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Education Act consultations lead to 10-point plan

Legislation will be introduced in spring; work on other projects begins shortly

Edmonton... Thousands of Albertans shared their ideas in recent consultations about education. Ideas raised in those sessions, as well as conversations with parent councils and education stakeholders, will form the basis for future legislation and prompted the development of a 10-point plan for Alberta’s education system.

“Parents, teachers, students and others have given me two types of advice: philosophical approaches that are best addressed in legislation and practical solutions to the challenges students face every day. Legislation will come forward in the spring, and work on practical steps will begin immediately,” said Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Education.

Seven full-day community meetings between November 26 and December 9 were attended by 1,130 Albertans. Participants included students, parents, teachers and education assistants, aides or support staff. Five Speak Out student forums were also held. In addition to the meetings, Albertans told government about their priorities by phone, through a website, by e-mail and regular mail, and through social media.

All thoughts and suggestions Albertans provided are now being analyzed, and will be considered during the drafting of new legislation to govern Alberta’s education system, which will be introduced in the Legislature in spring 2012.

In the mean time, 10 new initiatives will be rolled out in the months ahead.

The 10-point plan for education includes:

  • Reducing travel time for students who spend more than one hour on a bus and enabling students to better use technology when they travel.
  • Creating more opportunities for students to earn credits in high school and post-secondary at the same time.
  • Updating school design specifications to better support communities.
  • Co-ordinating building playgrounds and new schools.
  • Reducing the administrative burden for charter schools.
  • Supporting First Nations students by working more closely with the federal government.
  • Creating a stronger voice for parents in the education system.
  • Providing better information to increase the transparency, clarity and accountability of the education system.
  • Reviewing provincial achievement tests.
  • Examining the operational requirements of full-day kindergarten.
Early Learning Mobile Unit

Early Learning Mobile Unit

Alberta education minister Thomas Lukaszuk joined the students of St. Anne Elementary Kindergarten at the launch of the Early Learning Mobile Unit, or EMU. This innovative outreach project developed by Edmonton Catholic Schools brings early learning specialists to Edmonton communities to help parents and other caregivers better understand what and how young children learn. In addition to offering family programming in a bright, cheerful and well-equipped mobile classroom, staff at the EMU will help families to identify challenges and help them access the services of a multi-disciplinary team including speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist or family school liaison workers.  For more information click here.

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