(Re)imagining Educational Leadership in Haiti: Registry of Principals (Pt 1 #1 elaborated))

1. Establish a registry of school principals in Haiti. 

All school principals would be encouraged to join the professional body, no matter what their current qualifications. This would help determine how many principals are in existence, a baseline of their qualifications and experiences, and contact information.

Although some of this information is collected by the Ministry of Education (for those schools which register with the Ministry), much of the information is dated, inaccurate and/or incomplete. As well, the registry with the Ministry focuses on schools and not on principals. A registry of principals would provide a baseline data set which could be utilized for contacting principals regarding training opportunities and for distributing newsletters (whether in paper or electronic form). It would also help provide an understanding of the diverse backgrounds and contexts of school principals i.e. in order to know where we need to go, we need to know where we currently are.

Given the number and wide array of schools in Haiti, a pilot project for developing this principals' organization could commence within one department (there are ten) of Haiti. The registry would need to involve the Ministry of Education and university partners to develop the registry tool and to collect the information. This registry could be developed concurrently with other aspects of the principals' organization.

What could (re)imagined educational leadership look like in Haiti? Pt 1 Professional organization

I have been asked to speak at a TED talk this fall which will have a focus on (re)imagine. My talk will be on (re)imagining educational leadership in Haiti. I'll use this blog to capture some of my ideas over the next few months.

Since the January 2010 earthquake, there has been a concerted effort in Haiti to re-build schools, provide free lunches for children, and provide for teacher training.  However, there has been limited attention to school leadership development - it's time to (re)imagine what this might look like.

Professional Organization

A national organization of school principals, either overseen by the Ministry of Education or as a self-regulated professional body, needs to be created in Haiti. School principals of all public schools would be part of this body and any principals of private schools would be invited and encouraged to join. This professional organization's tasks would include:

1. Establish a registry of school principals in Haiti.
2. Develop a system for principal qualifications.
3. Encourage educational research and disseminating this research through a professional journal and web-site.
4. Provide professional learning opportunities through regional events and a national gathering of school principals.
5. Liaise with MENFP (Ministry of Education), Haitian universities, and other partners to further develop the educational system in Haiti.

Future blog entries will expand on these and consider other aspects of (re)imagining educational leadership in Haiti.

New web-site established for educational leadership in Haiti

Check out this new web-site that we have established to support the development of educational leaders in Haiti:

Haiti Educational Leadership

Re-examining educational leadership in Haiti

Earlier this year, we were not successful in receiving a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) grant to support teacher training in Haiti. However, yesterday I had the opportunity to have lunch with the head of CIDA's program in Haiti and to discuss how we might support the development of school principals in Haiti. He was very helpful in pointing me to a number of people in Haiti who are doing important work in this area. I will be setting up appointments with these officials for my next trip in May with the hope of re-applying to CIDA in the summer.

I continue to be amazed that there is very limited concerted effort regarding principal development in Haiti. It was clear from our meeting, that a number of the Haitian ministries (including the one responsible for education) continue to be under-funded and with limited capacity to carry out their roles. It is as important as ever to work with our Haitian partners in developing and delivering a coherent, contextually relevant, training and mentoring mechanism.

Supporting the families of Peruvian migrant workers killed in our community

Three weeks ago, ten migrant workers from Peru were killed in an accident near Kitchener (click here for the Waterloo Region Record story). Last week, our Laurier students celebrated Shrove/Pancake Tuesday by making and selling chapatis (Indian flatbread) and samosas.  The students raised over $150 which has been given to a trust fund set up for the families. Once again, our students have demonstrated that small actions can make a big difference in people's lives.

Working with First Nations Educators in Canada

I've had the opportunity to work with a number of First Nations groups across Canada regarding education in their communities. I was asked a number of years ago to provide some workshops within a special program Brock University had developed with the Chippewa of the Thames near London, Ontario. Last year, I spent some time in northern British Columbia and was able to meet with representatives of the Carrier First Nations. Through these opportunities, and others, I've been increasingly challenged to consider how I may support the work of First Nations educators in Canada.

Last week, a number of events reminded me of the importance of this support: interim report of the Truth and Reconciliation commission (click here for a CBC report), panel report on on-reserve education (click here for Globe and Mail report) and a Q and A with Jean Becker, the WLU Senior Advisor, Aboriginal Initiatives.

In talking with Jean, she made me aware of educational assistants who work in on-reserve schools. Often these are First Nations women who have limited educational training but who are committed to supporting the students in the school. Teachers in these schools are often non-aboriginal and might only remain at the school for a year or two or might leave mid-year if there is a problem with things like mould or access to water. When this happens, the Aboriginal EAs often take over. Jean encouraged me to think of how the Laurier Faculty of Education might work with these EAs in providing some educational training and certification. I've already raised this with our dean and will pursue this in the months ahead.

My attention is often focused on Haiti, but an authentic glocal perspective must consider the communities (and country) within which I live as well.

Master of Education in Haiti

For the past five years, I've been working with Laurel/FLET University in delivering graduate courses and supervising Haitian students in a Master of Education program. The students are mostly principals and superintendents of schools from across Haiti. The courses are delivered in Fermathe, just outside of Port au Prince.

This May, I'll be in Haiti to celebrate the graduation of those in the first cohort. I've supervised the culminating major project for nine of the graduating students. The most recent project, written by Justin Metelus who oversees the North Department (Haiti is divided into 10 regions or departments) of the Ministry of Education, provides a blueprint for how education needs to change in Haiti. The other projects have been of similar significance and with an incredible breadth of topics.

I am hoping to put a collection of these projects, abbreviated since most of them are 100+ pages in length, into an edited volume on educational context and change in Haiti. The M.Ed., the first of its kind in Haiti, has provided an amazing means to solidify and nourish a new generation of educational leaders in Haiti.