Sandra Herbst

Senior Associate

An unparalleled depth of experience, in a range of education systems, provides Sandra Herbst with a uniquely qualified viewpoint on leadership and pedagogical practices.

Her roles as teacher (elementary, secondary, and specialist), school leader, assistant superintendent, and advisor to Ministries of Education contribute to a broad range of practical insights that serve to enhance her vast theoretical knowledge. Because of this range of experience, she is as effective in the boardroom speaking to trustees about governance as she is conducting demonstration lessons in classrooms with students. 

Sandra’s body of work is expansive: author, speaker, coach, mentor, and consultant with extensive experience in educational and system leadership, adult learning, and assessment. She has helped jurisdictions, districts, and schools to reflect on their current programs, identify their long-term aspirations, and strategically plan to achieve their future visions. In addition, Sandra has worked in many Indigenous communities in all three territories and several provinces and has grown her understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. As a result of learning alongside Indigenous Elders and leaders, she is able to support them in reaching their own goals.  

As a facilitator of workshops, web conferences, and symposia across North America – and as a renowned executive coach – Sandra provides educators with a framework to help meet the diverse needs of both student and adult learners. Regardless of the number of sessions a client has enjoyed with Sandra, each opportunity affords them new learning opportunities. She is careful to differentiate her learning strategies for her audience, both during the planning process and within the sessions themselves.  

Sandra is co-author of Collecting Evidence and Portfolios: Engaging Students in Pedagogical Documentation (2017), Grading, Reporting, and Professional Judgment in Elementary Classrooms (2016), as well as A Fresh Look at Grading and Reporting in High Schools (2014). Also in 2014, The Curriculum Journal published the research report “System Leaders Using Assessment for Learning as Both the Change and the Change Process: Developing Theory From Practice” – an 11 year longitudinal study focused on system leadership, written by Sandra and three colleagues. In 2012, Sandra co-authored the Leaders’ Series: Transforming Schools and Systems Using Assessment: A Practical Guide and Leading the Way to Assessment for Learning: A Practical Guide with Anne Davies and Beth Parrott Reynolds. She currently has several other works in progress.

Her tireless efforts to increase student achievement earned a nomination for the Lieutenant Governor’s Elementary School Classroom Teacher Award and the YMCA Women of Distinction Award. She has served as President of the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents and as President of the Manitoba Affiliate of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). Sandra is a coaching trainer, promoting the ‘invisible skills’ and cognitive awareness that strengthen educators’ effectiveness.

She is a highly sought-after, charismatic, humourous, and energetic speaker and leader, who expresses her compassion through a deep commitment to equity in education and to systems that advance the democracy of our communities.