October 07, 2003

Government prepared to act on commission recommendations

Edmonton... After months of extensive consultation and study, Alberta's Commission on Learning has shared its vision for the future of the province's education system.

"The Commission's vision for the future of education in Alberta is a compelling one," said Minister of Learning Dr. Lyle Oberg. "More importantly, it's a vision that is supported by practical recommendations that build on existing strengths. The Commission's work will help Alberta make the informed decisions and strategic investments that will make an excellent system even better."

Government will review the recommendations in detail before making any final decisions on how best to act on them.

"I will be recommending to my colleagues that we increase funding for education," said Oberg. "Exactly how much of an increase I'll be looking for, and exactly where it should be targeted, will be determined once I've had an opportunity to take a closer look at each of the Commission's recommendations."

Alberta's Commission on Learning was appointed by Oberg in June 2002 to undertake the first comprehensive review of Alberta's education system in 30 years. The nine-member panel, chaired by former teacher and Edmonton City Councillor Patricia Mackenzie, was asked to make recommendations on ensuring that Alberta has a sustainable education system that supports the lifelong learning needs of students and the societal and economic well-being of the province.

The Commission's final report, Every Child Learns; Every Child Succeeds, is available on-line or by calling 310-4455 toll-free from anywhere in Alberta.

Backgrounder: Recommendations of Alberta's Commission on Learning
Backgrounder: About Alberta's Commission on Learning
News Release: Alberta's Commission on Learning

Backgrounder

Recommendations of Alberta's Commission on Learning

Ready to Learn
1.	Establish parenting centres in communities across the province with close links to elementary schools.
2.	Establish new junior kindergarten programs on a phased-in basis.
3.	Establish full-day kindergarten programs.
4.	Ensure better coordination of programs for children provided by the provincial government and at the community level.

What Students Learn
5.	Ensure that clear outcomes and expectations continue to be in place and supplement those expectations with a set of values to be reinforced and reflected in all schools.
6.	Maintain and continuously improve Alberta's comprehensive and balanced curriculum with: An ongoing emphasis on core areas such as language arts, mathematics, social studies and science Opportunities for students to gain an appreciation of the fine arts, learn languages in addition to English, maintain active and healthy lifestyles, explore emerging careers, and develop specific career-related skills In addition, the following specific areas should be reviewed: Fine arts - All students should have opportunities to learn and experience the fine arts at all levels in the education system. Fine arts should be mandatory up to grade 9 then optional for students in grades 10 to 12. Career and Technology Studies (CTS) - The program should be reviewed to ensure it meets the needs of students and provides them with focused experiences in a number of career fields.
7.	Introduce a new wellness program for all students from kindergarten to grade 12.
8.	Provide all students with the opportunity to learn a second language.
9.	Ensure that when new curriculum is implemented: Adequate support is available for comprehensive in-service activities for teachers Support is available for new learning resource materials Arrangements are in place so that it is clear to teachers and students whether or not new high school courses will be accepted for post-secondary admission purposes Mechanisms are in place to quickly and effectively address any problems that may occur.
10.	Improve students' transitions from grade to grade and school to school by ensuring better communication, coordinated plans, and appropriate support for students.
11.	Develop and implement a comprehensive, province-wide strategy with the goal of ensuring that 90% of students complete grade 12 within four years of starting high school.
12.	Undertake a comprehensive, independent review of Alberta's post-secondary education system.

