Archive for the ‘Education’ Category
Long-promised Ontario Online Institute still far from launch
Jan 29 2012
The Ontario Online Institute was announced by the McGuinty government in the 2010 Speech from the Throne and cited again in a speech by MPP John Milloy last May… MPP Glen Murray, the new minister of training, colleges and universities, has mused publicly that one of the government’s promised three new Ontario campuses might be “online.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, participation, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Learning to live with ‘boy energy’
Jan 29 2012
Noting that “boy energy” is often perceived as something “innately disruptive,” Reist has observed that boys, in particular, are seen as threats to the “institutional decorum” of schools, expressed in three terse rules: “sit still, be quiet, and do what you’re told.” Building on recent research in psychology and cognitive studies, he points out that many boys learn kinetically, and that their tendencies to fidget, tap and move while in the classroom is not only normal, but also often advantageous for their learning processes.
Tags: youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
How Toronto’s boutique academies will work
Jan. 18, 2012
The Toronto District School Board has opened registration for its new boutique academies – including all-boys, all-girls, sports-focused and music-specialized programs – located at nine elementary schools… the TDSB will be tracking the success of these new academies, both internally, and through research partnerships with Ontario universities, such as Toronto, York and Nipissing… “Producing athletes isn’t our goal, but it will probably be a by-product… TDSB officials hope the boys leadership academy… will keep their male students more engaged through hands-on activities and the provision of role models.
Tags: Health, ideology, standard of living, youth
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Older students not eligible for Ontario tuition rebate
Jan 15 2012
That’s the fine print many failed to notice about Queen’s Park’s $430 million rebate plan that gives $1,600 back to university students and $730 back to community college students whose annual family income is below $160,000: it does not apply to students who have been out of high school for more than four years… mature students are excluded, as are part-time students, graduate students and Ontario students enrolled outside the province… Because people with children and aboriginals both tend to be older when they enter post-secondary education, both groups appear worse off under the rebate plan.
Tags: budget, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Education Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Does Ontario really need three new universities?
Jan 14 2012
Even if the new universities or campuses are launched as teaching-oriented universities — which are less expensive — it’s doubtful the academic community will allow that model to continue over the long term. Eventually, the institutions will become “real” universities, with all the associated research and administrative costs. And the added expense for new university spaces is unlikely to significantly change the number of people who are properly trained for the workforce… We should probably be looking at a different or expanded role for colleges…
Tags: economy, ideology, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Tax breaks leave gaping hole in federal budget
Jan 12 2012
Every year Ottawa gives up billions of taxes in deductions, exemptions, deferrals, credits, rebates and concessions. Because no money actually goes out the door, these tax breaks don’t count as spending. But they cost the federal treasury billions… here is the value of all the tax expenditures in the 2011 report, released this week: $152 billion. To put that in perspective, the government’s total program spending in 2011 amounted to $248 billion.
Tags: budget, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Education Delivery System, Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Should Ontario keep funding separate Catholic schools? No.
Jan. 3, 2012
Ontario is in the anachronistic position of being the only province that publicly funds one type of religious school (Catholic) to the exclusion of all others. Massive, wasteful duplication and the religious segregation of students are some of the results of this system. Recent events have also shown Catholic doctrine is incompatible with the equality rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms while other religious groups, now seeking access to public schools and public funding, have pointed out the blatant hypocrisy of Ontario’s education policy.
Tags: budget, ideology, multiculturalism, rights, tax
Posted in Education Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Most students called ineligible for tuition rebates
Jan. 4, 2012
less than 50 per cent of all students in the university sector and one-third of college students will benefit. The CFS presented a petition to the legislature signed by 40,000 students proposing that the $423-million to be spent annually on the rebate program be applied to all tuition fees. This would reduce tuition costs for everyone by nearly 15 per cent… (and) the current application process to determine who is eligible is elaborate and also costly.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Policy Context | 4 Comments »
Too many sociologists? Just enough
Jan. 02, 2012
A liberal arts education is not an automatic guarantor of an emancipated intellect or an enlightened sensibility. You have to work at it… exposure to a tradition of learning that is not subservient to a prevailing political ideology, that is deeply humanist in its core, steeped in the writings of extraterritorial thinkers not held hostage to the orthodoxy of the moment… (can bring) down an oppressive system through… art and witness.
Tags: ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Tech-Savvy Classrooms to Personalize Learning
Dec. 26, 2011
BYOD or “bring your own device” policies, which started a few years back as cost-saving measures in the workplace, are now being considered in school districts worldwide… why ignore this obvious resource? Since young people have taken so readily to mobile technology, it makes sense to teach them how they can use that tool for mobile learning. BYOD policies could also help realize “personalized instruction”… Schools will thrive under a BYOD policy, but only if the change is implemented as part of a well-crafted strategy.
Tags: globalization, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
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