Reflection of video conference with Dr. Bette Gray, Director of School Technology Branch

I was thrilled to meet with Dr. Gray today to discuss the nature of how Alberta's education policies are put into place and what this means for us as IT leaders. Essentially Dr. Gray outlined how three streams or perspectives help to determine policy. 3 streams: problems, political, and policy.
Convergence windows occur where the 3 streams come together and policy is impacted.
Windows can open if there is a change in the political stream or because a new problem catches the government’s attention.

She discussed some of the initiatives that Alberta Education has implemented to keep Albertans in the loop.
- Inspiring Education – conversations with Albertans about what it means to be educated 20 years from now.
- Setting the direction for Special Education – what do we want for our children?

One of ideas that Dr. Gray brought up really struck a chord with me and has huge implications as we delve into our leadership roles. She indicated that sometimes when the answer or problem seems obvious one needs to re-frame the problem. How a problem or solution is defined can have a huge difference.

To examine the policy stream, I think of this example: Everyone has lots of possible solutions. Your task as a leader is to couple a solution with a well defined problem.

The political stream involves a range of influential people.
- School: trustees, principals, parent council, admin.
- District: superintendent, MLAs, premier, lobby groups, Minister of Education Leaders need to be able to weigh all of the options. You need to be able to look at where can you move into the circle of influence.

Sometimes issues move out of the public eye because the issue becomes a non-issue or players feel that it has been addressed. Sometimes this window closes because the players change and priorities change. Other times there just isn’t a viable option.

As a final thought, Dr. Gray urged us to consider why we want to become leaders - "This is about what is best for student learning." I am so appreciative for the opportunity to have meet with another dedicated, professional, and magnetic leader.