uLead 2019

How does a large education system reimagine and leverage school leadership to develop the professional learning capacity of teachers and maintain its systemic coherence? How does a design-based approach to professional learning support probationary teacher practice and collaborative distributed leadership? As one of the largest K-12 school districts in Western Canada, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) has reimagined how quality leadership results in quality teaching and optimum learning for all its students. The CBE has shown its commitment to actualizing this standard by taking the lead in the design of professional learning for mid-level leaders and probationary teachers done in collaborative partnership with the Galileo Educational Network and the University of Calgary. These learning series are focused on achieving the teaching and learning outcomes of the district and enacting the competencies as outlined in Alberta’s Leadership and Teaching Quality Standards (2018). Presenters will share how the CBE’s systemic approach to professional learning for mid-level leaders and probationary teachers has resulted in developing the capacity of leadership teams to work collaboratively to ensure all new teachers receive the support they need to meet district expectations and provincial standards. Preliminary findings from our partner-research project with University of Calgary and the Galileo Educational Network also indicate that teachers are acquiring the kinds of competencies, skills and practical knowledge necessary to teach in today’s diverse contemporary school contexts resulting in improved learning for all students in the district.