Thinking
News about education in Alberta
Outside the Books
September 2007
Trustee elections coming up
Trustee elections will take place on October 15th. It is worth remembering that it’s your school board trustees who make many of the decisions affecting the quality of education the children of Alberta receive. You can get more information about the upcoming trustee elections from the Alberta School Boards Association at www.asba.ab.ca.
New schools for Alberta students
There are 13 schools opening throughout the province this school year, creating 6,053 new student spaces. Continuing to make sure schools are located where students live and learn is an ongoing commitment of Alberta Education and the Government of Alberta. There are also 18 new schools being built using a made-in-Alberta, public-private partnership approach. Schools across the province are also being renovated and modernized through a recently announced $97 million investment which is in addition to the $100 million for schools in Edmonton and Calgary.
Schools must be safe Message from the Minister
The education of our children is one of the most important missions we undertake. Whether we have children in the school system or not, all of us have a stake in ensuring Alberta’s students graduate from high school with the skills necessary for them to either continue their education or to become gainfully employed. This newsletter will give you an overview of some of the truly great things going on in Alberta’s schools and the role Alberta Education plays in ensuring our diverse range of students receive a top-notch education. I hope the information we are providing you piques your interest and makes you want to know more about education in Alberta. If it does, you can get more detailed information on our website www.education.gov.ab.ca. Our students must feel safe in school if they are going to complete their studies. Right now both actual and cyber bullying are real issues and are being addressed by the Government of Alberta. There are a number of resources available to those who are being bullied and those who want to prevent their children from engaging in it. Immediate support is available from a 24-hour hotline at 1-888-456-2323. There are also three websites that address issues around bullying www.bullyfreealberta.ca, www.b-free.ca and www.teamheroes.ca. If bullying is of concern either to you or your children, we encourage you to visit those websites.
Tips for parents
When children either start or return to school, it can often put as much stress on a parent as it does on the child. With that in mind, we have created a number of tips for parents on such things as how to create a schedule for homework and how to talk to a child about what is going on at school. You can access these tips at www.education.gov.ab.ca/ parents/tips.asp.
Ron Liepert, Minister
Since becoming Minister of Education, the Honourable Ron Liepert has visited schools across the province. “Visiting schools continually reminds me of what we are here to do — provide the best possible education for our students,” says Liepert.
Did you know?
Spending on education in Alberta has increased by 86 per cent in the last 10 years. During the same period, the inflation rate was 28 per cent and the student population increased by only 4.9 per cent. During the 2006/07 school year, 9,000 new school spaces were created. Reducing class sizes goes a long way to laying a foundation for a positive learning environment for our students. Recognizing this, more than half a billion dollars has been invested to hire 2,500 additional teachers for our classrooms. Each year, 97 per cent of students who graduate from the Registered Apprenticeship Program find employment in their chosen field.
Students at Rideau Park School in Edmonton and Irvine School in Prairie Rose School Division engaged in a videoconference with noted Canadian artist and environmentalist Robert Bateman.
Using technology to deliver education
Alberta’s teachers are using technology to help students learn. One exciting technological initiative is the Emerge Wireless Learning Project. Alberta Education and 20 school jurisdictions have supplied more than 2,000 students with laptop computers to determine how they can be best used in the classroom. Rural schools working to address declining enrolment and busing students over long distances are looking to technology to help address those issues. School divisions are using videoconferencing to deliver courses to small rural schools. There’s lots of that kind of innovative thinking in education going on in the province.
High school completion rate improving
Alberta’s five-year high school completion rate is improving. Right now it stands at 77.4 per cent. The rate is up from previous years, but we have a ways to go to reach the achievable standard of 90 per cent. Though we still have a lot of work to do, we’re pleased we’re moving in the right direction.
We want to keep in touch
Communicating with you this way is a new approach for us. If you’ve found this newsletter of value, please let us know. We would like to keep you up to date about what is going on in education in Alberta. The best way of doing so is to email you a copy. That way we can cut down on printing and mailing expenses and act in an environmentally responsible way. If you would like to keep in touch, please send an email to edc.communications@ gov.ab.ca or a letter to Education Communications, 7th Floor, 10155-102 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 4L5. Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues.
Our students are looking good internationally
Our children are going to have to compete in a global economy. Based on the results of international testing, their future looks promising. Tests given to 15-year olds in 41 countries show that our students share the highest scores in reading and are in the top group of countries in math, science and problem solving.
Mentors make a difference
Do you think a young boy or girl could learn something from you? Do you think you could help them stay in school? We think you could. Experience has shown that students at risk of dropping out are 80 per cent more likely to finish school if they are partnered with a mentor. We encourage you to find out if there’s an inschool mentorship program in your area. If there isn’t, talk to your local school about starting one. Information on mentorship programs can be found on the Alberta Education website www.education.gov.ab.ca.
Honouring our teachers
Since 1989, more than 400 of Alberta’s teachers have been recognized through the Excellence in Teaching Awards. These awards acknowledge the importance of the work teachers and principals do in schools across the province. Nominations for the 2008 awards open on October 22, 2007.