uLead2025 - The Summit of Educational Leadership

In many cases we come out of a Collaborative Team Meeting in which effective teacher generated strategies are shared, however those strategies may be shared within a grade group or maybe a division. In this session we will take you through a journey whereby collectively the staff of Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High school are creating an Instructional Playbook that takes the many effective instructional strategies teachers are already using in the building and through a simple, common framework, we are creating a site specific Instructional Playbook that meets the learning needs of the students in our school community. Our staff work from a mindset and culture of Collective and Self-Efficacy and we are ready to take our Collaborative Team Meetings to the next level.

As servant leaders, the needs of our students and our staff are paramount. Nice words…what do they mean? What are the characteristics, techniques, inter- and intra-personal skills that successful teacher leaders utilize to create a school culture where collective efficacy is high, and collaboration is a best practice? This session is designed to address these questions and to embrace an interrelated model of leadership that allows the needs of the students, staff, and community to guide our work in schools. Many of the strategies had their genesis in the principalship yet are easily adapted to leadership opportunities and challenges at all levels of our professional work.

Becoming a school leader is a major career milestone, but it also comes with unique challenges and responsibilities that extend beyond the classroom. As the instructional leader and administrative head of your school, you are now responsible for fostering a positive learning environment, supporting teachers and staff, managing day-to-day operations, and ensuring academic success for all students. This session focuses on the five critical areas new leaders need to master to lead with confidence and drive success.

Given the growing complexity of education today, principals must support the development of strong leaders throughout their building. Often leadership is only thought of as a position rather than on the impact of influence. Developing leadership capacity is often an underutilized competency in the Leadership Quality Standard. This session will focus on the importance of developing future leaders (formally and informally) and practical tips for school and system leaders to do this by valuing professionalism and autonomy.

We know that schools consist of neurodiverse students, and with that knowledge we think about how we plan, teach and work with our students to ensure that they thrive. We also know that schools are taught and led by neurodiverse teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators, and with that knowledge we can reimagine a leadership approach that contributes to a school culture that helps everyone thrive and lead with competence and efficacy. What we know determines what we see (Kirschner & Hendrick, 2020). Knowing more about the neurodiverse profiles and characteristics of teachers, paraprofessionals and leaders in our schools helps us understand how individuals think, contribute and engage with the whole school culture. Leaders holding this knowledge about their teams are better equipped to see and plan a strengths-based way forward that helps the entire community thrive and feel part of the school.