Concerns in Education

Submitted by Richard on Mon, 31/03/2008 - 4:29pm

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Concerns in Canadian Education

“Show our children that we see what they are learning as important. When we stay involved in our children, their friends and school, we continue to know our children and the lives they are involved in.”

From Inclusive School Communities
An inclusive learning community promotes systematic and sustainable school/family/community partnerships and is characterized by traditional human values of cooperation, trust, caring, sharing, respect and responsibility. It fosters and supports the intellectual, social, physical, emotional and spiritual development of each child.

From Education Funding Success for every student; funding B.C.'s future
More than 14,000 students have been displaced from their neighborhood schools since the B.C. Liberals came to office in 2001 and froze the funding for public education. One-hundred and thirteen neighborhood schools have been closed — 44 in June 2002, 45 in 2003 and 24 in 2004–05, an unprecedented number in British Columbia.

From Opening Doors for Every Student
Governments have a responsibility to invest in quality public education at all levels. But unless the provincial government changes its priorities, our young people will continue to pay a high price. In this website you will find the information and tools you need to help set government priorities right.

From Charter for Public Education
Participatory democracy starts with you. Over 1500 citizens, from youth to elder, shared their thoughts and visions with us and therefore helped us create the Charter for Public Education and the full report. Now it is time to deepen the discussion, between rural and urban communities, and between all generations to find ways to bring the principles we share to life.

From Cautions Against Use of Streaming Saskatchewan Bulletin
“There is a bit of a drive by some experts in Canada in that direction toward utilitarianism because they want what they see as an efficient solution. But life is not always efficient, and education is about preparing one for life,” Ralston Saul reasoned.
“As the province moves towards a SchoolPLUS model it is critical that the wider community accept the challenges and responsibility to become more involved in the education of their children.”
“A lot of people are excited about restructuring, but I have to be convinced about how wonderful it is. I don't believe it's going to help rural Saskatchewan and I think it will be to our detriment,”

From The Need For Access and Equity The Manitoba Teachers' Society
“If we in Manitoba want to participate fully in the benefits of the emerging knowledge economy, we have to ensure future generations will be well prepared. Preparation begins with elementary-secondary education in Manitoba's public schools.”
“The tax base to support Manitoba public schooling should be sufficiently large and uniform. Tying public schooling to a wide range of property mill rates among numerous taxing jurisdictions throughout the province acts to erode student access to education programs and services.”

From A Revenue Framework For Manitoba Public Schooling
“A revenue framework must fit the context of its times. It must address contemporary requirements. It must ensure real solutions in response to identified shortcomings. Thus policy specialists creating or adapting revenue structures should be fully cognizant of the true fiscal condition and operating state of the program or service sector to be supported. Solutions will not be found in work limited to very broad and abstract policy parameters or based on faulty assumptions.”

From School Discipline The Manitoba Teachers' Society
“Teachers deal with many situations during the course of a school day in which physical intervention, be it only a restraining hand, may be the surest and quickest way to control unruly behavior and to prevent young people from doing harm to themselves or each other. A teacher who could not put out a hand to check a rush for a door or a place at a cafeteria table, to stop a fight or a bullying assault, or to prevent damage to property, would be hard pressed to maintain the degree of order necessary to maintain a safe and appropriate school and learning environment.”
“Any overt action to lessen the authority of teachers would only exacerbate an already serious problem. In survey after survey, teachers indicate that student discipline and problems of violence in the school are on the rise.”

From Who Should Run Our Schools? Ontario College of Teachers
“It still blows my mind,” said former education minister Dave Cooke. “We can take over a school board in Ontario if they are not running the board properly from a financial point of view. But every kid in that board could do poorly in tests and there's no provision under the Act for the ministry to do anything about it. The Act continues to focus on the financial side and not on what our expectations are for success and student performance.”

From Preparing Students for Their Working Futures Ontario College of Teachers
“In 2002 the Ministry of Education looked at the Grade 10 literacy test results and escalating drop-out rates, and requested an action report on students at risk. Barry O'Connor, Director of the Limestone board, was commissioned to chair an at-risk working group. The report concluded that approximately 25 per cent of secondary school students were at risk of not graduating and set out a list of recommendations.”

