Education « Social Policy in Ontario

Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Universities get an F for failing undergrads

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Oct. 21, 2011
For a generation or so, universities have been powered by two drives: make themselves stronger in research, and chase money from governments that rewarded institutions for accepting more students. The results were bad for the quality of undergraduate education… More students meant bigger classes, because government funding didn’t keep pace with enrolment while professors taught fewer undergraduate classes… Governments… stuffed the students into these universities, raised their fees and sent money for new buildings, then forgot about the quality of their instruction.

Tags: budget, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | 1 Comment »

New universities for Ontario

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

Oct 14 2011
The new campuses will be badly needed. Over the past decade, Ontario’s universities have made room for 50 per cent more undergraduate students… What might the new universities look like? Here are some features to look for. Their mission should focus on student learning. They should aim to teach skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and effective communication… The programs would include a mix of professional and general arts degrees, any of which would prepare graduates to enter the workplace or pursue graduate studies.

Tags: standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | 1 Comment »

Mining magnate’s $100M gift launches ‘Canadian Rhodes’

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Oct 14, 2011
“It’s about trying to create leaders,” said Mr. Schulich, 71. “If you call people leaders and give them 60 grand, some of them are going to turn into leaders.” … The award will work by a complex nomination process wherein each of Canada’s 1,300 high schools selects a single Schulich nominee. Of those, a selection committee will peg 75 students (60 Canadian, 15 Israeli) for the award… The Schulich Leader Scholarships will be administered by Toronto’s United Jewish Appeal.

Tags: philanthropy, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »

Post-secondary education in Canada ‘dysfunctional,’ report says

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Oct 11, 2011
… problems in the education system begin at age five, with research indicating that one-quarter of children enter school without the skills needed to learn to read, write and perform math…. “The absence of common, or shared learning outcomes among Canadian provinces and territories is the most important weakness of K-12 education in Canada… Canada is unique in the developed world for having no national strategy for [post-secondary education], no acknowledged and accepted goals, no benchmarks, and no public reporting of resulting based on widely accepted measures,” the report says.

Tags: standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | 1 Comment »

University tuition fees rise again: StatsCan

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Sep 16, 2011
Statistics Canada said the average annual tuition fee for undergraduate students is $5,366 for the new 2011-12 school year, up 4.3% from last year. That follows a 4% in tuition for the 2010-11 school year… Not only did Ontario see the biggest year-to-year rise in tuition fees, it also had the most expensive overall cost at $6,640 for undergraduates. Perhaps not surprisingly, post-secondary tuition has emerged as an issue in the current election campaign in Ontario… Ontario has the most expensive graduate programs with an average tuition of $7,578 and Newfoundland has the lowest at $2,456.

Tags: budget, ideology, standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Policy Context | No Comments »

Federal government could do much more to help universities

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

September 14, 2011
Just when the nation’s most pressing need is economic recovery, austerity is the name of the game in Ottawa, including grants to research agencies and postsecondary institutions vital to the developing Canada’s long-term social, cultural, and economic strength… The funding agencies are just one part of the federal government diminishing support for universities. Support from the Canada Social Transfer program, which flows money to the provinces for postsecondary education, is more than $400 million below what’s needed just to bring back 1992-93 funding levels (adjusting for inflation and population growth).

Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »

The tuition burden for Ontario families is rising – and regressive

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

September 7, 2011
Families have seen university tuition increase 244 per cent, in real dollars, since 1990, even though incomes have been stagnant… For professional students, it’s even worse. To support a dentistry student, for example, a lower-income family would have to devote six-and-a-half years of earnings to pay for just the tuition fees… This year, the average undergraduate student in Ontario will pay an estimated $6,500 for a year’s tuition, up from $2,500 (in 2011 dollars) in 1990… Ontario now has the highest tuition fees in Canada.

Tags: budget, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Education Policy Context | No Comments »

Education and productivity

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

Sep 02 2011
Each child motivated by the Canada Learning Bond to pursue university will earn, on average, over $800,000 more during a working life than someone who ends their education with a high-school diploma. A third of this will go right back into government coffers in the form of higher income taxes. Solid returns on a $2,000 investment. And this doesn’t count the avoided costs of social supports for those left behind or the greater productivity and innovation from the Canadian businesses that will employ them.

Tags: economy, featured, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Education Policy Context | No Comments »

Liberals promise ‘summer school’ for primary grades

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Sep 01 2011
Children in Grades 1 to 3 who are struggling with reading, writing and math could go to summer school next year if the Liberal government is re-elected… The voluntary $9 million program would create spaces in 250 schools across Ontario for 7,500 pupils who rank below the provincial average in their test scores. The tutoring would last two weeks and be offered free of charge. Teachers will help get kids “over the hump” with more solid skills on the basics as they move to higher grades.

Tags: standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »

More school, better teachers

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Aug 31 2011
Now, teachers must figure out the best way to reach – and teach – each of their students whether they get straight As or are struggling to learn basic English.
That’s why the Ontario Liberals’ election promise to extend teacher college from one year to two years “with an emphasis on in-classroom learning” makes good sense. An increasing number of students have a learning disability, a behavioral problem or come to school hungry. Problems in a student’s home or community often spill into the classroom affecting their ability to do well. Teachers are expected to juggle all this.