The Schools We Need
13.	Require every school to operate as a professional learning community dedicated to continuous improvement in students' achievement.
14.	Establish and implement province-wide guidelines for average class sizes across school jurisdictions. Rather than set legislated limits or hard and fast rules, there should be flexibility in the size of classes. School jurisdictions should be expected to meet the guidelines on average class sizes across their school jurisdiction. That means the guidelines would not necessarily be met in each and every classroom but should be met on average across the school jurisdiction. The suggested provincial guidelines should be: Junior kindergarten to grade 3 - 17 students Grades 4 to 6 - 23 students Grades 7 to 9 - 25 students Grades 10 to 12 - 27 students. Class composition should be considered by schools in setting class size. Generally, classes with special needs students, students whose first language is not English, and vulnerable and at-risk students should be smaller than the suggested guideline. Classes should also be smaller in cases where there are safety considerations such as vocational classes. School jurisdictions and the province should be required to report annually on average class sizes and should be accountable for explaining whether or not the guidelines have been met. The province should provide adequate funding to enable school jurisdictions to meet the class size guidelines. Information on average class sizes should be included in school jurisdiction profiles and used to determine provincial funding levels.
15.	Abandon the use of pupil-teacher ratios and replace it with measures of class size and the range of professional and paraprofessional support available for classrooms.
16.	Maintain current guarantees for hours of instruction available to students and ensure flexibility in scheduling to allow professional learning communities to work effectively.
17.	Encourage schools and school jurisdictions to explore alternatives to the current school year.
18.	Ensure that all students have access to adequate counselling, diagnostic and other specialized services necessary for them to succeed.
19.	Establish a province-wide "education link" telecommunications service to provide teachers, parents and students with immediate access to specialized services and advice.
20.	Ensure that schools become the centre of a wide range of coordinated, community services targeted at meeting the needs of children and youth.
21.	Encourage shared use of facilities, programs and services among school jurisdictions and with the community.
22.	Ensure that sufficient and predictable funding is available to renovate existing schools and build new schools where and when they are needed.
23.	Consolidate funding for building and renovating schools, as well as the operation and maintenance of schools, within the Alberta Learning budget.
24.	Ensure that all schools encourage positive attitudes, good behavior and respect for others, provide a safe environment for students, and address incidences of disruptive behavior when they occur.
25.	Continue to provide high quality choices while, at the same time, preserving and enhancing public schools.
26.	Maintain current limits on the number of charter schools and the length of their terms and expand efforts to share their outcomes with the rest of the education system.

Success for Every Child
27.	Implement and provide adequate resources for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Policy Framework.
28.	Ensure that, when a First Nations student who resides on a reserve attends a provincial school, he or she is funded at the same level as any other student.
29.	Ensure that, where significant numbers of First Nations parents send their children to provincial schools off reserve, they have a role in the governance of those schools and the school jurisdictions responsible for the schools their children attend.
30.	Initiate discussions with treaty region governments and the federal government to address the governance of education for First Nations students.
31.	Establish appropriate incentives to encourage more First Nations and Métis to become teachers.
32.	Ensure that at-risk Aboriginal children are identified early and get the support they need before they begin school.
33.	Take steps to ensure that First Nations and Métis youth are well prepared for post-secondary education and the workforce.
34.	Ensure smooth transitions for students moving from reserve and Métis Settlement schools to other public schools.
35.	Establish parenting centres to make a positive link with parents and reinforce the strong parenting skills required to help their children come to school ready to learn.
36.	Require all schools with a significant population of First Nations and Métis students to have well-trained home-school liaison workers to assist in integrating the school into the community and developing sound communications between Aboriginal homes and schools.
37.	Explore and implement new governance models for schools in Métis Settlements.
38.	Develop and implement expanded Aboriginal language and cultural programs.
39.	Ensure that First Nations and Métis are directly involved in the development of curriculum and learning resources for and about Aboriginal people in all subject areas.
40.	Continue to provide choices for Aboriginal parents for the education of their children.
41.	Establish a provincial centre of excellence in Aboriginal education.
42.	Ensure that adequate support is in place when children with special needs are integrated into regular classrooms including: Access to professional support for assessment Access to appropriate learning resources and assistive devices (e.g. Braille) Paraprofessional support Coordinated services with health centres, Child and Family Services Authorities, community organizations, and parenting centres Adequate time for teachers to organize and plan programs and support services with teaching assistants, other professionals, and community agencies Smaller class sizes
43.	Ensure that teacher preparation programs and ongoing professional development activities prepare teachers to address the diversity of students, including children with special needs.
44.	Provide classroom teachers with adequate support to develop and implement individual program plans for children with special needs.
45.	Expand early assessment and intervention to ensure that children with special needs are identified early and get the support and programs they need before they come to school.
46.	Provide appropriate training and professional development for teaching assistants who work with children with special needs.
47.	Ensure continuity in funding for children with special needs from junior kindergarten through to grade 12.
48.	Expand opportunities for students with special needs to continue on to post-secondary education or into the workforce.
49.	Develop a province-wide strategy using SuperNet as a vehicle for expanding programs and developing challenging opportunities for gifted and talented students.
50.	Provide students with English as a second language, students who are not proficient in English, and francophone students who need upgrading in French, and their teachers, with access to appropriate assessment, programs, learning resources, professional and paraprofessional assistance required to meet their needs.
51.	Extend funding for English as a second language, English language deficiency, and French language upgrading to children in junior and regular kindergarten.
52.	Create provincial proficiency standards for assessing English as a second language students, students who are not proficient in English, and French language upgrading students, and provide funding until students reach the standard.

