Doris McWhorter (Director, Education Research and Evaluation Strategy Branch, Ontario Ministry of Education) will address the renewed vision for education, the research and evaluation strategy and the Ministry's role in establishing the KNAER.

Bio: Doris McWhorter is the Director of the Education Research and Evaluation Strategy Branch in the French Language, Aboriginal Education and Research Division of the Ontario Ministry of Education. She is responsible for leading the ministry’s research and evaluation strategy, the Brian Fleming Research Library and the Records Management Unit for the Learning Ministries (Education and Training, Colleges and Universities). Doris has a particular interest in research partnerships and the mobilization of quality evidence to improve school and system effectiveness. She is Co-Chair of the 2017 International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement conference to be held in Ottawa.

Doris’s experience spans the classroom, school, district and provincial levels of the education system.

She has championed research capacity building, knowledge mobilization and collaborative partnerships between education researchers and practitioners across Ontario as past co-chair of the Ontario Education Research Panel (OERP), Past President of the Association of Educational Researchers of Ontario (AERO), MISA (Managing Information for Student Achievement) Leader, and school district Research Officer.

Prior to her career in education, Doris worked nationally and internationally as a consultant in human service training, advocacy and program evaluation, with a special emphasis on individuals with developmental disabilities.

Katina Pollock (KNAER Secretariat): Agreement between the ministry, University of Toronto and Western University; Role of the KNAER Secretariat with the Networks

George Gadanidis and Donna Kotsopoulos (co-Directors MKN): Will discuss the goals of the Math Knowledge Network, and report on progress to-date and next steps.

Dragana Martinovic (Co-Director of the CME): The role that the Fields Institute and the CME have as the MKN host.