Leaders & Learners T HE VOICE OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF November 2008 S CHOOL ADMINISTRATORS/L’ASSOCIATION Volume 4, Issue 24 CANADIENNE DES ADMINISTRATEURS ET DES ADMINISTRATRICES SCOLAIRES Message From The President: Inside this issue: Engaging All Students In Our Democracy Message From The 2 “Rosa Parks rode the bus so that Martin Luther King could march. Martin Luther Executive Director marched so that Obama could run and Obama ran so that we could fly.” ~ Anonymous Recognize A 2 an you think of a sonal identities, to speak and Colleague With time in the last three write about their hopes and The EXL Award decades when so dreams, and to be made aware many people, young of possibilities every day. Democracy 250: C 3 and old, have been so en- Where students are validated Students Celebrate thralled by the democratic elec- and affirmed as human beings The Roots Of Our tion process as we just wit- they are empowered, and they Democracy nessed in the United States? can then begin to see them- While our own federal election selves as successful learners. Faces In The Crowd 8 has come and gone in the same fall season, with substantially This is an important and won- Contribute To 9 less engagement, there is little derful time to be leaders in Leaders & Learners question that citizens around Jim Grieve Canadian education. It is such CASA president Contact CASA the world, including our stu- a privilege to be the country, 9 dents, are actively talking about the province, the community Our Mission and 9 democracy and change and opportunity. where parents around the world bring their Our Beliefs children to learn. It is during deep down- Audrey Osler once observed that “children turns in the economy that our most vulner- Upcoming Events are citizens, not citizens in waiting.” As edu- able children and their parents rely on us cational leaders serving children and parents more than ever to create safe, welcoming • A pan-Canadian Summit in every community in Canada, it falls to us places to learn that stimulate imaginations, on Connecting ECD with to help teachers and administrators create the build academic skills and insist upon social Schools is in Montreal on best possible environments for learning and justice. January 29-30, 2009. A working in our schools. Each of us strives to pre-summit meeting for senior educational lead- ensure that every child, at the end of every The democratic process in the historic ers is on January 28, day, can say, “Today I learned, I grew, I felt United States election has raised huge ex- 2009. Details are at included and, most of all, I felt valued.” pectations and opened doors to limitless possibilities for all children. How amazing it www.councilecd.ca. There is nothing more exhilarating for a su- is to be an important part of giving each • The 2009 CASA Annual perintendent or director of education than to student the wings to “fly”! Conference will be in spend time in schools and classrooms where Calgary next July. principals and teachers are enabling students Thank you for all the work you do every to experience human rights, to develop per- day on behalf of the children of Canada. Leaders & Learners Page 2 Volume 4, Issue 24 Message From The Executive Director: Learning The Value Of Participating In Democracy ducation is everything that our students learn as Our curriculum should take they grow and become active participants in soci- advantage of what society ety. The lessons of the classroom are gathered has offered and we should from textbooks and resources, and also from what have our students focus on Ehappens in our world. Some of the materials of curriculum questions such as are dull and just concepts or facts that must be mastered. Other materials are vital and actively involve students; these • What are the societal provide information that becomes part of life. conditions that bring about change in gov- This has been a significant year for education to engage in ernment? learning about politics and the democratic process that touches our lives. Young people have had access to some • How do political par- very exciting developments and to some very exciting politi- ties develop a national cians. platform? Frank Kelly The campaigns before the Canadian election started with a • What are the charac- CASA executive director focus on environmental issues and moved to a very serious teristics that make a regard for maintaining the economy and supporting quality leader attractive to millions of voters? of life. The drama of the American election intensified as their economy faltered and moved dangerously close to de- • How important are the regional considerations in a pression. The call for change in that country took on a very Canadian election? In an American election? Are they serious tone, as it became a plea for a saviour to remedy eco- the same? nomic conditions as well as changing the approach to inter- national affairs, including the two ongoing wars. • Is there a difference between the Canadian and Ameri- can political process? Which one is more effective? In Canada, the voters did not see a proper alternative and maintained the status quo. In the United States, there was There are endless issues to discuss following an election. more urgency and dissatisfaction, and the result was signifi- Those discussions in our schools develop the societal inter- cant change. The Americans took a historic step in selecting ests of our students and encourage leaders of the future. a new and youthful president—the first black American president. Leaders of education districts across Canada should make sure that students learn the value of participating in the Elections provide wonderful learning moments and this democracy and look deeply into its year’s elections offered an abundance of them. processes. Recognize A Colleague With The EXL Award ASA members who show exem- tion with the executive direc- The only way to make plary leadership ability and who tor of your provincial associa- enhance school administration are tion. The national award re- sure people you C eligible for the EXL Award. The cipient is selected from the agree with can speak award, jointly sponsored by Xerox Canada provincial nominations and is Limited and CASA, has been presented since announced during the opening is to support the 2002. ceremonies at CASA’s annual rights of people you conference. don’t agree with. If you work with an outstanding CASA mem- ber or know a leader in our field who deserves The official nomination forms —Eleanor Holmes to be recognized, why not nominate them for can be found on the CASA Norton the 2009 award? You can share your sugges- website at www.casa-acas.ca. The EXL award. Leaders & Learners Page 3 Volume 4, Issue 24 Democracy 250: Students Celebrate The Roots Of Our Democracy As mentioned in previous issues of this newsletter, CASA is able to present its conferences in part because of the generous support of its sponsors. One of the sponsors of the 2008 Summer Leadership Academy was Democracy 250, an initiative and organization established to recognize Nova Scotia’s pioneering role in shaping the evolution of democracy in Canada. This country’s first representative government was established in Nova Scotia on October 2, 1758, when the Nova Scotia House of Assembly met for the first time in a modest wooden building in Halifax. Democracy 250 aims to recognize the importance of this significant achievement internationally, nationally and within the province of Nova Scotia. The initiative celebrates Canada’s democratic traditions and achievements of the past 250 years. It aims to do this by generating a greater appreciation of the value and importance of how democ- racy has positively influenced the lives of Canadians and the prosperity of this young nation. A key objective of De- mocracy 250 is to instill in students and youth a sense of the value of democracy and the importance of voting. In this issue of Leaders & Learners, Democracy 250 co-chairs Russell MacLellan and Dr. John Hamm speak about their experiences, primarily with school-aged children and youth, in leading this year-long initiative. Russell MacLellan first entered politics as a Liberal MP in 1979. In 1997, he became the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. He was the province’s 31st premier from 1997 to 1999, then sat as an opposition MLA (Member of the Legislative As- sembly) until resigning in 2001. John Hamm is a physician who became leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Con- servative Party in 1995. He was Nova Scotia’s 32nd premier from 1999 until 2005, when he retired from politics. You can learn more about Democracy 250 at www.democracy250.ca and www.d250.ca. When you first became involved in this Democracy 250 the 250 years of parliamentary democracy in Canada, which experience, what did you hope to see the initiative achieve, as I say started here. with particular emphasis on the role this campaign would play in the lives of school children and educators in Nova Then we started to say, look, we’re very concerned about Scotia and across Canada? the declining voting rate, which could affect our democracy. We pledged that we would do everything we possibly can Russell MacLellan: First of all, we were here to celebrate within our mandate to talk to as many young people—and the legacy of the province of Nova Scotia being the site of particularly young people—and others as possible about the the first parliamentary democracy in Canada and celebrate connection between voting and our democracy.