Leadership and Governance
Communities expect “the courtesy of an explanation” from school districts
“Researchers into school and school district community relations programs agree that when a community feels connected to its schools, it is more likely to be confident about school districts’ policies and practices and in individual schools’ teaching and learning processes.” Geoff Johnson, published in the Times Colonist, March 10, 2024
Geoff Johnson is a journalist, with regular columns on education issues in the Times Colonist, and a former superitentent, supervisor of instruction, principal, and teacher.
British Columbia School Trustees Use of Research and Information Seeking in Decision Making
“Public education is a public interest, but there are also real questions related to funding, governance, and the role of private industry in provision of education to the public. These questions can, and should, be informed by research data and scholarly analysis. BC’s school trustees gather information from a wide range of resources as they navigate the decisions they need to make—education scholars interested in informing those decisions may want to think more strategically about how they engage education leaders.” Dr. Daniel Laitsch
Dr. Daniel Laitsch is the Dean, Faculty of Education, SFU, and past Chairperson of the Institute for Public Education’s Board of Directors. He is a founding director for the Centre for Study of Educational Leadership, Associate Professor at SFU and Director of the SFU Surrey Campus Liaison, Faculty of Education. His research interests include examining the use of research by teachers, application of research to inform policy and practice and policy analysis.
“I am an avid reflective practitioner and while reflecting on my strengths and stretches as an educator and researcher for a particular position in this blog post, I was brought back to the ideas of leadership, community, and compassion. In my imagination, the making comes from the breaking. How can we rebuild and hold each other up as we attempt to create equitable and inclusive learning environments? What role do we play? What can you do?” Christine Ho Younghusband
Dr. Christine Ho Younghusband is Assistant Professor at UNBC School of Education and an Affiliate Scholar at Centre for the Study of Educational Leadership and Policy at SFU. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from SFU and a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction. She has extensive experience in the field of education having been a secondary math teacher, a trustee on the Board of Education for SD46, and a member of the BC School Trustees’ Association Board of Directors.