The CanadianEd Leadership Show: Episode 130 with Andrew Holland

Dean interviews Andrew Holland about leadership in Surrey School District, focusing on how a large, diverse system creates community while maintaining autonomy. Holland emphasizes shared values—compassion, stewardship, and putting children first—modeled consistently to shape culture, along with treating teachers and principals as skilled professionals with ownership in decisions. He argues districts must plan for culture as intentionally as strategic plans and leaders must lean into uncomfortable, clear conversations to maintain trust, alignment, and accountability while normalizing mistakes as learning. Holland describes Surrey’s community outreach across varied neighborhoods, the importance of listening and soliciting diverse voices, and a provincial mindset of sharing practices across districts. He shares experiences that shaped his beliefs: meaningful real-world learning changed his self-perception, and he critiques letter grades as sorting rather than learning. He highlights evidence and indicators for improving Indigenous student graduation rates and belonging. Check out all the shows at http://canadianedleadership.ca  00:00 Shared Values Lead 01:13 Meet Andrew Holland  03:20 Coffee Chat Setup 04:19 Autonomy and Alignment 09:01 Mistakes and Accountability 11:36 Lean Into Discomfort 14:33 Planning for Culture 17:41 Diversity and Outreach 20:24 Two Stories on Learning 24:41 Beyond Letter Grades 28:50 One System Mindset 34:45 Measuring Indigenous Success 39:49 Rapid Fire Wrap Up 42:23 Closing Thanks