The report from UNESCO, called the Global Education Monitoring Report 2024-5 Leadership in Education, or GEM report, is a must read for educators and those interested in education leadership. The report has a global scope and helps position Canada in the larger picture of education. The report calls for investment in and empowerment of school and system leaders and goes into detail about the mechanisms that are in place in some countries that result in more success than others.

I am thinking about the education landscape in British Columbia as part of my research for my Master of Education project on systems change. In particular, I am reading the B.C. School Act, various reports written by the Province of B.C., the mandate letter for the Minister of Education, and many scholarly sources on online learning, inclusion, and leadership. I am thinking about the economic, political, and social conditions that are the context in which we are teaching in the province. I am doing this to understand why our system is set up the way it is, if we are adequately meeting the needs of students, and where we could improve.

There are a number of measurements one could look at when considering if our current system is a “success” such as graduation completion rates and more. We know that there are students who continue to not be supported in the current system, such as those with disabilities and diverse abilities who achieve graduation at lower levels.

When trying to make change to such a complex system, such as education, there are many considerations. The report explores who is best suited to lead change and what conditions would help support leadership to make positive impacts. Those systems that invest in ongoing training, have thorough hiring practices, and ensure those in leadership roles have knowledge in education have more success.

A quote that resonated with me from the report is that “Leadership matters in education. It helps education institutions, education systems and societies to change for the better. Leaders do not act on their own – they respond to other actors who help shift the political system: members of parliament, researchers, international organizations, civil society, trade unions, media and many others” (UNESCO, 2024). School leaders should not be individual heroes but instead, sharing leadership builds stronger schools.

I wondered… How does change in education come about in our Province? Who are the leaders in K-12 education? What is the Province of B.C. doing to ensure education leaders are trained adequately?

One would assume that the Ministry of Education, overseers of the School Act, would help lead large scale change. Canada is a perfect example of how those in education leadership roles, and specifically Ministers of Education are often poorly prepared for their jobs. According to the UNESCO report, in our country between 2000 and 2016, there were 81 provincial education ministers, with an average tenure of just under two years. A number of former ministers interviewed “admitted they had been poorly prepared to the job.” Also, “at the beginning of their mandate, they were given communications training and received briefings and information on legislation and budgets, but the position lacked a job description” (UNESCO, 2024).

Are we relying on change to come from the Ministry of Education, or are there other means by which change can happen on a large scale? How would a lack of skilled leaders in education impact students in the Province?

Reference:

UNESCO. 2024. Global Education Monitoring Report 2024/5: Leadership in education – Lead for learning. Paris, UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391406

Photo by David Billings on Unsplash.