Maple Bear Global Schools and the University of Toronto’s OISE Announce New Collaboration
The new Maple Bear OISE collaboration will expand learning for teachers and school leaders. It will also explore new ideas in education across more than 500 schools in 35+ countries.
Maple Bear Global Schools is proud to share news of a new partnership. We are teaming up with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Together, we want to help teachers learn, try new ideas, and work as one global team.
Maple Bear and OISE shared the news at the 2026 Maple Bear Global Conference in Montréal, Canada. The event ran from October 21 to 23 under the theme Learning Without Limits.
During the conference, two OISE leaders spoke with Maple Bear school leaders from around the world. Dr. Elisabeth Rees-Johnstone is Executive Director of OISE Continuing & Professional Learning (OISE CPL) and InnovED. Michael Cassidy is Associate Director of OISE CPL. Together, they shared the big idea behind this work.
How the Maple Bear OISE Collaboration Supports Educators
At Maple Bear, we believe great education begins with teachers. They bring learning to life every day.
That is why their ongoing growth matters so much. It helps us keep high standards across our global network.
First, the Maple Bear OISE collaboration will focus on giving teachers and school leaders more ways to learn. This work will reach more than 500 Maple Bear schools around the world.
The two partners will also look at flexible ways to learn. These will fit the needs of teachers in many countries and types of schools. For example, options may include short learning sessions, specialized courses, and certificates. They may also include leadership training and ways to meet other teachers.
OISE brings deep know-how in teacher learning and research. Maple Bear adds what it has learned from schools around the world. As a result, this work will help teachers build skills, share what they know, and keep growing in how they teach.
Connecting Classroom Experience with New Ideas
Beyond teacher learning, the partners will explore a global network of school-based sites of practice. In these sites, teachers, school leaders, and researchers can work together.
For instance, the sites could support shared inquiry. Teachers could explore questions from their own classrooms, swap ideas, and find ways to improve teaching and learning.
The goal is to bring research and classroom practice closer together. At the same time, the work will respect the different needs of school communities around the world.
In the future, Maple Bear and OISE will also look at research partnerships. They will explore new ideas that help the whole network keep improving.
Strengthening Our Canadian Roots and Global Connections
Maple Bear began in Canada in 2004. From the start, our vision was to bring the best of Canadian education to students around the world.
Today, our network includes more than 500 schools in 35+ countries. As we grow, we keep strong ties to Canada and to the values that shape how we teach.
This collaboration with OISE is another key step in building those ties.
OISE is part of the University of Toronto. It has a long track record in research, teacher learning, and new ideas in education. Its strengths fit well with Maple Bear’s work in Canadian-inspired bilingual education in many different places.
Dr. Martine Lewis, Maple Bear’s Chief Academic Officer and an OISE alumna, also helped build this relationship. Her ties to OISE helped move the collaboration forward.
Together, Maple Bear and OISE can link Canadian expertise with the knowledge of teachers in classrooms around the world.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for the Maple Bear OISE Collaboration
Education keeps changing. Still, helping teachers grow remains key to preparing students for the future.
This partnership shows that Maple Bear is still fully committed to great teaching and growth. It also gives new ways to learn to the teachers and school leaders who support our students every day.
By working with OISE, we look forward to helping teachers learn and work across borders. We also hope to try new ideas that help our schools around the world.
After all, when teachers keep learning and growing, their students gain new chances too.
Learn more in OISE’s official announcement.
