Today our guest is John Morrison an Educational Leadership Consultant, and named One of Canada's Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership. We talk with John about how we can better connect students to school in a meaningful way and how this directly connects with attendance. He also shares about the research that they did which shows the impact of students missing classes and the 4 things that they started to do in response to begin to decrease the number of students that were absent. John also talks about the importance of finding ways to engage students and gives some practical ways that we can listen to students and help show them that they matter.

Learn More:

• Free Download: The Problem-Solving Blueprint for Chronic Absenteeism
• Visit the CharacterStrong Website

John Morrison has been recognized as One of Canada's Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership, is the recipient of the Leader in Education award from the national Harmony Movement, and the Peace Medallion from the Y.M.C.A. He was a school leader at the secondary school level for 12 years, with the final 6 years as the principal of Anderson Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Whitby, Ontario.

John then moved on to the role of Coordinator of Leadership Programs at the Faculty of Education at York University, Toronto. He initially taught the Principals Qualifications Program (PQP) while still a principal, then moved into the role of coordinating all the PQP and other leadership programs, conferences, and events for the Faculty of Education for a period of 5 years. John rewrote the PQP on two occasions for reaccreditation through the Ontario College of Teachers, making significant revisions to reflect a greater focus on innovative thought and leadership.

He codeveloped and wrote the two-part Private Schools Principals Program for the Ontario Federation of Independent Schools and after three years of successful offerings, revised and updated the PSP to meet the standards of the Ontario College of Teachers. It then became the Principals Qualifications Program – Private School Focus.

John was contracted by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Education in Prince Edward Island to coordinate the design and development of the two-part Administrator's Leadership Program. He worked with a team of school leaders from PEI to identify the key components required for this program and with a broader team to determine the most applicable resources. This program is now in its seventh year of successful operation.

John also worked with the Schulich School of Business at York University in the development of an Executive Leadership Program for school leaders in Ontario and was an advisor to the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Executive Leadership Program for Canada's Outstanding Principals. Currently he is consulting and advising the British Columbia Principals/Vice Principals Association as they develop a leadership program for the Ministry of Education in British Columbia.

He has spoken at local, regional, and national events, including keynoting at the 2023 Canadian Association of Principals National Conference. The most common adjectives used to describe his workshops/presentations/keynotes are "inspiring" and "thought provoking". John is also the author of The IT Factor: Discover and Unleash Your Own Unique Leadership Potential, a Bestseller on Amazon.