From Quebec teachers too stressed, study finds CTV.ca News Staff
“Students, it seems, aren't the only ones facing a stressful return to the classroom. According to a new study, one-in-three Quebec teachers are so stressed they're at risk of job burnout.”
“The study, commissioned by the Centrale des syndicats du Québec – a union that represents more than 125,000 public sector workers in the province – found many of its members' mental health affected by work.”

From NBTA Ad Hoc Committee on Student Discipline
“As I have stated in the past, standards of discipline have increasingly deteriorated and inappropriate behavior has mushroomed. You and I both know how hard teachers and administrators work to find variables to keep students in school and engaged in their learning. We take this responsibility very seriously, but have gradually felt more and more powerless in our classrooms and schools. It is definitely time for a change.” President's Message September 2002 Issue NBTA News
“Schools are often left in the dark regarding sociological, psychological and sometimes criminal behavior of students. Schools are often not informed of inter-agency involvement.”

From The Power of Learning (An Excellent Resource for Both Parents and Students)
Presented in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Federation of Home and School Associations and the Federation des parents acadiens de la Nouvelle Ecosse, the Power of Learning newsletter is produced with the goal of helping parents become more involved in their children's education.
    It offers tips for learning activities and working with your children's teachers, as well as discussion starters about important educational issues.

From Aviso Winter 2004 pg 19, NS Teachers Union Journal
“That ongoing need to make the schools better is something that has not changed. Indeed, as other social institutions fall by the wayside, victims of changing social values or government cutbacks or corporate greed, public education and its commitment to improving itself is emerging as a major ingredient of the social glue that holds our country together. What other experience, besides having gone to public schools, do most Canadians still share? Many of the economic forces that seek to replace social cohesion with individual self-preservation recognize that undermining public education is crucial to their success. Thus, the ability of public education to survive such threats probably matters a great deal to our ability to survive as a nation and as a society.”

From Aviso Winter 2004 pg 32, NS Teachers Union Journal
“If we look briefly at the example of Ontario, that last year received a whopping 133,641 immigrants, we see the impact these new arrivals can have upon the school system. The need for added services and new policies has become obvious. In Nova Scotia, we have begun to react on several levels to assure that these youngsters are well received by their new school communities.”

From Aviso Spring 2004 pg 10 It Takes a Village; Or Does It? Carlee Peterson NS Teachers Union Journal
“By being involved with your children and their schools, you show them that we value their days, their lives and their education.
”---- show your children you are interested and concerned about their school. Don’t use the excuse you didn’t know about it; we all know what goes on and what is expected in school. By talking and asking questions, we show our children that we see what they are learning as important. When we stay involved in our children, their friends and school, we continue to know our children and the lives they are involved in."

From The Crisis in Student Support A Report of the Review of Special Education, Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association
“---this has resulted in a considerable reduction in the level of supports provided to them. Of particular concern are the policies and procedures being implemented in the area of Special Education which are having a serious and detrimental effect on the level of instruction being provided to all students.
Particularly troublesome is the serious reduction in the level of support to students with remedial needs, which some estimates place at approximately 20 percent of our student population. Another major concern is the introduction of complex and obtrusive documentation procedures which place considerable barriers as schools attempt to obtain support for special education students.”

From Summary Conclusion Submission of the Ontario Teachers' Federation/Fédération des enseignantes et des enseignants de l'Ontario to the Standing Committee on Budget and Finance, February 13, 2004
“The expectations of parents and society regarding student achievement have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. In the 20 th century, society promised students the right to attend school and required them to attend until they were 16. Doing well by most of the students, most of the time was considered acceptable performance for public education for much of the 20 th century. Today the expectation is that all students have both a responsibility and a right to learn, to acquire the skills and knowledge that will enable them to participate fully in society. Improving success for all students, including the 20–30 % who struggle most to achieve requires a significant commitment of funds and resources- it requires smaller classes, resources and support for teachers, better opportunities to learn, and the services of guidance counselors and school libraries. That is the promise of public education in 2004.”

Teachers' Federations and Associations

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