Toronto District School Board (550 schools, 260 000 students, 40 000 employees; Educational LeadershipCollaborated with staff, students, community and trustees to develop the Strategic Directions for 2011-15:Make every school an effective schoolA total of 225 District Reviews have been completed in support of student achievement, increasing consistency and the accountability of staff. A “Cycle Back” review process has been implemented to ensure schools reviewed in the first two years are revisited and offered additional feedback.The Student Success Dashboard was launched to provide Superintendents and Principals a one-stop, easy access point to student data that help inform School Improvement Planning and School Self-Assessments.Program Area Reviews in 41 school communities were also completed in 2011/12 leading to the creation of new program offerings.Build leadership within a culture of adaptability, openness and resilienceStaff supported and implemented over 6500 performance appraisals for teachers, principals and vice-principals as part of the Board’s commitment to creating a culture of high expectations for all staff and providing professional development support.Launched an online voluntary self-identification staff census as part of the Employment Equity mandate to support equitable hiring, employment and promotion practices.Form strong and effective relationships and partnerships

He previously served as Director of Education for the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (2004-2009), where he led a series of transformational initiatives, including the development of project Art Smart, the Enrolment Task Force and Learning Community Days.

Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (120 schools, 50 000 students, 6000 employees); Educational LeadershipEstablished the “Learning Community Day” concept, which has led to a system-wide focus on effective schools and professional learning communitiesPromoted an emphasis on teaching and learning by visiting every school in the HWDSB in year one and 60 schools per year thereafterRestructured Executive Council to ensure senior staff are visible in our schoolsFacilitated dialogue on secondary education, which led to the Secondary Schools for the 21st Century Task ForceResponded to the concerns of the HWDSB employee groups and established the “Working Together Better Labour Relations Roundtable,” which included representatives from all employee groups, trustees and senior staffEstablished the Innovative Fund to support innovate teaching and learning practices to support student achievementEngaged staff to build a culture of continuous improvement, which led to two capacity-building conferences, “Learning for All” and “Visions to Practice”Developed a network of support for the Programs of Choice to broaden the range of learning opportunities we provide our students, which led to the HWDSB Sports Academy, and the International Baccalaureate ProgramChampioned and provided leadership for the development of the HWDSB Character Education Program, which led to the Character Builds initiative Established the HWDSB Enrolment Task Force in response to rising concern with declining enrolmentDemonstrated commitment for ongoing professional learning , which led to participating and presenting in the Aspen-OECD Bellagio Seminar “How Can Teacher Policies Improve Student Learning” and presenting on the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat WebcastsDeveloped and championed Project Art Smart to provide system wide opportunities for our students in learning through the arts.

Toronto District School BoardLeadershipManaged the day-to-day operation of a family of schools, which includes responsibility for program, instruction, assessment, planning and the overall learning environmentProvided leadership in a manner that is consistent with the system goals of:high achievement of all students;preservation of a strong public education system;partnership of students, schools, family and community;commitment and high-level skills on the part of staff;equity, innovation, accountability and accessibility; andsafe, nurturing, positive and respectful learning environments

Established a student-focused culture in the school that led to the development of programs that provide enrichment support and intervention for studentsBrought together staff, students and parents, which culminated in being named a recipient of Canada’s Awards for Excellence in EducationCurriculumEngaged Staff to develop and implement a pilot project (Project 8) that conducted performance-based assessment in reading, writing and mathematics for Grade 8 studentsLed school staff, resource personnel, parents and students to develop a Saturday school program that focuses on Technology (Tech 2000) and LiteracyEquityResearch, wrote and presented The Skin I’m in: Racism Sport and Education to Toronto District School Board’s equity representatives, Principals Course part 2 participants and the Halifax Inner City School Principal’s AssociationLed school staff and resource personnel through a four-part workshop series on the Equitable School that led to the purchase of learning materials which reflect students’ needs and representation and the establishment of the Equity CommitteeAccountabilityWorked with staff and parents to develop an in-school rubric for student success that led to increased time on tasks, improved test scores and the Lawrence Heights’ guide to student successLed school staff and parents to develop a bi-weekly assessment tool to increase communication with the home and monitor student achievement, which resulted in the Lawrence Heights Progress ReportPersonnelLed and supported staff in a recruiting and interviewing process to hire staff reflecting the diversity of our student populationMentored seven first- and second-year teachers, which led to enhanced staff performance; greater equity; better classroom management, curriculum implementation, and student assessment; and improvement in meeting student needs