Dr Avis Glaze

Dr Avis Glaze

Speaker Summary

Dr. Avis Glaze is an award-winning, revolutionary international educationalist, and a passionate champion of equity, system reform, inclusive leadership, and democracy of learning at the highest levels of global education. She is a multi-best-selling author, and one of the world’s most inspiring authorities on improving the outcomes of all children. Dr. Avis advises countless governments and educational authorities, helping to improve the lives and achievements of millions of learners worldwide, driven by her core belief that all educators play a fundamental role in sustaining democracy. We are honoured by her inspiring and forward-thinking presence at the Summit.

Areas of Expertise

Curriculum – Equity and Inclusion – Leadership and Management – Whole School Improvement

Full Profile

There can be no summary that accurately reflects the breadth and depth of Avis’ work in and for education worldwide. Born, raised, and educated in her home of Jamaica, Avis has two Masters and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Toronto, and a career of experience at every level of education as a teacher, leader and trailblazer.

As Ontario’s first Chief Student Achievement Officer and Founding CEO of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, she played a crucial role in improving the achievement of hundreds of thousands of students in Ontario. She has also served as an Education Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education, as a research co-ordinator with Ontario Women’s Directorate of the Ministry of Labour and as the Commissioner on the Ontario Royal Commission on Learning; a true force for progress, democracy, and a brighter future in education for so many.

Her brilliant work in North America has not gone unnoticed. She was hand-picked by the Canadian government to assist with educational reform in South Africa, she has represented her adopted homeland at the UNESCO conference on Inclusive Education and has served as a special advisor to the governments of New Zealand and Scotland with a remit of closing the attainment gap, achieving equity and large-scale reform of systems and national standards. She is the recipient of more than 30 awards for her outstanding contributions to global education, including the first ever Robert Owen Award for her work in Scotland, Educator of the Year, The Distinguished Educator Award, the 2001 YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the Harry Jerome Award, the Sandford D. McDonnell Lifetime Achievement Award for Character Education, and the Order of Ontario.

Publications

A small selection of Dr. Avis Glaze’s work includes:

  • Ava Glaze: The Children Cannot Wait (2017) with Roderick Benns
  • Reaching the Heart of Leadership (2017)
  • Breaking Barriers: Equity and Excellence for all (2011)