uLead 2017

How does a large system build leadership capacity and maintain systemic coherence while at the same time addressingvthe unique learning needs of a new generation of aspiring leaders? And how might the growing expertise of this new generation of aspiring leaders be further leveraged in helping to achieve important system and ministry goals while at the same time attending to each school’s unique school improvement agenda? These were some of the leadership issues that Calgary Board of Education system and school leaders were wrestling with and that this design-based professional learning and research study was attempting to investigate.

Through this initiative, CBE hoped to better understand how designing, implementing and sustaining professional learning could enable aspiring leaders to acquire the kind of principled practical knowledge and adaptive expertise necessary to help lead from within today’s diverse contemporary school contexts. Each year for the past three years, CBE has invited approximately 700 of their aspiring school based teacher leaders, identified as Learning Leaders, to participate in ongoing professional learning in collaboration with the Galileo Educational Network. These Learning Leaders are teachers with expertise in teaching and the desire to lead pedagogical leadership initiatives within their respective schools. Although, the responsibilities of the Learning Leader vary from school-to-school, there are two aspects of their role that are common. All of the individuals who were selected for these entry-level leadership positions were asked to:

1. play a key role in supporting colleagues in developing evidence based practices and
2. support school administration with leading effective teaching practices to positively impact student learning.

This design-based research study is therefore significant because of its potential to increase understanding of and inform professional learning practices for school leaders around two of the key competencies that have been identified for all school leaders in the province of Alberta: Leading a Learning Community and Providing Instructional Leadership (draft SLS 2016).

How this work unfolded within this large school authority and the lessons that have emerged as a result will be the focus of this conference presentation; and will appeal to educators responsible for leadership development (principals and district leaders).