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.
 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