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News
By providing clear, accessible information to the public, we hope to engage people to become actively involved in education issues in their own community. Previously in the news: |
May 2010 A better idea for foster kids, Star, May 23/10 Toronto's only public high school for girls offers safety, community and learning, Star, May 23/10 An interview with Bruce Kidd a passionate fitness advocate, Star, May 22/10 Unlikely alliance: U.S. heart group teams up with Wii, MetroNews, May 17/10 'Class size is the biggest dead end in the world,' writer tells provincial Liberal think-tank, Star, May 16/10 Ontario's cuts to speech therapy, Star, May 6/10 Long wait for school-age children with mental health issues, Star, May 1/10
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April 2010 Ontario schools were to have a New Health and Physical Education Curriculum this fall. Now we may not. → Read the New Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum. - Premier Dalton McGuinty’s on-again, off-again relationship with Ontario’s proposed sex education curriculum is back on again—sort of, Star, Apr. 28/10
- Opinion: Ontario’s children lose out in sex-ed furor, Star, Apr. 27/10
- Sex ed in schools - parents are talking about this now our online community!
- Ontario to start over with sex-ed curriculum, Star, April 27/10
- Still time to get new curriculum right, Chronicle Journal, Thunder Bay, April 26/10
- A new report from Healthy Active Kids Canada shows toddlers are not active enough to be healthy, Star, April 27/10
- Canadian teens are world class debaters, Star, Apr. 27/10
- Ontario premier defends sex-ed curriculum, National Post, April 20/10
- Education minister eyes crackdown on retiree supply teachers, Star, April 19/10
- Ning: No More Free Networks, PC World Magazine, April 16/10
- Agriculture pays a visit to local classrooms, Chatham Daily, April 16/10
- Other programs may have to be cut, fear school boards, Star, Apr. 11/10
- School boards ask that non-profit child cares be allowed to run the before- and after-school parts of the new full day kindergarten program, Star, April 2/10
- Specialized public schools catch on in Canada, National Post, April 2/10
- Parents, educators urged to keep the Pascal vision alive, CB Online, April 1/10
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March 2010 TDSB mulls sports and arts based schools, National Post, March 27. Obama's schools czar ( Arne Duncan) to be key presenter at McGuinty's Education Summit, Star, March 18. School closures a battle worth fighting (People for Education in Saskatchewan) Leader-Post, March 15. Student-based funding has left school boards to balance good PR with poaching from rivals, Ottawa Citizen, March 15. French Boards take a different approach, The Observer, March 8. Teachers' own comments return to report cards, Globe and Mail, March 4. Former supporter of standardized testing and charter schools, a leading American scholar changes her tune, New York Times, March 2.
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February 2010 - The truth about class size. New report from the CEA and new info sheet for parents, February 25.
Model community school open 7 days a week. Toronto Star, February 24. School Boards lobby for special education funding. Globe and Mail, February 18. Leona Dombrowsky, the province's new Minister of Education is the mother of four grown children and has been MPP since 1999. Read her first interview since taking office, Toronto Star, February 15. Long promised education funding review is in jeopardy, Toronto Star, February 15. First Lady takes on the issue of childhood obesity and hopes she won't make parents feel even more guilty, Toronto Star, February 8. Morning workout at Etobicoke school helps kids focus, Toronto Star, February 3. People for Education's pre-budget presentation asks for the promised review of the funding formula and integration of services and funding for families and children (to save costs.) Read our press release, February 2.
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January 2010 - The truth about class size. New report from the CEA and new info sheet for parents, February 25.
Model community school open 7 days a week. Toronto Star, February 24. School Boards lobby for special education funding. Globe and Mail, February 18. Leona Dombrowsky, the province's new Minister of Education is the mother of four grown children and has been MPP since 1999. Read her first interview since taking office, Toronto Star, February 15. Long promised education funding review is in jeopardy, Toronto Star, February 15. First Lady takes on the issue of childhood obesity and hopes she won't make parents feel even more guilty, Toronto Star, February 8. Morning workout at Etobicoke school helps kids focus, Toronto Star, February 3. People for Education's pre-budget presentation asks for the promised review of the funding formula and integration of services and funding for families and children (to save costs.) Read our press release, February 2.
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No more fall report card for elementary students: Ontario is dropping one report card. Parents will receive an informal progress report in the fall instead. "Dropping the fall report card is a concern if it means parents aren't kept in the loop", says Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education. “The fall report is incredibly important. … If there are any issues, you can get a good early warning,” she said. “It depends on how detailed that early report is. You would want to know how they're doing in each subject in terms of whether or not they're keeping up with the class.” → Read/watch more about this on CTV. → Read about it in the Globe and Mail Dec. 21, 2009 → Local trustees laud scrapping fall report card → Read what Minister Wynne has to say about it.
