I received my PhD in Educational Studies from Western University in 2006 and my Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Brock University in 2000. My BA (Political Science, History) is from Wilfrid Laurier University (1990) and my BEd is from Western University (1992). I was a school administrator, special education teacher and consultant, and classroom teacher in Niagara for 15 years before coming to Laurier.

I am a board member of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada. I also co-lead the Glocal co-curricular program in the Laurier Faculty of Education which provides an opportunity for global and environmental experiential learning.

I am currently Principal Investigator on a SSHRC-funded study examining how school principals support students with special education needs in their schools. I am also involved in another major SSHRC-funded study examining how new teachers develop inclusive teaching practices.

My research interests include global perspective building and school leadership in international contexts. I travel regularly to Haiti where I am involved in school leadership capacity-building. Recent research studies have been published in International Studies in Educational Administration, Canadian and International Education, Journal of Teaching and Learning, and Planning and Changing.

• Wilfrid Laurier University Residence Academic Partnership Award (2015) and Merit Award (2015).
• Brock University Faculty of Education Alumni Award nominee (2014).
• Wilfrid Laurier University Merit Award (2013).
• The Douglas Ray Award: Best graduate student paper at the annual Comparative and International Education Society of Canada (CIESC) conference (2003).

I have research assistantships opportunities available from time-to-time for undergraduate and graduate students interested in special education, school leadership and comparative education.

I am willing to supervise graduate students in the areas of special education, school leadership and comparative education.

• Sider, S., Maich, K., & Morvan, J. (2017). School principals and students with special education needs: Leading inclusive schools. Canadian Journal of Education.
• Sider, S. & Fegan, R. (2016). Reworking global engagement experiences: lessons learned from Haiti and El Salvador. A world of learning: Canada’s performance and potential in international education. Canadian Bureau for International Education.
• Buzza, D., Fitzgerald, C., Kotsopoulos, D., Monterro, K., Mueller, J. Sider, S., Wetherup, E., & Willard-Holt, C. (2016). Innovations in a professional development school model of teacher education: developing integrated curriculum knowledge and an in-depth understanding of diverse learners. CATE Polygraph Series.
• Sider, S. (2016). Supporting a student with a vision impairment in secondary school. In K. Stegemann, & A. Aucoin (Eds.) (2016). Inclusive education: Stories of success and hope in a Canadian context. Toronto: Pearson.
• Jean-Marie, G., Sider, S. & Desir, C. (Eds.). (2015). Comparative international perspectives on education and social change in developing countries and indigenous peoples in developed countries. Book Series: International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Maich, K., Belcher, C., Sider, S., & Johnson, N. (2015). Using children’s literature to educate students about classroom issues: A bibliotherapeutic approach. In M. Gordon (Ed.) (2015). Challenges surrounding the education of children with chronic diseases. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
• Sivasubramaniam, M. & Sider, S. (2015). Social entrepreneurship and change: Challenges and opportunities. In G. Jean-Marie, S. Sider, & C. Desir (Eds.). Comparative international perspectives on education and social change in developing countries and indigenous peoples in developed countries (pp. 21-44). Book Series: International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Sider, S., Jean-Marie, G., & Desir, C. (2015). Leadership for social capital and change: Examples from Haiti. In G. Jean-Marie, S. Sider, & C. Desir (Eds.). Comparative international perspectives on education and social change in developing countries and indigenous peoples in developed countries (pp. 83-101). Book Series: International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Sider, S. (2015). Supporting a student with a vision impairment in secondary school. In K. Stegemann, & A. Aucoin (Eds.) (2015). Inclusive education: Stories of success and hope in a Canadian context. Toronto: Pearson.
• Sider, S., Montero, K., Dénommé-Welch, S., King, A., & Pelich, J. (2015). University-school-community practices for peace and justice. In R. Amster, L. Finley, R. McKutcheon, & E. Pries (Eds.) (2015). Peace studies between tradition and innovation. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• Sider, S. & Belcher, C. (2015). Teacher candidates’ involvement with reading interventions in high needs schools: Wrestling with the everyday. Journal of Teaching and Learning, 9(2).
• Sider, S. & Jean-Marie, G. (2014). Educational leadership in Haiti: A case study of innovative and exemplary leadership in a fragile state. Planning and Changing, 45(3/4), 261-284.
• Sider, S. (2014). Virtual school leadership: Professional development using digital technologies in Canada and Haiti. The On-line Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning, 2(4), 177-186.
• Jean-Marie, G. & Sider, S. (2014). Educational leadership in a fragile state: Comparative insights from Haiti. Canadian and International Education, Special Issue on Leadership, 43(1), 1-16.
• Sider, S. & Maich, K. (2014). Assistive technology tools to support literacy learning for all learners in the inclusive classroom. Research into Practice, 50(1).
• Sider, S. & Jean-Marie, G. (2014). The intersection of poverty and education in Haiti: A case analysis. In E. L. Brown & P. C. Gorski (Eds.) (2014). Poverty and social class (pp. 329-347). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Sider, S. (2014). School leadership across borders: Examining a Canadian-Haitian partnership to support educational capacity-building in Haiti. International Studies in Educational Administration, 42(1), 75-87.
• Sider, S. & Ashun, M. (2013). “My classroom is a bigger place”:  Examining the impact of a professional development course on the global perspective of experienced teachers. Canadian and International Education, 42(1).
• Currie, H. & Sider, S. (2013). Single fathers and their daughters: Working as a team. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, 5(1), 65-89.
• Sider, S. (2013). Lessons from the playground: Case study. In K. Maich (Ed.). Early learners in preschools and kindergartens: 50 case stories in child development, inclusion, collaboration and special needs (pp. 170-173). Toronto, ON: Pearson Education.

Education provides the tools for young people to achieve diversified career options, higher income levels, sustained health, and active citizenship. How do children access a quality education that leads to these outcomes? Through skilled and competent teachers and school leaders who have the capacity to foster these abilities.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Education, in partnership with schools in Haiti and Desire2Learn Corporation, has developed the Educator and Leadership Institute (ELI) in Haiti to foster teaching and leadership capacity. The first ELI took place in August 2016, in northern Haiti. The focus of the summer institute is to support the capacity of educators in science, mathematics, critical literacy, early learning, special education and school leadership.

Our vision is founded on a Haitian Creole expression: Piti piti, ti pay pay, zwazo fe nich – little by little, straw by straw, the bird builds its nest. Our goal is to leverage our outstanding school partnerships and solid track record in northern Haiti to maximize professional development for 1,000 Haitian teachers and 100 principals, thus impacting 100,000 students. The summer institute provides the primary means for this professional development work. In tandem with the face-to-face courses, and with the support of Desire2Learn, we are also developing online resources that support and extend the learning that occurs in the summer institute.

As part of the summer institute, 20 leading educators from Ontario, and up to 10 Laurier students, travel to Haiti to provide courses and engage Haitian educators in professional learning. The courses occur each morning for three to four hours followed by an afternoon teaching practicum. This unique aspect of the summer institute provides an opportunity for Haitian educators to practice the learning that they are experiencing from the morning courses. A research study led by Dr. Steve Sider is accompanying the ELI to examine the long-term impact of the institute. Dr. Sider serves as one of the coordinators of the ELI.

To see the ELI in action, watch the Educator and Leadership Institute Haiti video.

• TEDx Talk (video): Re-Imagining Education in Haiti: Steve Sider at TEDxSixteenMileCreek 
• CBC: How a Wilfrid Laurier University connection to Haiti is helping locals rebuild post-hurricane
• Group led by Laurier professor explores potential entrepreneurial incubator system in Haiti