Making the Grade
53.	Ensure that the primary focus of school and school jurisdiction education plans continues to be on improving students' achievement.
54.	Continue to support research and innovative approaches for improving student outcomes.
55.	Maintain and improve provincial achievement tests at grades 3, 6 and 9 by ensuring that: Provincial achievement tests continue to be used as a system-wide check on how well students achieve provincial standards Results from the tests are used along with ongoing classroom assessments to guide and inform plans for improving students' achievement The tests are enhanced over time to include a variety of tasks that allow students to demonstrate the full range of their skills, including their ability to apply their knowledge, think critically, and express their thoughts and ideas.
56.	Develop and implement a French language arts achievement test for grade 3.
57.	Regularly report results from provincial achievement tests as part of ongoing reporting to parents and within a context that helps them understand and interpret the results.
58.	Maintain and enhance diploma exams and include a balance of multiple choice and written response questions in all subject areas.
59.	Ensure that all teachers have access to high quality, performance-based and cutting-edge classroom assessment materials and practices.
60.	Provide ongoing, comprehensive, consistent and transparent information to Albertans about the outcomes achieved by Alberta's students.

Technology Plus
61.	Implement the proposed Learning and Technology Policy Framework and fully integrate the use of technology in every classroom in the province over the next five years.
62.	Set province-wide standards for the types of technology that should be available in every classroom.
63.	Expect principals to provide proactive leadership in integrating technology in both the instructional and administrative aspects of the school.
64.	Require all teachers to be proficient in the integrated use of technology and ensure that they have the necessary support in the classroom.
65.	Model the appropriate application of technology in all teacher preparation programs and provide adequate, ongoing professional development.
66.	Expand the use of technology to improve access to education programs and related services in rural and remote communities.
67.	Provide adequate funding not only for the purchase of hardware and software but also for necessary technical support, training, and continuous upgrading of equipment.
68.	Regularly assess the effectiveness of new technology and applications and provide advice to school boards to guide their decisions about the purchase of new technology.

Excellent Teachers and School Leaders
69.	Review and improve current preservice programs for teachers to ensure that they provide excellent preparation for Alberta's beginning teachers.
70.	Establish a permanent mechanism for ensuring a closer link among faculties of education, superintendents, teachers, and Alberta Learning.
71.	Require school jurisdictions to adapt the first-year experience and provide effective coaching for beginning teachers.
72.	Develop and implement comprehensive professional development plans for every school jurisdiction and every school.
73.	Require all teachers to have targeted annual professional development plans that are directly linked to their schools' improvement plans.
74.	Ensure that policies and regulations on supervising and evaluating teachers are well understood and effectively implemented.
75.	Replace the current Board of Reference process with an arbitration process that is consistent with models in place for employees who have the right to bargain collectively in the province.
76.	Develop a quality practice standard and identify the knowledge, skills and attributes required for principals.
77.	Establish a new program to prepare and certify principals.
78.	Establish a new Council of Education Executives to provide certification, ongoing support and professional development for principals and assistant principals.
79.	Develop a comprehensive, targeted program for preparing superintendents and providing ongoing professional development to support them in their role as CEOs of school jurisdictions.
80.	Remove the current requirement for the appointment of superintendents to be approved by the Minister of Learning.

