Foreign education officials explore Alberta's success story

Edmonton... Education officials from Germany and Russia are visiting Alberta to gain insight into why this province's education system and its students shine on the world stage.

"Alberta has been drawing a lot of attention from the international education community because of the tremendous results our students consistently achieve on international testing," said Minister of Learning, Dr. Lyle Oberg. "There is also great interest in our strong curriculum, developments in learning technology and expertise in special education programs. We have a solid system in place with excellent teachers, caring parents and hardworking students which make Alberta's one of the best learning systems in the world - and clearly that's not just the opinion of Albertans."

On the latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000), Alberta students scored the highest marks in reading and were among the top three in science and mathematics. The province's innovative education initiatives, such as the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI), have also garnered recognition.

The German delegation, led by Monika Hohlmeier, the Bavarian Minister of Education will visit Edmonton on February 26 and 27 as part of a Canadian study tour that also includes Quebec and Ontario. The focus of the Alberta portion of the tour includes Alberta's provincial achievement testing program, roles and responsibilities in the system, and AISI.

The Russian study tour takes place March 2 to 9 as part of the Russian Education Reform Project (ERP). The delegation is comprised of representatives from the Russian Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the National Training Foundation and Regional Education Departments. The focus of the Russian tour will include special needs programs, rural/urban education delivery, and other areas of interest.

Both study tours will include visits to schools and meetings with senior Alberta Learning staff to give delegates a first hand understanding of Alberta's Kindergarten to Grade12 educational settings and teaching methods, and the work of the Learning ministry.

"The Alberta Government is very proud of what our province has been able to accomplish through a shared commitment to education and effective organization and programs," said Dr. Oberg. "We're also pleased to be able to share what we've learned with other countries and to learn from them as well, so we can continue to improve."

Backgrounder

Bavarian Study Tour - February 26 - 27, 2003

Russian Study Tour - March 2 - 9, 2003

Backgrounder

Alberta Students Achieve Top Marks on International Testing

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000

PISA assesses the international achievement of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science, and is conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PISA is administered every three years and focuses on different subject areas each time. Alberta students also scored significantly above the national average in all three subjects.

Reading

Mathematics

Science

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