This document summarizes a study on Reimagine Lakeshore, a change initiative in the Lakeshore School Division in Manitoba. The initiative aimed to facilitate system change and teacher transformation through a design-based process. The study examined the engagement, changes, and success of the initiative through surveys, focus groups and interviews. Key findings included high participation rates, significant changes in learning spaces, technology integration and instructional strategies, and 84% of participants viewing the initiative as somewhat or very successful. The initiative provided permission and support for teachers to try new approaches to enhance student engagement.

1. Reimagine Lakeshore:
A Reflective Analysis of a School
Division Change Initiative
Jackie Kirk, Ph.D. (Brandon University)
Mike Nantais, Ph.D. (Brandon University)
Ayodeji Osiname (M.Ed. Candidate, Brandon University
Janet Martell (Superintendent, Lakeshore SD)
Leanne Peters (Assistant Superintendent, Lakeshore SD)
43rd Annual CSSE Conference

2. What is Reimagine
Lakeshore?
A design-based process used
to facilitate system change
and teacher transformation.
Vital Outcome Indicators for Community Engagement of
Children & Youth

3. The Context
 Small, rural school division
 Located an hour north of
Winnipeg in the Interlake region
of Manitoba
 7000 km2 – size of Prince Edward
Island
 Some of the longest bus routes
in the province
 10 schools – variety of
configurations
 60% Aboriginal students in the
two largest high schools
 1160 FTE students
 98 FTE teaching staff

4. REIMAGINE …
LEARNING, TEACHING, AND FACILITIES…
Nature-Based Learning and Integrated
Curricula
Project-Based
Learning
Technology Integration
Common Area for Learning
From Library to Learning Centre

5. THE STUDY: OVERVIEW
Research Purpose
To determine the success of the change
initiative and to identify the factors that led to
the successes and challenges that were
experienced by administrators, principals, and
teachers in Lakeshore School Division.

6. THE STUDY: OVERVIEW
Methodology & Data sources
• Mixed methods study.
• Lakeshore School Division documents.
• An online survey.
• Focus groups.
• Interviews.

7. OVERVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
"Systemic change in the school
division can happen when new
dispositions, new ways of thinking,
and new behaviours are established
and supported so that the culture of
the school division is altered…"
(Green & Etheridge, 2001, p. 829)

8. ENGAGEMENT?
• 67% of those responding to the survey indicated
medium to high levels of participation
• Only 11% reported no participation
• 4 of 7 divisional trustees attended multiple Re-
imagine Lakeshore meetings
• Over 25 action research projects conducted over
two years in three pathways: technology,
facilities, instructional strategies

9. CHANGES?
91%
84%
86%
78%
65%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Physical learning spaces
Technology integration
Instructional strategies
Student engagement
Equity
Percentage of Respondents Seeing Some or Significant Change (N=57)
Percentage of survey respondents who saw some or significant changes
in the following areas.
* Survey taken in May/June of 2014

10. PARTICIPANT VOICES
“The changes are enhanced
engagement. I think there’s a lot of
excitement and passion across the
division.”

11. PARTICIPANT VOICES
“Permission to think outside of the
box, permission to try new things, to
fail forward, to take chances and to
take risks . . . I think that’s really
powerful.”

12. PARTICIPANT VOICES
The process “made us focus – is this
working or not? And within that
process were those opportunities to
fail, so you know it’s okay, it’s not
working and you’re going to try
something different.”

13. SUCCESS?
• 84% of survey participants believed
that Re-imagine Lakeshore was
somewhat successful or successful
• Only 3.5% thought it was not
successful.
* Survey taken in May/June of 2014

14. This presentation & research is part of the VOICE Research project – a
Community-University Research Alliance Project.
The VOICE Research Project is supported by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada and by Vale. It is also
supported by Manitoba Hydro. Brandon University and the University
College of the North are institutional partners for the VOICE Research
Project.

16. Thank you!