Annual Report

2015-2016

For more detailed information, please download the 2015-2016 CEA Annual Performance Report.

Message from the Chair

Message from the President and CEO

Founded in 1891, the Canadian Education Association (CEA) is a network of passionate educators advancing ideas for greater student and teacher engagement in public education. The CEA does this by conducting research and spreading useful ideas through its publications, websites, workshops, symposia, and social media channels, supporting education systems to be more adaptive to the rapidly changing needs of all learners, and to reverse the trend of students ‘tuning out’ of their learning opportunities.

CEA is one of a very few pan-Canadian educational organizations in Canada today and the only one that has been an important presence for 125 years. As a well-respected non-partisan ‘honest broker’ with a long track record for producing quality research and events across Canada, the CEA’s endurance reflects a sophisticated understanding of critical and timely educational issues and trends. Our strength lies in the strategic roles we play in the Canadian education scene: as a thought and action leader, a connector, and a knowledge mobilizer.

Four overarching and interrelated strategies guide CEA activities to engage Canada’s public education systems in advancing their transformation agendas.

CEA Symposium - Dropping Out - What Neuroscience Can Teach Us – Quebec City, Que.

Several prominent neuroscience researchers accepted the challenge to translate their evidence-based findings to best explain how it could dramatically affect not only how we currently view teaching and learning, but in particular, how this neuroscience research can support students at risk of dropping out of school.

Discussion Notes: 2015 Symposium “Dropping Out: What Neuroscience Can Teach Us”

This online multimedia publication also includes videos of the presentations and panel discussions from this event.

Downloadable Poster: Shattering 3 Myths of Teaching and Learning

CEA Advisory Council Meeting – Quebec City, Que.

20 Years After the Quebec Education Reform – Critical Reflections

A panel discussion with Quebec education leaders sharing lessons learned while implementing systemic change

Three stakeholders who played key roles in the implementation of the Quebec Reform shared their anecdotes, analysis and lessons learned over the years from their diverse leadership vantage points. Based on their experience with the Quebec Reform, these education leaders offered their visions for what pedagogical change is possible when a plan is centered on ensuring the success of all students.

With all provincial education systems currently implementing some form of large-scale 21st Century learning strategy, this was a timely and relevant panel discussion.

CEOs’ Forum – Winnipeg, Man.

CEA reintroduced its CEOs’ Forum in 2015, which has brought together Superintendents and Directors of Education from across Canada to share insights on topics of particular interest to them since 1961. The 2016 gathering was co-hosted by Brian O’Leary, Superintendent of Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks School Division. An engaging roster of discussion topics provided participants with a first-hand pan-Canadian vantage point of the challenges and opportunities that chief education officers and their peers are facing in their school districts.

Case Study Presentations

  • Making a difference for Kids: Barriers to Equity
  • A success story in scaling innovation throughout a school board

Round Table Discussion

  • What keeps Directors of Education up at night?
  • Managing administrative leader mental health and well-being
  • What resources really matter to help measure fiscal restraint?
  • Is there a new way to fund public education with the decline of revenues and student population?

Canadian Trends in Education Breakfasts – Toronto, Ont. and Halifax, N.S.

From the ongoing discovery vs. traditional ‘math wars’, to market-driven systems improvement strategies, to shrinking demographics and budgets, to the latest classroom technology integration techniques, knowing and understanding what’s trending in Canadian public education today, these gatherings held in Toronto and Halifax aimed to enhance the strategic work of education, not-for-profit and corporate leaders working within this sector tomorrow.

Attendees received a fast-paced pan-Canadian overview of these hot topics and more from CEA President and CEO Ron Canuel followed by one-on-one Q&A exchanges.

CEA supports educators across the country by delivering professional learning and bringing our research programs and findings directly to provincial and territorial stakeholders.

CEA plays a vital intermediary role in moving education knowledge to policymakers, practitioners, parents, and the general public.

