2025-26 CoPs for System Education Leaders – Fall Conference
About this Project
A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern or passion and deepen their expertise through ongoing collaboration. Designed to connect system education leaders around shared areas of interest or challenge, CASS CoPs emphasize collective inquiry, reflective dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving. Each CoP is guided by a purpose statement that aligns with participants’ professional goals, fostering a meaningful and dynamic learning experience.
Research shows that sustained engagement in collaborative networks enhances leadership capacity, supports shared learning, and contributes to system improvement (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002; Stoll et al., 2006). More recently, a case study of school leader CoPs documented how regular peer-group meetings supported instructional planning, trust building, and lateral leadership among principals. (see “Exploring School Leaders Communities of Practice and …”, 2021) This project gathers evidence of how participation in a CASS CoP influences leaders’ professional practice and informs the planning of future CoP sessions.
References:
Ghamrawi, N. (2024). Leadership development in virtual communities of practice: The case of school principals from the GCC region. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12784-y
Muhayimana, T., Schares, D., & Ruxton, M. (2023). Building educational leaders’ capacity in a community of practice. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 8(1), 13–23. ERIC+1
“Exploring School Leaders Communities of Practice and Instructional Leadership.” (2021). International Journal of Educational Management. SAGE Journals
Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7(4), 221–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-006-0001-8
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.
Ideas
Share Your Group’s Learning
Each CoP table group is invited to share a brief reflection on your Community of Practice discussion. Your insights will help extend this collective learning experience at the 2025 CASS Fall Learning Conference.
As a result of participating in the CoP activity, what new perspectives or practices has your group identified that will inform your collective professional growth and system education leadership practice?