My name is Phil McRae and I am a Canadian educator, scholar, and interdisciplinary explorer in the field of education. I am regularly engaged in keynote addresses, public lectures, salon gatherings or on expert panels, across Alberta, throughout Canada and internationally. This site provides a biography and background to my research, writing, scholarship and upcoming presentations.
Keynote Address, Canadian National Forum on Public Education
Speaking Engagements
Switzerland
Vice-Chairman World Economic Forum, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Davos, Switzerland (2024)
Iceland
President of Iceland, Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson Bessastaðir (Official Residence)
Canada
Canada's First Female Prime Minister Right Honourable Kim Campbell, P.C.; C.C.; K.C. - Canada's 19th PM
Profile
Dr. Phil McRae is an internationally recognized thought leader and highly sought-after speaker known for his dynamic keynote addresses and insightful perspectives on education, school improvement, technology, and change.
With over three decades of experience in the field of education, Phil has held many positions: from teaching in K-12 schools to serving as a faculty member, coordinator and Director in higher education, and holding key leadership roles in government and the broader teaching profession. His wealth of knowledge and strategic foresight have made him a sought-after speaker at global events like the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, and the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar, where he has inspired and captivated audiences.
Dr. McRae's engagements also include high level panels with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., exploring the impact of screens on children's well-being, an AI Summit by invitation of Reuters in Silicon Valley, California, and keynote address for the Council of School Counsellors Conference in Kananaskis, Alberta, where he catalyzed a discussion on the promises and perils of employing artificial intelligence as a support system for student and staff mental health.
His expertise in societal change and the field of education has been sought after in many diverse provincial, national and global forums, from being a visiting speaker at Harvard University to working with those adjacent the field of education such as the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Dr. McRae's contributions to emerging research and public discussions on artificial intelligence systems, societal shifts, and the future of education make him a pivotal figure in shaping contemporary discourse on a variety of critical issues.
2019 Public Lecture on Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Future of Public Education
Dr Michael Rich (Harvard Medical School) & Dr Phil McRae Keynote Address, Council for School Leadership Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta
Margaret Atwood & Dr Phil McRae Democracy, Public Education and the Common Good Public Lecture, Jubilee Auditorium
Dr. Phil McRae We The Educators Keynote Address Rotterdam, Netherlands
Biography
Dr. Philip McRae is Executive Staff Officer and Associate Coordinator, Government-Research with the Alberta Teachers’ Association and Adjunct Professor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta where he earned his Ph.D.
Phil is the past winner of the Alberta Excellence in Teaching Finalist Award, the University of Alberta’s Queen Elizabeth II Doctoral Scholar Award, the University of Lethbridge’s Alumni Honour Society, Minister of Education's Innovation Award, and the ATA Provincial Education Research Award.
Dr. McRae coordinates the research activities for 50,000 teachers in the province of Alberta, Canada; facilitates the strategic foresight and planning for the profession of teaching; and liaises with local, national and international research communities on a variety of education issues.
McRae has worked in many secondary and post-secondary educational contexts while living and teaching in the Middle East (United Arab Emirates), Asia (Japan), Europe (Spain), and in Alberta, Canada with the Lethbridge Public School District and at Red Crow College with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation). The Indigenous Blackfoot people honoured him with the name Áípapomm, which means lightning.
Blackfoot Naming Ceremony: Receiving the Name Áípapomm ("Lightning") With Piitaikihsipimii (Mr Louis Soop - Spotted Eagle) Kainai First Nation, Spring 1995
Fareed Zakaria (Journalist and Author) World Economic Forum 2024, Davos, Switzerland
Mustafa Suleyman, C.B.E. (CEO of Microsoft AI, Co-Founder Google Deepmind & Inflection A.I.) World Economic Forum 2024, Davos, Switzerland
Keynote Address, Ottawa, Canada Be Balanced, Be Mindful, Be Present
Publications & Projects
In my presentations and writing I often ask audiences to engage with different perspectives on emerging technologies, dimensions of educational leadership, changing landscapes of education systems, and/or the informed transformation of teaching and learning around the world. Below are some links to various publications.
We The Educators - WeTheEducators.com An international initiative designed to stimulate a rich public dialogue, and greater professional scrutiny, to the datafication of education systems & the (de)personalization, privatization & standardization of student learning.