr. Glaze is a highly respected leader in system-wide improvement and growth, and we are very fortunate to be able to bring her expertise to our educational community.”
This Professional Development Day was originally scheduled for last fall; however, in order to carry out the H1N1 immunization program on schedule, teachers were asked to proceed with a regular instructional day and reschedule their PD agenda for this spring.