Associate Professor, Educational Administration

Faculty of Education
University of New Brunswick
P.O. Box 4400
Fredericton, NB Canada
E3B 5A3

Tel: (506) 452-6213
Fax: (506) 453-3569
Marshall d'Avray Hall, rm. 204
kbrien1@unb.ca

Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching

ED 3051          School Law and Organization

ED 5070          Cultural Contexts of Education

ED 6003          Administrative Theory I

ED 6007          Legal Aspects of Education

ED 6011          Educational Theory and School Administration

Scholarly Background and Interests

Ken Brien arrived as a member of the Faculty of Education in September 2005 after six years in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta. During that time, he earned his Ed.D. degree in Educational Administration and Leadership and also taught undergraduate courses on classroom management and the ethics and law in teaching in the Faculty of Education. He previously earned the M.Ed. degree in Educational Administration from the University of New Brunswick in 1993. His undergraduate degrees (B.A., 1982; B.Ed., 1983) were earned at the University of Western Ontario, where he specialized in French and Mathematics. He was a high school teacher in Northern Ontario for 15 years, during which time he served as a classroom teacher, department head, and acting vice-principal. His leadership and administrative roles, both in the school and the community, led to an interest in graduate study, particularly in matters of law and policy as well as the vice-principalship as a key, yet understudied, role in school administration.

His doctoral dissertation was entitled School discipline in a legal and regulatory environment: Perspectives of high school vice-principals. This research considered the extent to which existing laws and policies helped or hindered high school vice-principals in fulfilling their responsibilities for school discipline. The study was conducted by means of a survey of high school vice-principals in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta. Findings from this study have been presented at national and international conferences and have appeared in various publications.

Ken's research interests include a broad range of legal and policy matters related to educational administration. These include teacher-employer collective bargaining, student discipline, teacher-parent interactions, and the role and implications of faith-based expression, beliefs, and practices in public education. He is currently a co-investigator with Ray Williams of St. Thomas University on a project entitled Institutional Barriers to Tri-Level Educational Reform funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the New Brunswick Department of Education. This study is associated with the implementation of professional learning communities as a change in the organizational culture of schools, districts, and systems.

Selected Publications

Book Chapters

Williams, R., & Brien, K. (2009). Redefining educational leadership for the twenty-first century. In T. G. Ryan (Ed.), Canadian educational leadership (pp. 7 – 44). Calgary, AB: Detselig

Brien, K. (2007). Creativity in student discipline: Use of non-suspension alternatives by high school vice-principals. In W. Smale  & K. Young (Eds.), Approaches to educational leadership and practice (pp. 58 – 81). Calgary: Detselig.

Brien, K. (2005). Disciplinary autonomy of high school vice-principals. In H. D. Armstrong (Ed.), Examining the practice of school administration in Canada (pp. 129 – 144). Calgary: Detselig.

Conference Proceedings

Brien, K., & Stelmach, B. L. (2008, September). Parent-teacher interactions with schools and schooling: Legal and cultural contexts. Paper presented at the Biennial Conference of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM), Durban, South Africa.

Brien, K. (2007). Legal context of parent-teacher interactions in schools: Implications for diversity, democracy, and the future. In R. C. Flynn (Ed.), Civil rights and education: Proceedings of the seventeenth annual conference of the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education (pp. 89 – 150). Georgetown, ON: Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education (CAPSLE).

Brien, K.  (2006, October). Legal context of parent-teacher interactions in Canada. Paper presented at the bi-annual conference of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM), Lefkosia (Nicosia), Cyprus.

Conference Presentations

Brien, K., & Williams, R. (2008, June). School districts as professional learning communities: Development of two district-level instruments. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

Brien, K. (2008, April). Legal and policy barriers to professional learning communities: The law as friend or foe to a culture shift in schools. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education, Halifax, NS.

Brien, K, Williams, R., Sprague, C., & Sullivan, G. (2007, May). Institutional barriers to tri-level educational reform: Development of a school level assessment instrument. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.

Teaching Publications

Brien, K. (2006). Encouraging student participation. UTS Teaching and Learning Exchange, 13(2), 2.

Brien, K. (2003). The benefits of videotaping lessons. UTS Teaching and Learning Exchange, 10(3), 8

Invited Presentations

Brien, K. (2007, October). Legal context of parent-teacher interactions in schools. Invited presentation to the Prince Edward Island Western Area Principals’ Association, Summerside, PE.

Brien, K. (2007, September). Professional learning communities: A school-level instrument. Invited presentation to School District 8 Principals’ Meeting, Saint John, NB.

Williams, R., & Brien, K. (2007, August). Professional learning communities: Transforming educational culture in New Brunswick. Invited presentation to the New Brunswick School Superintendents’ Association, St. Andrews, NB.

Research Reports

Brien, K. (2003). School law and discipline: Perspectives of high school vice-principals. [Research report]. Toronto: Ontario Principals’ Council.

Downie, R. (2004). East Calgary youth assessment: An assessment of the needs and preferences of youth in East Calgary . Report prepared for the City of Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services, East Area Office. (Served as research assistant for this report).

Downie, R. (2004). West area Calgary youth assessment: An assessment of the needs and preferences of youth in West Calgary. report prepared for the City of Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services, West Area Office. (Served as research assistant for this report).