Drummond Report: School boards fear loss of independence
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
Feb. 16, 2012
School boards say Don Drummond’s recommendations, if implemented, would not only affect the quality of education but also further erode their independence… “I don’t think any minister sitting at Queen’s Park can begin to have the knowledge that we have here of our facilities, our schools”… [But} boosting class sizes slightly, as Drummond recommended, the Toronto board alone could save $40 million to $50 million.
Tags: budget, standard of living
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Start school at 2, study urges
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
Nov 22 2011
Early Years 3 is the second update of Mustard and McCain’s groundbreaking 1999 Early Years Study. The first update was in 2007… Provinces have embraced the overwhelming social, economic and scientific evidence favouring investments in early-childhood education and are steaming ahead with plans and programs, says the report. McCain said “the message echoes from one coast to the other,” adding that “if the federal government jumped on board, Canada would be ready to explode in this area and be a model for the world, certainly for North America.”
Tags: standard of living
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
Wait lists for special education double for low-income students
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
June 1, 2011
“The average number of children on special education waiting lists in high poverty schools (10) is more than double the average number of children (4) per low poverty school,” says the study by People for Education, a research and advocacy group that for the first time compared special education services and school demographics. “And 28 per cent of high poverty schools report they have identified students who are not receiving the recommended support, again, double the percentage of low poverty schools.”
Tags: disabilities, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Delivery System | 1 Comment »
900 more Ontario schools to offer full-day kindergarten in 2012: McGuinty
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
March 2, 2011
The province has named the additional 900 Ontario schools that will offer full-day kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year… “We have enjoyed some very real successes — we have more teachers, smaller classes we have peace and stability and measurable improvements when it comes to results,” [Premier McGuinty] said in an election campaign-type announcement… The Progressive Conservatives say McGuinty can’t reach his goal of all young students in full-day by September 2014 and say a Tory government would look at what Ontario families can afford before agreeing to expand.
Tags: budget, child care, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Education Debates | 1 Comment »
Rich schools get richer thanks to private cash
Monday, February 28th, 2011
February 28, 2011
Two public and two Catholic high schools in Greater Toronto are bringing in more than a million dollars a year through student fees, private revenue and fundraising, with dozens more each taking in at least half a million dollars. By contrast, other similar-sized schools report a fraction of that — one just $283,000 — raising questions about equity in the public education system. There is an equally great divide for the region’s elementary schools.
Tags: budget, ideology, participation
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Half of Ontario kindergarten kids in full-day by 2012
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
October 6, 2010
Almost half of Ontario kindergarten students will be in a full-day program by the fall of 2012, say ministry documents… just three years into the new program and a jump from 20 per cent in 2011-12… Next year, with another 200 schools added, the cost will be $300 million… given the surge in enrolment and the fact that 2012 is the first time boards can get money for additions and renovations to create extra space.
Tags: child care, standard of living
Posted in Education Debates, Education Delivery System | No Comments »
School role as community hub threatened by new zoning, trustees argue
Monday, May 31st, 2010
May 31, 2010
… as school boards themselves shutter buildings at a rate not seen in a decade, with little city input, they may be closing off the chance to offer a range of services like recreational programs, seniors’ centres or even medical and dental offices in the spare space, says a report to be released Monday by advocacy group People for Education.
Tags: participation, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Debates | 1 Comment »
Hire more special ed teachers, Ontarians say
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
April 22, 2010
An annual survey, done by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, says while something like early childhood education is “broadly supported, it is viewed as less likely to improve elementary-level student achievement than an increase in the number of special education teachers or lower class size.”
Tags: participation
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
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