Beyond Advocacy: Building Stronger Learning Communities Through Authentic Parent Engagement

As student learning changes in the province, so too will the traditional relationship between parents and the school. The shift should be towards partnerships that more meaningfully involve parents in the learning enterprise. What might this look like and feel like for parents as we move down the road towards a new conception of learning expressed in the BC Education Plan?

• Jeff Stewart, District Principal-Distributed Learning SD 71, Over the past 25 years he has worked as a teacher in Ontario and British Columbia, with experience as an educator in two universities, First Nations, inner city, rural/interior, suburban and remote communities. Jeff has served as principal at the district, secondary, middle and elementary levels during that time, including two years as a director of an independent school in BC. Jeff is currently the Co-Chair of the BC School Based Mental Health Coalition, a provincial organization that works with over 30 member organizations including three government ministries, major research agencies, parent advocacy groups, professional bodies, service providers, three PSAs and six school districts.
• Coleen Clark, Parent In Residence with The FORCE Society for Kids’ Mental Health in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, Colleen is a mother of two teenaged daughters and is the Chairperson of the Parent Advisory Committee at her children’s school

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