Good Governance
81.	Create a new approach to collective bargaining with four key components: Establishing a legislated employer bargaining association Maintaining the Alberta Teachers' Association as a single organization responsible for professional services and collective bargaining for teachers Limiting what can be bargained for collectively Expanding teachers' professional responsibilities but maintaining their right to strike
82.	Maintain a balance between centralized and decentralized responsibilities for the provincial government and school boards.
83.	Provide provincial incentives and support to school jurisdictions that wish to consider joint services and amalgamations in order to improve services to their students.
84.	Develop common technology standards for financial, accounting, student information, human resources, and other key information systems to improve the administration of education.
85.	Reinforce the role of school councils and require principals to actively engage parents in school improvement planning.
86.	Clearly define and set province-wide policy on what is considered "basic" and what are considered "extras" in relation to fundraising by school councils. Limit school councils' role in fund-raising to "extras" consistently defined across the province and require schools and school councils to report annually on their fund-raising activities and how the funds were used.

Investing in our Children's Futures
87.	Address the current shortfall in funds as soon as possible, but no later than the 2004-05 provincial budget.
88.	Address the shortfall in operations and maintenance funding on an ongoing basis.
89.	Implement the Renewed Funding Framework as part of the budget for 2004-05.
90.	Provide sustainable and predictable funding.
91.	Implement a transparent, open and understandable financial information system that provides accurate, timely and comparable information on funding for Alberta's education system.
92.	Establish a mechanism for school boards and teachers to provide ongoing and regular input to the provincial government on the overall costs of education and related issues.
93.	Phase in funding for new initiatives recommended by the Commission on a priority basis over the next five years.
94.	Allow school boards to requisition their local residents for up to 10% of the amount raised through provincial education property taxes.
95.	Set province-wide policies on school fees that would: Prohibit fees to cover the costs of basic education items Detail what charges can be levied and set maximum caps on school fees Allow reasonable fees for extracurricular activities.

The Learning Commission estimates the annual cost of acting on the major recommendations would total approximately $596.6 million by 2008-09. Not all recommendations have been costed out by the Commission.

About Alberta's Commission on Learning

Alberta's Commission on Learning was appointed by Minister of Learning, Dr. Lyle Oberg, in June 2002 to undertake the first comprehensive review of Alberta's education system in 30 years. The nine-member panel, chaired by former teacher and Edmonton city councillor Patricia Mackenzie, was asked to make recommendations on ensuring that Alberta has a sustainable education system that supports the lifelong learning needs of students and the societal and economic well-being of the province.

Mandate

The Commission was charged with the task of gathering information and research, identifying key issues and making recommendations in seven broad topic areas:

Ensuring excellence in the classroom
Meeting the needs of a changing student population
Facilitating smooth transitions into and through the system
Focusing on results
Clarifying roles, responsibilities and governance
Providing responsive and relevant curriculum
Building a sustainable and high quality system for the future

Items to be covered under these topic areas ranged from class sizes, pupil-to-teacher ratios, hours of instruction, support of special needs students and curriculum development to the impact of globalization, technology and changing demographics on the future of learning.

Membership

Patricia Mackenzie - Chairperson
Patricia Mackenzie received her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan and began her career as a public and Catholic high school teacher in Ontario and Québec. Since then, she has taken on diverse roles professionally and through her ongoing community service. Mrs. Mackenzie served as an alderman in Prescott, Ontario, and as an Edmonton city councillor for nine years starting in 1986. She was also president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (1994-95). Mrs. Mackenzie is currently the Assistant Vice President Environment with Telus. She is the mother of three grown children.

Michael Davenport
Michael Davenport has 33 years of experience as an education and school administrator in both British Columbia and Alberta. In 2002, he retired as superintendent of the Fort Vermilion School Division, a position he held since 1988. Mr. Davenport has a Masters of Education degree in administration and is respected for his success in building unique partnerships to support learning in his community. He is the father of two adopted native children and two foster children. He is also a grandfather of three.

Thomas Erasmus
Originally from Lac La Biche, Thomas Erasmus has strong ties to Alberta's North and to the province's Aboriginal community. Mr. Erasmus currently works as an Aboriginal affairs consultant liaising between Aboriginal stakeholders, government and corporations. His previous experience focused on offering support services and assistance to Aboriginal youth and Aboriginal communities in the areas of health, public education, and adult education. He has served as Chair of Portage College Board of Governors and on the Campus Alberta Committee Board of Chairs. Mr. Erasmus has two children attending school in Alberta.

