In an elementary school that is deemed "high need" within Ontario, the context of the learning is as important as what is being taught and by whom. In our conversation with Umar Qureshi, he discusses his research proposal compiling leadership competencies and standardized considerations to support school leaders. Could leadership considerations be added to the Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF) given the diverse academic and socio-economic circumstances at high need elementary schools in Ontario? A consistent leadership framework to address the student achievement gap would be beneficial with the layered nature of school principalship.

The question of how to effectively support student achievement for at-risk students in high need schools must be addressed to ensure educational equity. A systemic and structured leadership framework that consistently supports students Ontario-wide is important to implement in order to ensure an equity based school leadership approach that will reduce student achievement gaps.

OUR GUEST

• Umar Qureshi – Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

HOSTS

• Lawrence DeMaeyer – Professional Learning Advisor, Ontario Principals’ Council
• Susie Lee-Fernandes – Director of Professional Learning, Ontario Principals’ Council

Episode 2 Transcript PDF