InspirEDSpring 2025 | Issue #13 The official journal of the British Columbia School Superintendents Association Canada Post Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 British Columbia School Superintendents Association for all Practices that SupportSuccess LearnersBritish Columbia School Superintendents Association 5 CONTENTS 7 A Message from the BCSSA President 8 A Message from the BCSSA CEO 9 A Message from the Minister of Education and Child Care 10 What Kind of Education for What Kind of World: To What End? 16 Supporting Student Voices: Lessons from an Indigenous Student Leadership Council and Anti-Racism Action Plan 20 The Learning Support Model: Aligning Resources with a Vision for Learning 24 From Vision to Reality: How Leadership Practices in Safety Foster Staff and Student Success 27 Pulling Forward Together: Examining Cultural Safety as an Ethical Framework for Education 30 Index to Advertisers For advertising information, please email sales@matrixgroupinc.net or call 866-999-1299. If you would like to adjust the number of copies you are receiving, please email distribution@matrixgroupinc.net or call (204) 953-3497 – please be sure to mention the name of this magazine and your name and / or organization. GREETINGS FEATURES This issue of InspirED is dedicated to the topic of “Practices that Support Success for All Learners.” Thank you to all of our authors and to the North Vancouver School District for the cover photo, which shows Grade 3 students hugging a tree at the Skw’une-was Program at the Cheakamus Centre.British Columbia School Superintendents Association 7 A Message from the BCSSA President I recently had the privilege of attending the OECD Education for Human Flourishing Leadership Programme in Berlin. I was honoured to be part of the British Columbia delegation, which included senior leaders from the BC School Superintendents Association and an Assistant Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Education and Childcare. The programme also welcomed leaders from the jurisdictions of Finland and Estonia, along with representatives from the International Baccalaureate Organization. The programme was facilitated by Dr. Otto Scharmer, Senior Lecturer at MIT and Founding Chair of the Presencing Institute, and his team. Our key focus was on awareness-based systems change, a concept at the heart of Dr. Scharmer’s Theory U developed over 20 years of research. Dr. Scharmer’s work is referenced in the OECD High Performing Systems for Tomorrow 2023 Conceptual Framework report, which discusses the notion of human flourishing. Dr. Scharmer’s work is influenced by several notable thinkers and practitioners, including Friedrich Glasl (an Austrian organizational development and conflict resolution expert), Rudolf Steiner (an early twentieth-century educator and social innovator), Joseph Jaworski (author of Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership), Francisco Varela (cognitive science), Peter Senge (author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization), and the late Edgar Schein (author of Organizational Culture and Leadership). During the three-day programme, we immersed ourselves in the core concepts of Theory U and put them into practice. One key component is prototyping – “learning by doing” to model an ideal future state. Theory U draws British Columbia School Superintendents Association Leadership Practices that Support Success for all Learners Rohan Arul-pragasam attention to the “interior conditions,” the sources from which we operate, both individually and collectively. It emphasizes the need to be aware of the hidden dimension of how we pay attention, as these significantly influence our perceptions and actions. The principle that the quality of our results as a system is reflective of the awareness from which people operate was a focal point of discussion. This calls for a fundamental shift in leadership attention to the deeper source from which they function. There are four ways that action and attention come into the world: habitual (listening from a habitual stance), ego-systemic (factual or noticing the differences), empathic-relational (listening from within from an emotional stance), and generative eco-systemic (listening from the source and from the future wanting to emerge). The quality of results achieved by a system depends on the quality of awareness people operate from. This principle highlights that inner shifts are needed to create outer change. The emphasis is that leaders need to shift their attention to the inner place from which they operate. Theory U focuses on understanding and cultivating social fields, which encompass the relationships among individuals, groups, and systems that shape patterns of thinking, conversing, and organizing. The quality of these social fields profoundly impacts the results produced. The U process is a deep learning cycle that draws people to the edges of the system, connects them to their deepest sources of knowing, and encourages exploration of the future through action. The seven ways to attend to and co-shape the world around us are: 1. Downloading (observing current reality and habitual patterns); 2. Seeing (perceiving with fresh eyes); 3. Sensing (opening the mind to see anew); 4. Presencing (connecting to the source of inspiration); “LEADERSHIP IS THE CAPACITY TO SHIFT THE INNER PLACE FROM WHICH WE OPERATE” – DR. OTTO SCHARMER 5. Crystallizing (allowing new ideas and intentions to emerge); 6. Prototyping (exploring the future through action); and 7. Performing (embodying the new). This framework doesn’t just apply to individual and organizational growth; it is also a pivotal strategy for addressing the broader challenges faced by our educational systems today. In a world that feels increasingly divided, the ability to lead with courage, compassion, and curiosity is more critical than ever. We need to create spaces that allow for collective movement from attention to intention, to action, to prototype models that uplift and honour the human spirit. In conclusion, the words of Ilya Prigogine resonate deeply: “When a system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to lift the entire system to a higher order.” This perspective is vital as we strive to champion transformative leadership that fosters human flourishing across our educational landscapes. Rohan Arul-pragasam President British Columbia School Superintendents Association8 ED ❚ Spring 2025 Inspir BCSSA Spring Forum (Vancouver) – April 10-11, 2025 BCSSA Summer Leadership (Whistler) – August 13-15, 2025 BCSSA Fall Conference and AGM (Vancouver) – November 13-14, 2025 A cross British Columbia, school and district leaders are deeply engaged in fostering the conditions that allow all learners to thrive. At the BCSSA, we know that student success is not an accident; it is the result of intentional leadership, purposeful structures, and a shared commitment to equity and excellence. In this Spring 2025 issue of InspirEd, we highlight the innovative practices, frameworks, and mindsets that leaders are embedding in their districts to ensure that success truly extends to all students. The theme of this issue, Practices that Support Success for All Learners, aligns closely with our upcoming Spring Conference, which