Question: As a school leader in Alberta, I’d like to know: what does the ATA do for me?
Answer: School leaders, like classroom teachers, are active members of the Association and are entitled to support and assistance. School leaders’ roles are many and varied. One moment you may be called upon to assist a teacher managing the concerns of a parent; the next you may need to make an administrative decision affecting the operation of the school and all those in it. You are looked upon as an expert teacher and mentor for those around you, and as an advocate for your school and for public education in the larger school community.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association is here to help you in all of these roles and more. We have resources, events, collaborative partnerships and assistance for any situation you may face.
The Association has a capable team of executive staff officers, some of whom very recently served as principals or central office administrators, to deliver service to school leaders.
In our Teacher Employment Services program area there is even a dedicated associate coordinator, school leader assistance, whose primary responsibility it is to provide school leaders with advice on procedural issues related to discipline, transfers and terminations and to help school leaders resolve internal disputes within their school staff. Assistance to school leaders who themselves are the subject of complaints made to the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission, an all-too-frequent occurrence, is provided by the ATA’s Regulatory Affairs and Membership Support unit.
In addition to helping school leaders resolve difficulties related to their own employment, the Association also provides advice concerning their role in personnel and/or legal matters involving the staff they work with. For example, Teacher Employment Services will offer support to school leaders who are conducting probationary and continuous contract teacher evaluations. Staff officers will advise on the evaluation process to ensure compliance with the provincial policy on teacher growth, supervision and evaluation and will read through letters and reports to provide recommendations to school leaders. Where appropriate, mediation services may be made available to help resolve conflict.
In offering this assistance, the Association is motivated by a desire to assist principals to be more effective in their role, motivated by the conviction that such effective leadership helps to make the school a better place for the entire school community, including students, teachers, non-certificated staff and supporters.
The Association keeps its finger on the pulse of school administrators through the work of the School Leaders’ Issues and Concerns Committee, which provides policy and program advice on all matters affecting school leaders and helps us to better coordinate the services provided to them.
Among the services most used by school leaders are the wide variety of professional development opportunities, conferences and workshops including:
- teacher growth, supervision and evaluation workshops;
- the Education Leadership Academy;
- the Leadership Speaker Series;
- the Legal Issues for School and System Leaders Conference;
- special sessions on the teacher and school leader quality standards;
- new sessions on the Code of Conduct and responding to the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission;
- the Leadership Essentials conference for school leaders (in their first five years of leadership);
- support for individual study in the form of bursaries, awards and grants through the Educational Trust;
- library and research assistance through the ATA Library; and
- the Educational Leadership Academy being offered this summer — registrations are open!
School leaders who are members of the Association may choose to join, at no additional charge, the ATA specialist council serving school leaders. The Council for School Leadership hosts uLead, an annual conference that attracts attendees from around the world to Banff in the spring, as well as speaker sessions on topics of particular relevance to school leaders offered in various locations and times throughout the year.
Further information on professional development for school leaders can be found at www.tiny.cc/ATALeadersPD.
School leaders with questions about ATA programs and assistance are invited to contact Konni DeGoeij, associate co-ordinator, administrator assistance at Konni.deGoeij@ata.ab.ca. ❚
Questions for consideration in this column are welcome. Please address them to Dennis Theobald at dennis.theobald@ata.ab.ca.
ATA Executive Secretary
