A press release issued May 16 from Rockyview Schools announced the departure of Superintendent of Schools Greg Bass effective June 1, 2013 as he takes on his new role as Deputy Minister for Alberta Education.
Bass has been Superintendent for the division since January 2007 during which time he worked on two major projects, “Engaging 21st C Learners and another plan,”Building the Power to Enrich”. His career in education spans 25 years in which he has served as classroom teacher, school administrator, associate superintendent and superintendent. Currently he is in his final year of an educational doctoral program in Educational Leadership at the U of C completing his dissertation, “Transforming into a 21st Century Learning Organization.”
A 2012 publication from Rockyview Schools outlined Bass’s strategies for improving the quality of education. When he first arrived at the RockyView School s he found a division that was both disconnected and inefficient as well as operating under teaching methods that though previously were successful no longer fit the bill needed to successfully launch the student of today.
His first overhaul was bringing together the 40 schools into community resulting in a division that was more user friendly and effective.
Next came preliminary work with the local board of trustees, the Metiri Group, and stakeholders including parents, aimed at transforming and improving teaching methods and ideologies. These would change the present styles with methods that are considered more successful, engaging students to become critical thinkers, finding solutions using different perspectives and disciplines, and cultivating lifelong learning adaptable to change. This is the profile of the student of today which Bass believes is needed to move Alberta into the future.
This 3 year, goal oriented program is now being implemented throughout the school division which started in 2011. Yearly assessments and feedback with the schools are a necessity to keeping on track with the initial objectives and strategies.
In a world that moves at the pace it does now Alberta Education feels a need for a new direction that will allow its citizens to compete and contribute both locally and globally. These are the hopes of Bass in implementing the Inspiring Education Action Agendas in his new job as Deputy Minister of Education. A new Ministerial Order in regards to the goals and standards required for basic education was passed by Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson on May 6 of this year to replace the previous outdated Ministerial Order of 1998. As stated in this new MO emphasis will be on the learner more than the system, education rather than the school which will result in “Engaged Thinkers and Ethical Citizens with an Entrepreneurial Spirit”.
Local School Board trustee Bev Lapeare who was on the board that hired and worked with Bass had nothing but praise for him. She called him an outstanding visionary who has done an amazing job and his moving forward will bring alive the new education act in 2015. After the fall election it will be up to the newly elected board to find a suitable replacement before the 2013 year end and they will face a difficult task to fill the huge hole left by Bass’s departure.
