Fireside Chat: Actionable strategies to improve K-12 workplace wellbeing
January 12th, 2022
8:15 am - 9:00 am (PT) | 9:15 am - 10:00 am (MT)
How can school system leaders support staff to do their best work and improve student outcomes?
This fireside chat is primarily for K-12 district leaders. Send us your questions and challenges so we can tailor the discussion to your needs and priorities. The question submission form is intentionally separate from the registration form to ensure confidentiality. All submissions will be kept confidential.
K-12 staff play a crucial role in supporting students’ wellbeing and academic success, and they experience stress and burnout at a greater rate than many other professions. This not only impacts their own health, but also their students’ wellbeing and academic success – leading to significant costs for school systems, recruitment challenges, and reduced workplace morale. What’s more, while many schools and school districts seek to prioritize workplace wellbeing, they often find themselves facing time constraints, lack of cohesion, and other barriers.
In response to these challenges – especially given the impacts that COVID-19 has had on increasing staff stress and mental health disability claims – the EdCan Network launched Well at Work Advisors: a service that builds the capacity of school system leaders and teams to identify and address workplace wellbeing issues and build on existing strengths to foster a healthy work environment. This service is but one part of the EdCan Network’s five-year strategic priority of increasing workplace wellbeing for K-12 staff through its Well at Work initiative.
WHAT TO EXPECT
In addition to your specific questions, the conversation will dig into key questions such as:
How can I move forward when there is tension between professional associations and system leaders?
How can I hear the authentic voices of my staff?
What are other districts actually doing to make a difference?
Overall, you can expect to learn about:
Real-life stories and examples of ways districts have overcome challenges such as disconnected staff or issues with respectful relationships
Effective workplace wellbeing strategies being used in Canadian school systems
Actionable next steps to get started on improving workplace wellbeing for teachers and staff.
Presented by: Charlie Naylor, Brian Andjelic, and Kristen Brach
Facilitated by: Max Cooke, EdCan CEO
In this online fireside chat, K-12 district leaders will have the opportunity to receive guidance on their most pressing issues and challenges related to advancing workplace wellbeing on a system-wide level. The conversation will bring together:
Charlie Naylor, who has recently coached three BC school districts to embed mental wellbeing into district priorities, structures, practices, cultures, and resource flows. In addition, as a seasoned facilitator, Charlie has led workplace wellbeing focus groups with a wide variety of employee groups in BC school districts, which have helped districts develop targeted workplace wellbeing plans and develop solutions informed by evidence and employees’ perspectives. As an affiliated scholar with Simon Fraser University and during his time as Senior Researcher at the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), Charlie has researched and written extensively about workplace wellbeing in K-12 education, including approaches that involve leadership, management, and unions.
Charlie taught in secondary school grades in Sheffield, U.K., and with unemployed youth in Melbourne, Australia. He completed graduate studies at Simon Fraser University (M.A.) and at the University of British Columbia (PhD).
Brian Andjelic, former Alberta school authority leader and Director of Leadership – Wellness with the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS). Brian co-led the development of CASS Workplace Wellness for Alberta School Authorities - A Planning and Implementation Guide, which was informed and guided by the contributions of school authority leaders from around the province. The Guide also led to the development of the CASS framework designed to focus on the needs of system leaders in relation to workplace wellbeing. Through the collective efficacy of members of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, coordinated and comprehensive workplace wellness strategies have begun to thrive across Alberta.
Brian Andjelic has been involved in teaching and education administration for 40 plus years. School roles have included teacher, counselor, coach and school administration. For 12 years, Brian was involved in central office administration as Assistant and Deputy Superintendent of Learning. He completed his career as Superintendent of Schools at Prairie Rose School Division (Alberta) in the summer of 2017. Education, leadership and wellness have been passions throughout Brian’s career. He graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Leadership and Administration.
Kristen Brach, Director of Instruction, Learning and Innovation in Powell River School District in BC, who will share insights from her district’s ongoing workplace wellbeing initiatives.
References and Further Reading
Infographic: K-12 Staff Stress and Burnout: An issue worthy of investment
Infographic: BC Teachers & COVID-19: How Are Teachers Doing?
Research series about the impacts of COVID-19 on teachers across Canada:
Article: A systems approach to K-12 workplace wellbeing in Canada