Leading collaborative teams can be challenging. School leaders are often expected to create meaningful collaboration, support team leaders, establish effective meeting structures and ensure teams are working toward shared goals — without always having the tools or processes to make it happen.
To address this challenge, Jigsaw Learning and The Consortium (Central Alberta Office) are partnering to offer the Leading a Culture of Collaboration Series: For School Leaders, an eight-session virtual learning experience designed to help leaders develop the skills and structures needed to lead teams effectively.
Facilitated by Kurtis Hewson, co-founder of Jigsaw Learning and co-author of Collaborative Response, the series will provide school leaders with practical strategies they can apply directly within their school communities.
Across eight sessions from October 2026 through June 2027, leaders will explore:
- Why Collaboration? — Building a shared understanding of effective collaboration and establishing team norms.
- Conditions for Collaboration — Creating psychological safety and the conditions teams need to work effectively.
- Distributive Leadership — Developing leadership teams and supporting team leads.
- Layers of Teams — Creating intentional structures, purpose and alignment across teams.
- Meeting Structures — Establishing clear roles, agendas, norms, notetaking and celebrations.
- Clarity for Teams — Developing shared goals while providing the right balance of support and accountability.
- Data & Evidence — Using school-wide data to inform and strengthen team efforts.
- Planning for the New School Year — Aligning annual planning with collaborative structures and priorities.
More than a series of webinars, the program is designed as an ongoing leadership learning community, giving participants opportunities to learn from research, share challenges and successes with other leaders, develop practical action plans and apply their learning directly to their schools.
Series Details
Dates: October 26, 2026 – June 21, 2027
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Time: 3:45–5:15 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Facilitator: Kurtis Hewson
Audience: School leaders and administrators, including those new to leadership or looking to strengthen their ability to lead collaborative teams.
Leading effective teams starts with having the right structures, skills and support. This series is designed to help school leaders put those pieces in place!