About the Institute

Education provides the tools for young people to access diversified career options, higher income levels, sustained health and active citizenship. To achieve these outcomes, children must receive a quality education taught by skilled and competent teachers and school leaders who have the capacity to foster these abilities.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Education has developed the Educator and Leadership Institute (ELI) to build teaching and leadership capacity in communities globally. The ELI model is based on educator-to-educator professional learning to foster enhanced outcomes for students. Typically, this involves short (1-2 week) professional learning sessions in different parts of the world which are attended by local and Canadian educators. 

The first ELI was launched in northern Haiti in August 2016. Since the start of ELI Haiti, other ELI sites have been established in Nepal and Egypt. 

Objectives and Outcomes

In tandem with the face-to-face courses, and with the support of D2L and other educational organizations, online resources have been developed that support and extend the learning that occurs in the summer institute. Please visit ELICollaboration to view the online resources and for more information. 

To date, more than 2,000 educators in Haiti, Egypt, and Nepal have completed training via ELI. It is estimated that these educators directly instruct more than 100,000 students. ELI’s impact is significant. A case study examining the effectiveness of ELI has been published in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.

For more information about the Educator and Leadership Institute, contact Professor Steve Sider.