will explore Leadership Practices that Support Success for All Learners. We will ask ourselves: What practices, protocols, and ways of being do senior leaders establish, model, and support to advance their strategic aspirations for student success? This question goes beyond policy – it invites us to reflect on the leadership behaviours and systemic shifts that shape the daily experiences of students, educators, and communities. Throughout this issue, you will find inspiring examples of how districts are translating their strategic aspirations into tangible actions. These stories remind us that leadership is not about individual expertise –it is about collective impact. Success for all learners is made possible when we, as senior leaders, create the conditions for meaningful collaboration, reflective practice, and systems that are truly aligned with our vision for learning. Whether through reimagined resource allocation, fostering cultures of safety and well-being, or deepening our commitments to equity and reconciliation, our work as education leaders shapes the experiences and outcomes of students in every corner of the province. As you read this edition of InspirEd, I invite you to reflect on the practices and approaches that resonate with your own leadership journey. How do we, as senior leaders, continue to create learning environments that are engaging, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of all students? What structures and relationships do we need to cultivate to bring our strategic aspirations to life? These are the questions that will guide our conversations at the Spring Conference, and they are the questions that will continue to shape our shared commitment to student success. On behalf of the BCSSA, I want to thank the many contributors who have shared their insights, experiences, and innovations in this issue. Your leadership, dedication, and curiosity continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. Together, we are building a future where all learners can thrive. With appreciation, Gino Bondi CEO British Columbia School Superintendents Association A Message from the BCSSA CEO Whether through reimagined resource allocation, fostering cultures of safety and well-being, or deepening our commitments to equity and reconciliation, our work as education leaders shapes the experiences and outcomes of students in every corner of the province. Gino Bondi Leadership is About Collective Impact Join BCSSA in 2025! Details are shared when available at https://bcssa.org.British Columbia School Superintendents Association 9 T he public school system in British Columbia is the best place for students to grow and succeed, and that is thanks to your dedicated leadership. The work you do ensures our province continues to be a leader in education and child care throughout Canada and the world. As an advocate for public education, I’m committed to supporting you in your incredibly important work. As a parent, former school trustee, and now as minister, I am squarely focused on three things in the education sector: keeping students safe, ensuring they feel included and that they belong, and that they have all the learning supports they need in the classroom to do well. We all want the best for children and youth, and I am committed to working with you to help them be successful. The well-being and safety of students and staff in our K-12 education system is our highest priority. Speaking as a parent, I know we need to make sure our children are safe not only in schools, but out in the world as well. That’s why the Ministry of Education and Child Care is working to make CPR learning mandatory for students before they graduate. Safety resources for students and families are also available. The erase website (www.erase.gov.bc.ca) has free online training sessions to support families to have conversations with their children about digital literacy and how to stay safe online. It also has resources to support youth and families who may have had intimate images shared without consent or who are victims of sextortion or extortion, as well as bullying, mental health, and substance use resources. The recently released Racism Response Guidelines have been developed to support district and school staff to identify and respond to student-to-student incidents of racism and hate in a trauma- sensitive and responsive manner. They are a key initiative within the Ministry’s K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan, to support and strengthen anti-racism system change across the B.C. education system. Supporting students doesn’t end there either. Through Feeding Futures funding, more students have access to food during the school day, helping to ensure they are properly fed for learning. The A Message from the Minister of Education and Child Care Working Together to Improve Outcomes work your districts do in delivering these important food programs is crucial for many students in a time that high costs are affecting families throughout this province. I’m focused on ensuring that teachers and schools have access to additional supports in the classroom and beyond, including the expansion of education assistants and counseling resources. We also must continue to be active partners in driving better educational outcomes for Indigenous students and supporting transformative changes that have a real impact on their lives. Last year, changes were made to the School Act to do just that. Now, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples have a bigger voice in the decisions impacting their students’ education. We are setting higher expectations to build stronger and more meaningful relationships between First Nations and B.C.’s public school system with the Model Local Education Agreement. Launched last year, it requires every school district in B.C. to have an Indigenous Education Council (IEC). IECs will work to support boards to provide comprehensive and equitable education and support services for Indigenous students and to improve Indigenous student outcomes. Thank you for supporting these important initiatives in your school communities. I understand the challenges some families face in accessing child care in B.C., and how it impacts school communities. Our government is committed to building a future where access to affordable, quality, and inclusive child care is a core service that families in B.C. can rely on. Schools are at the heart of their communities, and they offer the potential to help address the child care needs of families. Child care on school grounds makes it easier for families with one dropoff and pickup location, streamlining daily routines and creating smoother transitions for children. That’s why, since 2018, we have helped to create more than 14,000 new spaces on school grounds. More than 6,400 of these spaces are open now and I look forward to seeing many more open soon. I’m incredibly proud of our education system and the progress we have advanced, together, but I know there is much more work to do. Thank you for your partnership in continuing to improve the education system and the lives of countless students. Have a great remainder of the school year! Lisa Beare Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare Next >