MEd in Educational Administration and Leadership

The Master of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership (EDAL) offers participants opportunities to explore, experience and develop greater awareness and capacity in educational leadership in contexts of Indigeneity and equity. This program is open to all educators in Lower Mainland districts interested in teacher leadership, as well as formal roles in administration.

Created in partnership with the Vancouver School Board (VSB) and the Richmond School District (SD38), this Masters cohort will emphasize intergenerational capacity building, cross-departmental contributions, scholar-practitioner community engagement and land-based learning opportunities toward fostering educational leadership for Indigeneity, equity, and inclusion. The program will include a mentorship component with school/district leaders and will also focus on building capacity with and from Indigenous Elders and Distinguished Indigenous Knowledge Holders.

This important and timely graduate program will foster an intersectional understanding of anti-oppression and leadership in ways that are aligned with the Vancouver School Board and Richmond School District’s emphasis on issues of Indigeneity, equity, social justice, and inclusion as well as on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) calls for reconciliation in relation to Indigenous peoples and communities.

This program is committed to the following principles:

• Expanding scholar-practitioner teaching-learning experiences and relationships with school communities
• Promoting land-based opportunities as part of decolonizing teaching/learning praxis
• Engaging school district policy makers in fostering inclusive, politically aware educational leaders committed to Indigeneity, equity and inclusion
• Creating shared spaces for educators, educational leaders and policy makers encountering the effects of systemic racism and inequities in schools and communities
• Articulating course objectives, themes and content in ways that highlight inclusive and decolonizing curriculum including a wide representation of readings and worldviews from authors from socially, historically and institutionally marginalized groups

“The Vancouver School District is pleased to be partnering with UBC on this exciting endeavour. We are proud to offer a group of Vancouver teachers the opportunity to build on their higher education while applying their learning to the real-world school setting. The Masters program will develop skills in leadership and administration, with a focus of providing equitable education for all, a top priority for the District. Together with UBC, we have developed a program that looks at inclusive approaches to address the diverse student population in the District.”

Helen McGregor, Superintendent / CEO & Jody Langlois, Associate Superintendent

“The Richmond School District is honoured to be working in collaboration with the Vancouver School Board and UBC in offering SD 38 teaching staff an opportunity to build their leadership capacity in this newly developed Educational Leadership Master’s Program. The focus on practical learning and building of core competencies in leading through the lens of Indigeneity, Equity, and Inclusion are imperative skills that are needed in developing our current and future school leaders. We are very encouraged by the cohort model that is integral to this program, as it supports the collaboration and Inquiry approach to leading and learning in our district. We are excited that through a lens of Equity and Inclusion, this learning opportunity will enrich the leadership that teachers will bring to the Richmond School district.”

Navshina Savory, District Administrator – Equity & Inclusion & Dr. Ravinder Johal, Director of Instruction