The McGuinty government’s Ministry of Education is at war with itself. On the one hand, they want provincial standardized test results and school rankings to improve. On the other, they want to increase graduation rates.
So, to increase the numbers of students graduating from high school, they have implemented a student “success” strategy — also referred to as the [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
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The Chinese government declared 2006, The “Year of Russia”; and in turn, Russia celebrated 2007 as “The Year of China.” These mutual pronouncements were part of a decade long rapprochement between the two states. After many years of mutual acrimony and suspicion the barriers that divide the two nations have abated, replaced by a bridge [...]
Filed under: Politics by Collin Spears
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Given that far too many of Ontario’s school boards’ elected trustees cannot be trusted to manage the public interest regarding board budgets and what goes on in Ontario’s schools, that model should be completely abolished in favour of the New Brunswick model of “School Districts.”
Yesterday, for example, Ontario’s Education Minister Kathleen Wynn, had to take over the Toronto Catholic [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
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While there are definitely some Toronto parents and public school supporters who agree with the notion of an Africentric program from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, the speed at which Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees and members of its “advisory panel” are putting forward and approving proposals is clearly political.
For example, today’s Toronto Star editorial comment states:
“Bureaucrats at the Toronto [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics, Society by Sandy
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The term ‘Israeli-Palestinian conflict’ is so common that a generation has grown up thinking this is a normal state of affairs - with no real consequence outside the Middle East.
Throughout the course of recent Mid-East history, the struggles on this relatively small piece of ancient land have been closely watched for different reasons. Biases on [...]
Filed under: Politics, Religion by Alien
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Imagine a school with the motto — Struggle and Emerge — and you will get an idea of what is so special about the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a private high school located in Wilcox, Sask.
Started in the 1930’s by Athol Murray, a priest with the personal credo — God, Canada and Hockey [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
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Cynics Unlimited has written an excellent follow up to the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) historically regressive decision last night to approve the offering of segregated programs and a blacks-only high school to open in the fall of 2009.
I will not call it a black-focused school today because that is the politically correct wording of a decision [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics, Society by Sandy
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Are parent school councils effective? Do they bring the needs and aspirations of the school to the community? Do they help the school, in turn, respond to that same community? Do they take part in actual decision making and long term planning? Do they, for example, improve curriculum planning and learning opportunities for kids? In short, are we getting value for [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
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About two decades or so ago the Black community in the United States became embroiled in a debate over what to call themselves. Some suggested that the term “African American” replace “Black,” which itself had succeeded “Negro” (now considered somewhat offensive by some Blacks, even though talk show host Oprah Winfrey once used it [...]
Filed under: Politics, Society by Emilia Liz
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It has often been said that the voting public has the attention span of a flea. That is true but there are reasons why it happens. Working parents, young families raising children and time off (which does not include reading the news). People have better things to do than watch what our [...]
Filed under: Politics by Jack
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