Reimagine Lakeshore: A Reflective Analysis of a School Division Change Initiative
1. Reimagine Lakeshore:
A Reflective Analysis of a School
Division Change Initiative
Jackie Kirk, Ph.D. (Brandon University)
Mike Nantais, Ph.D. (Brandon University)
Ayodeji Osiname (M.Ed. Candidate, Brandon University
Janet Martell (Superintendent, Lakeshore SD)
Leanne Peters (Assistant Superintendent, Lakeshore SD)
43rd Annual CSSE Conference
2. What is Reimagine
Lakeshore?
A design-based process used
to facilitate system change
and teacher transformation.
Vital Outcome Indicators for Community Engagement of
Children & Youth
3. The Context
Small, rural school division
Located an hour north of
Winnipeg in the Interlake region
of Manitoba
7000 km2 – size of Prince Edward
Island
Some of the longest bus routes
in the province
10 schools – variety of
configurations
60% Aboriginal students in the
two largest high schools
1160 FTE students
98 FTE teaching staff
4. REIMAGINE …
LEARNING, TEACHING, AND FACILITIES…
Nature-Based Learning and Integrated
Curricula
Project-Based
Learning
Technology Integration
Common Area for Learning
From Library to Learning Centre
5. THE STUDY: OVERVIEW
Research Purpose
To determine the success of the change
initiative and to identify the factors that led to
the successes and challenges that were
experienced by administrators, principals, and
teachers in Lakeshore School Division.
6. THE STUDY: OVERVIEW
Methodology & Data sources
• Mixed methods study.
• Lakeshore School Division documents.
• An online survey.
• Focus groups.
• Interviews.
7. OVERVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
"Systemic change in the school
division can happen when new
dispositions, new ways of thinking,
and new behaviours are established
and supported so that the culture of
the school division is altered…"
(Green & Etheridge, 2001, p. 829)
8. ENGAGEMENT?
• 67% of those responding to the survey indicated
medium to high levels of participation
• Only 11% reported no participation
• 4 of 7 divisional trustees attended multiple Re-
imagine Lakeshore meetings
• Over 25 action research projects conducted over
two years in three pathways: technology,
facilities, instructional strategies
9. CHANGES?
91%
84%
86%
78%
65%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Physical learning spaces
Technology integration
Instructional strategies
Student engagement
Equity
Percentage of Respondents Seeing Some or Significant Change (N=57)
Percentage of survey respondents who saw some or significant changes
in the following areas.
* Survey taken in May/June of 2014
10. PARTICIPANT VOICES
“The changes are enhanced
engagement. I think there’s a lot of
excitement and passion across the
division.”
11. PARTICIPANT VOICES
“Permission to think outside of the
box, permission to try new things, to
fail forward, to take chances and to
take risks . . . I think that’s really
powerful.”
12. PARTICIPANT VOICES
The process “made us focus – is this
working or not? And within that
process were those opportunities to
fail, so you know it’s okay, it’s not
working and you’re going to try
something different.”
13. SUCCESS?
• 84% of survey participants believed
that Re-imagine Lakeshore was
somewhat successful or successful
• Only 3.5% thought it was not
successful.
* Survey taken in May/June of 2014
14. This presentation & research is part of the VOICE Research project – a
Community-University Research Alliance Project.
The VOICE Research Project is supported by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada and by Vale. It is also
supported by Manitoba Hydro. Brandon University and the University
College of the North are institutional partners for the VOICE Research
Project.