Closing Schools: More school boards across the province are exploring the option of closing schools in the face of enrolment declines and budget pressures. 172 schools are slated or recommended to close in Ontario between 2009 and 2012, and a further 163 reviews are in progress. → Read our November 2009 School Closings Report. → Read the press release. → Read the detailed inventory of schools closing in each board. → "Ontario needs a vision of schools that recognizes them as assets to the whole community and places where families can find a range of community and social services to meet their needs." CTV, Nov. 10th → "Ontario will see an unprecedented number of school closings unless the province updates its funding models to account for the ever-shrinking school-age population." Globe and Mail, Nov. 9th
Early Learning for 4 and 5 year olds: The province is moving ahead with plans to implement all-day kindergarten. → Read more in the Star, Oct. 27/09 → Read People for Education's press release Oct. 27/09 People for Education has worked with other groups to endorse Charles Pascal's recommendations on early learning:
→ Read the declaration, Sept. 22/09 → Read the press release, Sept. 22/09 → Read "Act on Full Day Learning" Toronto Star Editorial Aug 31/09 → Read the full report: With Our Best Future in Mind - Charles Pascal
→ Click here for older news: Bill 177, School Information Finder Website and more...
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November 2009: More school boards across the province are exploring the option of closing schools in the face of enrolment declines and budget pressures. 172 schools are slated or recommended to close in Ontario between 2009 and 2012, and a further 163 reviews are in progress. → Read our November 2009 School Closings Report. → Read the press release. → Read the detailed inventory of schools closing in each board. → "Ontario will see an unprecedented number of school closings unless the province updates its funding models to account for the ever-shrinking school-age population." Globe and Mail, Nov. 9th
Fall 2009: Early Learning for 4 and 5 year olds: The province is moving ahead with plans to implement all-day kindergarten. → Read more in the Star, Oct. 27/09 → Read People for Education's press release Oct. 27/09 People for Education has worked with other groups to endorse Charles Pascal's recommendations on early learning:
→ Read the declaration, Sept. 22/09
→ Read the press release, Sept. 22/09 → Read "Act on Full Day Learning" Toronto Star Editorial Aug 31/09 → Read the full report: With Our Best Future in Mind - Charles Pascal
October 26, 2009: Bill 177 - People for Education speaks to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. People for Education supports the spirit of Bill 177 and much of its content. We agree that clarity is needed in defining the roles and responsibilities of school board trustees, chairs and Directors of Education. We also agree that Parent Involvement Committees at the school board level can provide an essential regional support for parent engagement. Our concerns about the Bill lie, for the most part, in its regulations and in the connected regulation in Bill 78. We are also concerned that while the Bill imposes a number of accountability measures on school boards, it provides no guarantee that the Ministry of Education will provide boards with the necessary resources to fulfil those accountability requirements. → Read more of People for Education's presentation Background: Bill 177 passed second reading on Oct. 7th. It is an Act to amend the Education Act with respect to student achievement, school board governance and certain other matters. There has been much confusion between the passing of Bill 177 and the enacting of new regulations governing school boards (see summer consultations below). → Click here to read an explanation and the most current information written by Annie Kidder.
October 16, 2009: New School Finder Website - Members of the four provincial parent groups wrote a letter to the Minister of Education about the ongoing debate over the School Information Finder. - The Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations
- Parents partenaires en éducation
- The Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education
- People for Education
These parent groups, along with every other member of the Partnership Table, have all raised grave concerns about the Ministry of Education's new School Information Finder, and are unanimous in their opposition to the site.
September 2009: Bill 177 - Summer consultations on new standards for school boards make it difficult for parents to have input. Among other things, the Provincial Interest Regulations will give any Minister of Education the right to intervene or even take over a school board if it doesn't live up to a prescribed set of educational responsibilities. → Read our press release Sept. 14/09 → Read our synopsis of the consultation paper. → Read the full government consultation paper. → Read the OPSBA's (Ontario Public School Board Association) response.
September 2009: President Obama to students: "Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide."
Read his speech to students on the first day of school.
August 2009: Talking about EQAO testing: → Read Annie Kidder's Blog Post - Is it time to re-examine our strategies? → Read Toronto Star Editorial Aug. 30/09 → Read what people our saying in our online discussions.
Monday June 8th - the release of our Annual Report on Ontario's Schools Check out some of the news coverage including a video clip featuring Annie Kidder and James Dempsey, student trustee TCDSB. → Read the press release. → Read the Annual Report on Ontario's Schools 2009
June 2009: People for Education released a new report showing that 146 schools are closing or recommended to close in Ontario. A further 16 schools closed in 2008. Over 100 more are undergoing accommodation reviews. → Read our new report. "The ideal size for a high school is between 600 to 900 students, says the report, which also tracked the number of schools slated to close across the province." Toronto Star, June 1st "The report also sheds a light on the growing problems in northern Ontario schools, with one principal complaining of working with a 'half science lab,' because there's not enough cash to go around." The Canadian Press, June 1st
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