Education Canada Magazine

Education Canada magazine is published four times a year and is always available online. Rooted in the Canadian education experience and perspective, our English and French articles provide voice to teachers, principals, superintendents and researchers – a growing network of experts who examine today’s school and classroom challenges with courage and honesty. Pragmatic, accessible and evidence-based, Education Canada connects policy and research to classroom practice.

By sharing best practices, case studies, relevant research and first-person stories that capture the reality of today’s classrooms, Education Canada supports educators to address their day-to-day challenges head-on and is frequently used in staffrooms, seminars and lecture halls to stimulate discussion about educational reform. We actively challenge our readers to re-think their preconceptions about youth, learners, learning, teaching, and the definition of educational success.

Education Canada Online

Unique page views on the desktop and mobile versions of Education Canada Online increased from 230,777 (198,235 desktop/32,542 mobile) in 2014-2015 to 301,871 (249,032 desktop/52,839 mobile) in 2015-2016, which represents a 31% increase.

Most read articles of the year on our online platform:
(Unique page views from April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016)


Leadership from the Middle
A system strategy
by Michael Fullan


Leading High-Performing School Districts
Nine characteristics of effective districts and the leadership practices that achieve them
by Kenneth Leithwood


Our Wisdom
Learning from our elders

by Amy Smith


Bottoms Up
How innovative change starts with frontline educators

by Simon Breakspear

The CEA Blog – Sharing Perspectives

CEA invites education stakeholders to weigh in on relevant topics from our latest Education Canada theme issues, providing a broad scope of experience to drive professional learning and debate.

2015-2016 topics included:

  • Governance and leadership
  • The challenge to change
  • Physical activity and student performance
  • Dropping out

The Education Canada Bulletin E-Newsletter

Published since 1957, CEA’s monthly e-Bulletin represents a trusted and important information dissemination tool for CEA.

Education Canada Bulletin E-Newsletter Subscriber Statistics

Facts on Education Series

With the support of the Canadian School Board Association (CSBA), CEA teamed up with researchers from the University of New Brunswick, who produced the following five evidence-based fact sheets:

1. What is the Best Way for Students to Learn Math?

2. What is the influence of teacher-student relationships on learning?

3. What is the impact of decentralization on student achievement?

4. Accommodating Students with Behavioural Concerns

5. What is Effective School Design?

CEA Professional Learning Programs

The CEA embarked upon an ambitious and unique professional learning delivery program with a select group of on‑reserve schools in Quebec’s Cree School Board during the 2015-2016 academic year.

The CEA’s School’s Targets Achievements and Results Team (START) model is a tailor-made process for effectively embedding a school board’s current professional learning programs by building the capacity and trust of teachers and principals to take charge of changing their practice.

Facilitating real change in classrooms is complex. This is why the START process is integrated into the school board’s strategic plan, taking into account its unique challenges and priorities.

The key component of CEA’s START process is that it recognizes and builds on the wealth of expertise within a school board. School staff identify the challenges that they would like START Members to support.

Over a number of months, START Members conducted significant preliminary diagnostic work to identify the critical issues and key priorities of staff, professional learning communities (PLCs) are developed in the schools; Literacy-related orientations that honour traditional languages, culture and ways of knowing; assisted school teams to work on school improvement plans, retention strategies, and providing positive solutions to address student suspensions.

By building capacity – when the consultants leave, educators continue their own change process

This unique approach focuses on the ‘DNA’ of teaching and learning in the schools. Countless research studies have demonstrated that poor PD models hamper the integration of new ideas and strategies meant to improve classroom learning. START ensures that these ideas take hold on the ground through capacity-building and directly responding to the immediate learning requested from educators in schools.

CEA Website and Social Media Performance

CEA’s website traffic increased by 70% from April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016 compared to the previous year. The website received a total of 646,894 unique visitors throughout the year and 1,148,471 pageviews overall (a 55% increase).

