Where Canada Gets it Right

WATSON SCOTT SWAIL, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute

February 5, 2010

As Canadians, we’re relatively comfortable being about “average” in the world. I don’t mean that in a negative way. We kind of like to blend in, do what we do, and let the world judge accordingly. We aren’t like our southern neighbours who claim to be “number one” in almost everything. Especially when we can quickly point to PISA and other international studies which suggest otherwise.

This sense of “Canadian” is what the world likes about us. We’re trustworthy, decent and polite, and we stand by our word. We are the "kinder, gentler nation." Even if we think we’re number one, we typically don’t put it on every billboard in the country (with the exception of the upcoming Olympics, but that’s an earned privilege of being the host country!).

In the US this week, many lawmakers and newspapers pointed to Canada’s actions on deficit reduction in the 1990s and 2000s as a model for the US to follow in the current fiscal crisis. One bungled Prime Ministerial career aside, Paul Martin will go down as a fiscal genius in the annals of economics. The Canadian economy has been relatively (strong emphais on "relatively) isolated from the economic devastation when compared to the US, due in large part to tough political decisions made fifteen years ago. READ MORE...

A B.C. Education Ministry report says only 3,229 of 67,473 classrooms have more than 30 students, down from 9,253 in 2005-06 -- the year the government introduced a law to control class size following a 10-day strike by the BCTF. "For the fourth consecutive year, more than 95 per cent of classes in school districts throughout B.C. have 30 or fewer students and 99 per cent of classes have 32 or fewer students," the ministry says in a release. But the B.C. Teachers' Federation says the count is higher than in 2007-08, when 3,179 classes had more than 30 students. "The numbers show the government has failed to make any progress." The BCTF says it is more concerned about the almost 12,000 classes with more than three special-needs students, which is higher than the past two years.
Source: Vancouver Sun

THE NEWS

Troubled School Puts Administration on Leave
Toronto Globe and Mail
Native leaders in Saskatchewan have voted to dissolve the board of governors at the embattled First Nations University of Canada and put the administration on leave. The move comes after the Saskatchewan government said it had lost confidence in the school and cut its funding.

Why Independent?
Jacqueline Louie, Calgary Herald
There are almost as many reasons for choosing independent education as there are families who enrol their children in private schools. Independent schooling offers programs and benefits that attract many families. From an emphasis on academics, sports or the arts to religious affiliation and special-needs programs -- private, or independent, schools offer something for just about everyone.

Looking Out for Kids in Media's Wild World
Vancouver Sun
Attendance is a big issue at many Northland schools. It is the kind of systemic problem that prompted Education Minister Dave Hancock this week to disband Northland's board of trustees and appoint an official trustee to oversee the education of the aboriginal communities that make up Northland. A team was also appointed to identify the problems that lead to low test scores, high teacher turnover and dismal high school completion rates for the student population, which is 95-per-cent First Nations, Metis and Inuit.

Live From the Web, it’s the Toronto District School Board Show
Louise Brown, Toronto Star
They took a recorded vote...on whether to take a 10-minute pee break. They argued for more than an hour about throwing a $345,000 teachers' day at the Air Canada Centre. And one trustee was told to watch her words after saying an idea was "about effing time." Live, from your computer screen, it's the Toronto District School Board's new webcast. With rants, rambles and a 10-minute blank screen during the "biology break" (it passed), the politics of Canada's largest school board went wireless this week with its first webcast board meeting.

Changing Demographics Prompting School Closures
Sarah McGinnis, Calgary Herald
Since 2005, about 30 public schools in Calgary have had their core programs or their students removed. "This year will be probably the greatest number of possible closures," said Phil Carlton, superintendent of community engagement and operational planning for the CBE. The problem is that shifting community demographics mean students no longer live near the existing schools, said Carlton.

New Plan for Teacher Education Focuses on Social Justice, Diversity
Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun
Social justice and diversity issues would get unprecedented attention in every course offered by the University of B.C.'s education faculty if a major program overhaul that began several years ago is approved. The changes, now being drafted, would also ensure that students wanting to become teachers are better prepared to work with special-needs, ESL and aboriginal children.