Joan Green
Joan Green is a senior associate in Quasars, Inc., a company specializing in customized quality assurance. She has served as a teacher, elementary and secondary school principal, consultant and superintendent before becoming the Director of Education for the City of Toronto. After five years as CEO of the Board of Education for the city, Ms. Green became the founding CEO of the Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office.

Ms. Green has provided strong leadership at all levels of education and has been a professional development leader provincially, across Canada, and internationally. She is a published author of four books and numerous articles and is a frequent speaker at home and abroad on women's issues, leadership challenges, and accountability and improvement initiatives in the public interest. She is an active participant in her community and has served as a board member on university, hospital, and various charitable organizations' boards, including the Art Gallery of Ontario. She is the past president of the Canadian Education Association and currently chairs the Board of the Roots of Empathy, an organization committed to the development of emotional literacy. Ms. Green and her husband have four children.

Jack H. Hole
A respected local businessman, Jack Hole is the Executive Vice President of the Lockerbie Group of Companies and serves on several boards including Lockerbie & Hole, Construction Labour Relations of Alberta (previously serving as Chairman), Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Alberta Construction Association. Mr. Hole also sits on the Council for The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA). Mr. Hole has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta. He is the father of two school-aged children.

Dr. Kabir Jivraj
Dr. Kabir Jivraj is the immediate Past Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the Calgary Health Region and a member of the region's Department of Anesthesia. In addition to his extensive work as a noted physician and medical administrator, Dr. Jivraj served as President of the Board of Directors of the Alberta Medical Association in 1996-97. He has also undertaken a series of academic appointments as a lecturer, a clinical professor and, between July 2001 and October of 2002, was the Vice Dean, Clinical Affairs, of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Outside his profession, Dr. Jivraj is also active in his community. He has been a member of the Council of Champions for the Children's Initiative of the United Way since its inception and was appointed to the Board of the United Way of Calgary last year. He has also been a member of the Calgary Health trust board since 2002. Dr. Jivraj has two children attending school in Alberta.

Nancy Knowlton
Nancy Knowlton is the co-founder, president and co-CEO of SMART Technologies Inc., a Calgary-based company that produces hardware and software to help people work and learn effectively in groups. She is also the Executive Director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. This foundation focuses on support for educational initiatives and sponsors teacher recognition programs. Ms. Knowlton was the Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (Export) for 1999 and has a DEC, BBA (Honours), MBA and D. Comm (Hon). She is well respected for her business acumen and commitment to community.

Bob Maskell
Bob Maskell was elected to his first term as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Meadowlark on March 12, 2001. In addition to his role as MLA, he is a member of standing committees on Law and Regulations and Private Bills as well as the Standing Policy Committee on Learning and Employment. He is also the chair of the Health Facilities Review Committee. Mr. Maskell has had a long and distinguished career as a teacher and principal and has considerable volunteer experience. He is the father of one adult son.

Mark Sollis
Mark Sollis is the executive assistant to the Vice President, Administrative Services, at Mount Royal. While completing his degree in Applied Communications in 2002, Mr. Sollis served as Vice-President External on the Students' Association of Mount Royal College and Chair of the Alberta College and Technical Institute Students' Executive Council (ACTISEC). He has a strong interest in social issues and an excellent knowledge of Alberta's post-secondary education system. He also works part-time as a residential support worker for individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral issues. He has a young son attending school in Alberta.

Summary of Consultations

To complete its work, the Learning Commission spoke with a variety of education stakeholders and experts, conducted research and consulted with parents, teachers, and other interested Albertans.

Over 15,400 Albertans provided input to the Commission by completing and submitting "Doing Our Homework" workbooks. In addition, more than 300 presentations were made to the Commission during public meetings held in Calgary, Edmonton, Edson, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Peace River, Red Deer and Vermillion.

The Commission's consultations also included two youth forums, several school visits and a series of meetings with education organizations, school boards and representatives of university faculties of education.

The Commission also met with a series of experts on a variety of education issues from school board governance to leadership, effectiveness in schools, special education, and improving student learning. They also reviewed articles, books, and research studies in each of the seven key areas they were asked to examine.

For more information on Alberta's Commission on Learning, visit their website at www.learningcommission.gov.ab.ca

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