CEA Website Visitor Statistics

CEA social media presence continued to increase from April 1, 2015 - March 31, 2016. Highlights include:

  • Over 8,362 YouTube views;
  • 5,819 Twitter followers (4,992 @cea_ace and 827 @EdCanPub);
  • 276 RSS feed subscribers
  • 2,179 LinkedIn followers; and
  • 1,011 Facebook Page followers.

Tweets during this period earned an average of 3,900 impressions per day (an increase of 255%) with an engagement rate (engagements/# of posts) of 1.4% (down from 1.6% last fiscal year, due to increased volume of posts diluting engagement numbers). Engagements include link clicks, retweets, favourites and replies. On average, Twitter activity earned 23 link clicks per day.

Top Tweets                                                                       Impressions   Engagements

The ‘Innovation that Sticks’ School District Case Study Program

In 2015-2016, CEA learned about, distilled and promoted how one school district found success in scaling and transforming their schools to meet the needs of all 21st century learners. An innovation case study research report provides a framework for other school district leaders to better determine how they can get their own ‘innovations to stick’ and achieve their goals.

Following a successful promotional campaign to recruit school district applications to participate in this program, the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) was selected out of 35 school districts from across Canada to participate in the ‘Innovation that Sticks’ Case Study Program. Board representatives shared “lessons learned” with CEA researchers about the conditions and processes that led to the beginning of this expandable innovation throughout their classrooms and schools. A case study report was produced to provide concrete guidance and support to other school district leaders faced with the challenge of determining how they can get their own ‘innovations to stick’ and achieve their goals.

Case Study Report Executive Summary and Videos

Full Case Study Report

The Ken Spencer Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning

From coffeeshop Makerspaces, to team teaching and teacher co-learning, to mixed-age student mentoring, and arts- and exercise-based solutions that reduce student anxiety and heighten focus, these successful learning programs showcase a courage and willingness among educators to rethink traditional classroom practice that caters to the interests and needs of all students.

The Pat Clifford Award for Early Career Research

CEA was proud to recognize Dr. Sean Lessard – Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education and Core Studies at the University of Regina’s Faculty of Education – as the recipient of its 2015 Pat Clifford Award for Early Career Research in Education for his work in redefining the ways in which Indigenous learners and their teachers can engage in traditional and non-traditional educational spaces.

As co-founder of the Growing Young Movers Youth Program, Dr. Lessard is working alongside community as a pedagogical space. This program forms an inter-generational living space in North-Central Regina, integrating the teachings of Indigenous families and Elders to deliver wellness activities outside of school for Indigenous youth – many of whom are transitioning from Treaty home communities and experiencing many institutional challenges and barriers as they adjust to urban living. Six Indigenous high school students serve as mentors to the younger students while Dr. Lessard’s teacher-candidates challenge their assumptions and contribute their observations to the ongoing research each week during the school year. Changes made from their findings include the use of different teaching spaces and physical movement activities to foster an environment of positivity and inclusion.

The Canadian Innovators in Education Awards

CEA partnered with the Reader’s Digest Foundation of Canada to Launch the 2015 Canadian Innovators in Education Awards to celebrate and promote educators who are leading lasting and system-changing initiatives at all levels of K-12 education in Canada. $40,000 in prizes were distributed to three school districts that have influenced lasting change in their education systems. These awards recognized and showcased the work of teachers, principals and administrators who are developing innovative teaching and learning programs throughout their school districts with a particular focus on improving student engagement and learning.

An awards luncheon was held in Quebec City to honour representatives from the three winning school districts. A feature-length article featuring these three award winners appears in the December 2015 issue of Reader’s Digest.

First Prize - $25,000

Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)
Central Okanagan School District
Kelowna, B.C.

Second Prize - $10,000

A district-wide blended learning system
Sun West School Division
Rosetown, Sask.