Ontario Colleges Face Space Crunch As Demand Rises
Toronto Globe and Mail
The dismal job market is prompting a back-to-school rush at Ontario's community colleges that has left campuses scrambling to find space for a double-digit spike in demand. Applications from mature students have jumped more than 20 per cent for spots in September, putting their numbers close to those coming from high school.
 
Entrepreneurial Spirit Still Flourishing
Rene Bruemmer, Montreal Gazette
With a dearth of jobs that has caused an unemployment rate of about 80 per cent in Haiti, survival for many means having the courage to be entrepreneurs. Fortunately, generations of want have instilled that. People here find the means to survive, with the hope of creating a better future for their children.

U of C Tuition Could Rise 47%
Sarah McGinnis, Calgary Herald
With more females than males entering post-secondary institutions, the Calgary Board of Education is exploring how well local public schools are addressing the needs of boys in schools.

Small Businesses Key to Job Creation
Tavia Grant, Toronto Globe and Mail
The main driver of job creation in the coming years will be Canada's small and medium-sized businesses, a report said Wednesday. “Highly entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized businesses in rapid-growth areas will likely be a key source of Canadian job creation over the next decade” as the economic recovery takes hold, said Bank of Nova Scotia chief economist Warren Jestin.

Disabled Students Wait for Specialist Equipment Grants
Katherine Sellgren, BBC News
Almost 12,500 students in England are still waiting for grants to pay for specialist equipment, figures from the Student Loans Company show. The statistics reveal two thirds of students with a disability or special needs are still waiting for money.

At a Haiti School's Reopening, a Lesson in Sharing
Mitchell Landsberg, LA Times
Monday was the first day that schools in Haiti could reopen after the earthquake, which was centered near the capital, Port-au-Prince. The entire national school system -- already among the poorest in the world -- had been shut down, although schools in much of the country were not directly affected. Most schools in Port-au-Prince are eyeing a March restart, at least those that can find a safe place to hold classes. An estimated 70% to 80% of the schools in the capital were damaged or destroyed, and no one is yet sure whether the rest are safe to enter.

'Significant Changes' Proposed for Qld Schoolchildren
ABC News- Australia
The Queensland Government has released a Green Paper which outlines significant changes to Queensland's education system. The discussion paper proposes year seven become the first year of high school from 2014.  The restructure is expected to cost about $350 million.

Pakistan School Bombing Kills U.S. Soldiers, Children
Lehaz Ali, Ottawa Citizen
A bomb blast in Pakistan claimed by the Taliban killed eight people Wednesday, including three U.S. soldiers and children, at the opening of a school just rebuilt after an Islamist attack. The same school was blown up last year and Western groups have been working to promote girls' education in parts of the northwest, where Taliban-linked militants opposed to co-education have destroyed hundreds of schools.

Rise in Ethnic Minority Students at UK Universities
Katherine Sellgren, BBC News
Ethnic minority groups are better represented in UK universities than in the general population, says research from a diversity in business charity. In 2007-08, 16% of students from the UK studying for degrees were from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background. This compared to 14.2% of the 18-24-year-old age group as a whole.

'The Power of Different: The Race to Bridge the Skills Gap in the Toronto Region'
The Progress Career Planning Institute is working to bridge the gap between employers’ desires and reality, as well as the gap between employees’ credentials and their job situations. Their goal is to “offer career development services for people to realize their full potential.” As part of this commitment, PCPI seeks to use research, resources and expertise to help employers and Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) identify and implement effective strategies to attain and retain meaningful and profitable employment. In examining the issues a perspective drawn from the discipline of economic development may shed light further on the situation. The project purpose was to assess the recent experience of IEPs when integrating into the Greater Toronto Area Labour Market at a level (self-defined) appropriate to their qualifications and to build upon two previous PCPI commissioned studies. The conclusions identify that, while much is being done by those clearing the path between the employer and the IEP, the full beneficial effects of the efforts to date have not yet been felt by the under-employed IEP. Further, while larger firms have recognized the value of the IEP, appreciating the diverse capabilities that they bring to their employer organizations, smaller firms have not yet embraced this opportunity to the same extent.