Ministry of Education offers Parent Workshop with International leader in Education Dr. Avis Glaze

Dr. Avis Glaze who is visiting the Cayman Islands this week for the Educators’ Seminar will also be hosting a workshop for parents on Character Building Strategies.  Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday March 14th, 2013

Time: 6:30-7:30pm

Location: Prospect Primary School Hall

For: All interested parents

Cost: FREE

What is Character education: It is a term used to describe the teaching of children that will help them develop as socially acceptable beings (moral, good, mannered, well behaved, healthy, successful, etc).  According to Dr. Glaze, “It is the way we treat others and hold ourselves accountable for ensuring that our actions are compatible with our stated values and beliefs,” and that both parents and teachers play a vital role in character building of our children.

Furthermore, it is viewed that character education also positively influences academic education and that students who have a strong and positive character are more successful in their studies and eventually the workplace.

“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Avis Glaze is an international leader in the field of education. As one of Canada’s outstanding educators, she has been recognized for her work in leadership development, student achievement, school and system improvement, character development and equity of outcomes for all students. As Ontario’s first Chief Student Achievement Officer and founding CEO of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, she played a pivotal role in improving student achievement in Ontario schools. Her primary focus in education is on building capacity to ensure that all students achieve, regardless of background factors or personal circumstances. It is her core belief that educators play a fundamental role in sustaining democracy.

Avis completed two Master of Education programs – one in educational administration, a second in guidance and counselling, and a Doctorate in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. She also has training in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advanced Facilitation, and the Assessment of Emotional Intelligence. She has taught at all levels of the education system, in rural and urban areas, in public and Catholic schools, and at the elementary, secondary, community college and university levels. Avis has been a superintendent of schools in several school districts, an Associate Director of Education with the York Region District School Board and Director of Education of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. At the university level, Avis has been an Adjunct Professor in counsellor and teacher education in faculties of education in Ontario. She also served as an Education Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education and as Research Coordinator with the Ontario Women’s Directorate of the Ministry of Labour.

In 1994, Avis served as a Commissioner on the Ontario Royal Commission on Learning and had the opportunity to influence the direction of education in Ontario through the recommendations of the Commission. She has extensive experience in international education and was chosen by the Canadian government to assist with educational reform in South Africa. She represented Canada at the UNESCO conference on Inclusive Education in Riga, Latvia. As well, she knows schools across the globe firsthand, having worked with educators in Australia, England, Finland, Singapore, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, the Caribbean and many parts of the United States.

Within her community, she served as Chairperson of the Harry R. Gairey Scholarship Fund, helping outstanding black students to attend university. She has established the Avis Glaze Scholarships with the Markham African Caribbean Association for university or college education and has supported a scholarship for studies in education at the University of Ottawa. Avis has received honorary doctorates from several Canadian universities and has won more than thirty awards for outstanding contribution to education, including Educator of the Year, The Distinguished Educator Award, the 2001 YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the Harry Jerome Award, the Sandford D. McDonnell Lifetime Achievement Award for Character Education offered by the Character Education Partnership in the United States, and The Order of Ontario, among others.

After serving as Ontario’s first CEO of The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, Avis was later appointed as Ontario’s Education Commissioner and Senior Adviser to the Minister of Education. Her consulting company, Edu-quest International Inc., offers a wide range of services internationally. She continues to motivate and inspire educators through speaking engagements and consults with school districts, non-profit organizations and businesses to maximize talent and achieve results. Her most recent appointment was as Adviser to the Minister of Education in New Zealand on national standards.

Avis co-authored the Ontario strategy on equity and inclusive education that is currently being implemented in all schools. The most recent book which she co-authored, Breaking Barriers: Excellence and Equity for All, (Glaze, Mattingley and Levin) provides a timely message on what the focus of education needs to be if we are to enhance life chances and contribute to national prosperity. A forthcoming book, High School Graduation: K-12 Strategies that Work, (Glaze, Mattingley and Andrews) identifies proven strategies to improve graduation rates for all students regardless of socio-economic or other demographic factors.

For more information on Dr. Glaze please visit her website: http://www.avisglaze.ca