Third Prize - $5,000

Leadership for Literacy (L4L)
South Slave Divisional Education Council
Fort Smith, N.W.T

Operational Revenues

Operational Expenses

The CEA Thanks You

A heartfelt thank you to the ministries of education, faculties of education, school districts, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other stakeholders who have contributed their time and expertise during 125 years of the CEA’s evolution. The contributions of our growing network of supporters – those who work in classrooms and schools, district offices, research and policy circles, and not-for-profit and business sectors across the country – have been instrumental in contributing to true transformative change in public education. As we continue to move beyond the talk of what we want our schools and classrooms to look like towards a discussion of how we begin to make those changes system-wide, we look forward to continuing to collaborate with you and learn from you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

APRIL 1, 2015 TO MARCH 31, 2016

STAFF

Ron Canuel, President and Chief Executive Officer

Gilles Latour, Chief Operating Officer

Max Cooke, Director of Communications

Stephanie Dodge, Digital Communications Manager

Cynthia Liberbaum, Executive Coordinator

Mia San José, Manager, Membership and Circulation

CONSULTANTS

Holly Bennett, Editor, Education Canada magazine

Annie Bourret, Translation

Dave Donald, Art Director, Education Canada magazine

Marie-Thérèse Ducotterd, Administrative Support

Tanya He, Bookkeeper

Louise Houle, Translation

Stephen Hurley, Research and Writing

Beth Kukkonen, Sales Manager, Education Canada magazine

Lucie Laferrière, Research and Writing

Édith Laverdière, S.T.A.R.T. Professional Learning

Brent Logan, Graphic Design

Dale Mackenzie, Consultant, S.T.A.R.T. Professional Learning

Helen McMaster, Research

Yolande Nantel, French Editor, Education Canada

Glen Zachuruk, S.T.A.R.T. Professional Learning

CEA AWARD COMMITTEES

The Pat Clifford Award

Dr. Michele Jacobsen (Chair)

Dr. Catherine Burwell

Dr. Heather Kanuka

Dr. Kris Magnusson

Dr. Ann Sherman

Dr. Norman Vaughan

The Ken Spencer Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Chris Kelly (Chair)

Chris Kennedy

Dean Shareski

Yves St. Maurice

Innovation that Sticks Case Study

Jacques Cool

Carolyn Duhamel  

Julie Hobbs

Thierry Karsenti

Pierre Poulin

The CEA/Reader’s Digest Canadian Innovators in Education Award

Robert Goyette

Chris Kennedy

Dean Shareski

Stéphanie Verge

VOLUNTEERS

Education Canada Editorial Board

Zoe Branigan-Pipe

Dr. Carol Campbell

Jacques Cool

Carolyn Duhamel

Grant Frost

Heidi Hass Gable

Dr. Michelle Hogue

Stephen Hurley

Dr. Michele Jacobsen

Dr. Thierry Karsenti

Rodd Lucier

Valérie Morand

David Price

Chris Wejr

Dr. Joel Westheimer

Andrew Woodall

FINANCIAL AND IN-KIND

General Support

ADR Altantic Institute

Fédération des comités de parents du Québec

Shibley Righton LLP

Program Support

Reader’s Digest Canada

Spencercreo Foundation (Dr. Ken Spencer)

State Farm Canada

The CEA is extremely grateful to Denise Andre (OCSB Director of Education) and her staff, who provided extensive written content and analysis used in the Innovation that Sticks Case Study Research Report. We would also like to thank the administrators, teachers, trustees, students, and other stakeholders from the OCSB for sharing their time, expertise, commitment and candour in providing their insights, guidance and information resources throughout this case study research process.

Sustaining Membership Support

Alberta Education

Manitoba Education and Training

Ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche - Québec

New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Ontario Ministry of Education

Yukon Department of Education

Symposium - Dropping Out - What Neuroscience Can Teach Us – Quebec City

L’Association regroupe les directeurs généraux et directeurs généraux adjoints des commissions scolaires du Québec (ADIGECS)

Canada Wildlife Federation

Education Canada

Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon

Hewlett-Packard Canada

LEARN

Ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche - Québec

Morency Societé d’Avocats

CEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Chair, Roger Paul

Vice-Chair, Michele Jacobsen

Treasurer, Anne MacPhee

President and Chief Executive Officer, Ron Canuel

COUNCIL MEMBERS 2015-2016

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Dr. Steve Cardwell, Director, Transformative Educational Leadership Program / Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia

