2010's people to watch: Chris Spence, director of education, TDSB
January 3, 2010
Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
Every day begins at 5:30 a.m.; he gets up, goes to the local Y and runs on the treadmill, listening to his favourite tunes.
Right now, that would be Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" and "We Run this Town." And always in the mix: U2's "Beautiful Day."
"It's a great way to recharge and re-energize," Chris Spence, the Toronto District School Board's new director of education, says of his hour-long morning workout.
Recharge and re-energize is exactly what the 47-year-old has been doing at the country's largest school board since taking the job just six months ago.
So far, he's on track, with a bold plan to close schools – but also open new, bigger ones – and create an all-boys' school, slash suspension rates, install solar energy systems on 20 schools a year and make the board wireless by 2015.
While the boys-only school hogged the spotlight, Spence says there are a few things he wants to accomplish first: opening a parent academy by the spring and working on "high yield" strategies to help all boys do better, as well as a task force to better serve specific groups of struggling students including Hispanics, blacks and aboriginals.
"Chris is managing one of the largest organizations in the country, but he is never far from the kids. He is focused and relentless and that is infectious," says chair Bruce Davis.
"The next six months will see a lot of change – school consolidations, a focus on boys' education, renewed community engagement, full-service schools. Chris is mobilizing the board to do better."
Spence began his career in Toronto in 1991, teaching in the troubled Jane-Finch neighbourhood. He's always been a big advocate for at-risk students, and spearheaded the Boys to Men mentoring program.
The former CFL player is also part-filmmaker, author, and earned a doctorate in education from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
Spence is married to Marcia, and they have two children, Briana 10, and Jake, 7.
Running one of North America's largest boards takes up most hours of most days, and in his spare time he's likely to be ferrying the kids to dance or sports or spending time with his family.
As for personal time, "mainly I just love to write," he says. "It's a nice way of stepping back from everything."
Toronto Star