Shelley Green, Associate Superintendent, Spectrum and Victoria High School Families, Greater Victoria School District No. 62

Chris Kennedy*, Superintendent of Schools and CEO, West Vancouver School District No. 45

Dianne Turner, Superintendent, Delta School District

YUKON

Judy Arnold, Deputy Minister, Department of Education

ALBERTA

Karen Andrews, Research Director, Alberta Education

Dr. Michele Jacobsen*, Associate Dean, Graduate Programs, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary

SASKATCHEWAN

Marie-France Kenny, Owner/Consultant, MFK Solutions and Management Consulting

Darren McKee, Executive Director, Saskatchewan School Boards Association

Dean Shareski*, Community Manager, Discovery Education Canada

MANITOBA

Paul Cuthbert, Education Leadership Consultant, Cuthbert Consulting

Dr. Gerald Farthing, Deputy Minister, Department of Education and Training

Brian O’Leary, Superintendent, Seven Oaks School Division

Ron Weston, Chief Superintendent, St. James-Assiniboia School Division (retired)

ONTARIO

Rob Adley*, Vice President, Pre-Sales and Solutions Architecture, HP Enterprise Group, Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co.

John Campey, Executive Director, Ralph Thornton Centre

Jim Costello, Director of Education, Lambton Kent District School Board

Michael Furdyk, Director of Technology, Taking IT Global

Cassandra Hallett DaSilva, Secretary General, Canadian Teachers’ Federation

Marty Keast*, Owner, Forever Learning Corporation

Anne MacPhee*, Chief Operations Officer, Career Edge Organization

Dr. John Malloy*, Director, Toronto District School Board (as of January 2016)

Catherine McCullough, President, CMC Leadership

Roger Paul*, directeur général, Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones

Donna Quan, Director of Education, Toronto District School Board (until December 2015)

Bernard Roy, Directeur de l’éducation, Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (until July 2015)

David Steele, Managing Partner, Wave Learning

George Zegarac, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education

QUEBEC

Chantal Beaulieu, Assistant Deputy Minister, English-Speaking, Aboriginal and Cultural Communities, ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (until September 2015)

Michel Bernard, secrétaire général, Association des directions générales des commissions scolaires (ADIGECS) (as of November 2015)

Dr. Monique Brodeur, doyenne, Faculté des sciences de l’éducation, Université du Québec à Montréal

Bernard Jacob*, associé (Lawyer), Morency Société d’Avocat (Morency Attorneys)

Nicole Lemieux, sous-ministre adjointe des politiques et du soutien à la gestion, ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (until March 2015)

Anne Marie-Lepage, Assistant Deputy Minister, English-Speaking, Aboriginal and Cultural Communities, ministère de l’Éducation, de l’ Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (as of October 2015)

Yves St. Maurice*, président, Association canadienne d’éducation de la langue française

NEW BRUNSWICK

John McLaughlin, Deputy Minister, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Gérald Richard, sous-ministre, ministère de l’Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance

Cynthia Richards, President, The Canadian Home and School Federation

NOVA SCOTIA

Darren Googoo*, Director of Education, Membertou First Nation

Peter McCreath*, Executive Chairman and Managing Director, PLMC

Sandra McKenzie, Deputy Minister, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald*, Vice President – Programs and Chief Learning Officer, Holland College

Dr. Kate Tilleczek, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

Darren Pike, CEO/Director of Education, Newfoundland and Labrador English School District

*Board of Directors

Annual Report
  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. ENGAGING SYSTEMS
  3. CONVENING EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS
  4. CONVENING EDUCATION LEADERS
  5. INFORMING EDUCATION CHANGEMAKERS
  6. SUPPORTING EDUCATION CHANGEMAKERS
  7. WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA PERFORMANCE
  8. RECOGNIZING EDUCATION CHANGEMAKERS
  9. FINANCIALS
  10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS