In 2007, my top five priorities were:
- Improving the high school completion rate
- Supporting learners so they can overcome the barriers that impede their success in, and enjoyment of, learning
- Welcoming and valuing all types of learners and giving personal attention to each one
- Locating schools where they are needed, and lobbying for adequate maintenance funding
- Communicating with Ward H residents as well as school staff, parents, and students about policies, priorities, and future directions
To improve the high school completion rate…
In 2007, I said, “Early intervention is fundamental. Resources must be allocated to developing the expertise of teachers in identifying barriers to learning, to guaranteeing that diagnostic testing is available quickly and easily, and once barriers are identified, to supporting both learners and their teachers to overcome said barriers.”
PROGRESS to DATE:
- A new Early Years policy sets the framework for the district to work toward securing those early intervention opportunities for children who need them, and the first goal of the new Edmonton Public Schools Foundation (approved by the current Board) is to support early years education.
- The Board joined with other Zone 2/3 School Boards to advocate for diagnostic testing to be done at age 3 ½ for all children.
- The Board continues to support professional development to staff to increase their expertise in supporting an increasing diversity of children in the classroom; this is a key focus for the Superintendent.
- The District is piloting, in partnership with the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta, the Firm foundations program that has been very successful in Vancouver.
- The District helped to pilot the EDI (Early Development Instrument) that looks at the various stages of development of K kids. These results will be reviewed together with Community Mapping to see if there are areas that communities might work on in support of young children and families.
- The Board has been supportive of the Superintendent’s 2020 Plan in which he expects that 100% of students who entered K in 2007 will graduate in 2020.
In 2007, I said “Students need to experience success! Broadening our measures of success beyond academic achievement is essential to encouraging learners to stay in school. The Provincial Achievement Tests and Edmonton Public’s Highest Level of Achievement Testing are narrow measures of a learner’s developing potential. Measures need to expand to include creativity, critical thinking, effective expression, citizenship, technological skills, media understanding, and most importantly, capacity for life-long learning. We need to acknowledge and respect student skills in these areas, too. Ideally, these broader measures need to be developed in coordination with technical institutions, universities, colleges, business and industry, the community, and the provincial government.”
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- There is an increasing focus on discussing and looking at expanded forms of measurement so we (the Board, the staff, and the public) can understand how students are doing not only on their PATs and district HLATs (academics) but also, in other areas.
- At the request of the Board, the Superintendent presented a “Ready for the Future” Planner/Portfolio concept that would allow students to track their success in multiple areas. This project is still underway.
- Broadening our measures of success in a meaningful way still requires work and I have captured in my 2010-13 Priorities about A Warm Welcome and Positive Connection for Each Student & Emphasizing Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication.
To support learners so they can overcome the barriers that impede their success in, and enjoyment of, learning…
In 2007, I said “Increased funding is necessary. We need to understand what it takes to support all learners –both the expertise required and associated costs – and provide enough money, without detracting from a school’s ability to meet the needs of all the “in the middle” students. To ensure sustainability of these supports, advocating for changes to the province’s funding framework so that it truly reflects the costs of providing adequate support will be necessary.”
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- Funding remains an issue. The Board, along with 28 other boards in Zone 2/3 advocated in Winter 2010 for predictable, sustainable funding that is not tied to the ups and downs of the economy. In 2009 it advocated in a similar way for more funding to address infrastructure needs. It also wrote to the Minister of Education with respect to funding to be extended to PUF students.
- The Board has also met several times with MLAs to educate them about the diversity of our classrooms and the complexity of meeting the needs of all our students.
In 2007, I said “Increased collaboration with social agencies, community groups, and parents is also critical. Only in this way will “we” be able to support learners in overcoming the challenges to learning that are not directly related to the classroom and yet show up in the classroom.”
PROGESS TO DATE:
- The Board is supportive of the ongoing efforts of the District to partner with many different community groups to support our kids; individual schools also work to partner with neighbourhood groups. You can read about these partnership efforts in the 2009 Report to the Community at http://www.epsb.ca/community/index.shtml
- Through an extensive consultation with the multicultural communies of Edmonton, a new Multicultural Education policy was developed in 2009 and is now being implemented.
- The Board continues to support the Parents in Partners program that provides professional development for parents in the form of guest speakers as well as training and support for school councils.
- In the Southwest elected officials meet twice a year to discuss current projects and ways of working together.
- I have communicated strongly about the power of “the village ” and after three community meetings, experimented with setting up an online “wiki” forum to discuss how the village can strengthen families, enhance citizenship education, and improve communication. It is said that if you build it, they will come. So far, this hasn’t happened! I need to think about how to invite everyone to take ownership of such a site as I believe it could be an excellent way to share information between schools, organizations, etc. and support children within a geographical area … http://swedmontonittakesavillage.wikispaces.com/
To welcome and value all learners and give personal attention to each one…
In 2007, I said, “Optimum class sizes are a must. Within smaller classes, all learners have a greater chance to receive the personal attention they deserve. Right now in many of the ‘too large’ classrooms that still exist, ‘in the middle’ students miss out because their teacher’s time and energy is monopolized by students with greater needs or challenges.”
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- There is still work to do here. The Minister has provided targeted funding to reduce class sizes, and this has been gratefully received by school districts and schools. Many classes are within the sizes recommended by the Learning Commission (K-3, 17; 4-6, 21; 7-9, 25; 10-12, 27) but that is small comfort if your child is in one of the classes that numbers 30 or higher.
- What I have discovered through trustee sub-committee reviews of results and budgets is that principals and school staffs are extremely committed to ensuring the best education possible for all students, and if classes are large, they creatively work to overcome this by splitting classes, for example, in the mornings OR adding in an extra aide or teacher on a parttime basis OR…. This is not ideal for students or teachers in the long-term, but I have appreciated hearing that steps are taken in many cases as opposed to saying “oh, well.”
In 2007, I said “Mentoring with regard to each learner’s gifts, talents and opportunities, particularly at the junior high and high school levels, should be provided. The purpose would be to ensure all learners have a regular opportunity to explore the possibilities associated with their passions and talents and to form a strong positive connection with an adult. Conversations about possible barriers to learning could also be continued here, and a focus on the students setting goals for themselves would be encouraged.”
PROGESS TO DATE:
- I discovered that many positive mentorship initiatives are in action throughout the district, andin some schools, “success coaches” are welcomed to support “kids at risk.” Special attention is currently being paid to the transitions for aboriginal youth from junior high to high school.
- Lillian Osborne’s 1000 Mentors for 1000 Students, which is more career oriented, is also a commendable goal.
- At the Board’s request, the Superintendent and his staff began to look at developing a “Ready for the Future” portfolio/planner for students to use in self-evaluating their talents, strengths, and accomplishments. This work continues.
- More work needs to be done in this area so we really know that every single student has a postive connection with an adult, which is why a 2010-13 priority for me will be around ensuring “a positive connection” for all students.
To locate schools where they are needed, and advocate effectively for adequate maintenance funding…
In 2007, I said, ”Trustees must communicate the needs and outcomes much more effectively to our MLAs and to our communities so as to create a political will at the provincial level to address infrastructure needs. Trustees must, also, invite the community and city council to advocate with them on this issue.
- The district should pursue building new schools and renovating old schools as part of multi-use community facilities with other public partners. Prospective public partners for building new schools in new neighbourhoods (such as Southbrook, MacEwan, Rutherford, Windermere, and Terwillegar) or renovations in older neighbourhoods could include the City of Edmonton, Capital Health, Edmonton Public Libraries, Edmonton Catholic Schools, the Francophone School district, and Children’s Services.”
PROGESS TO DATE:
- Communicating with our MLAs and Councillors and Edmonton Catholic School trustees on infrastructure issues continues. We are all committed to working together and terms of reference for a working committee is in the process of being developed.
- Currently, the district is dependent on provincial funding to pursue any major capital projects. Due to the province’s desire to build schools close to where children live, the province has funded six new schools for Edmonton Public that will open in September; three more to open in September 2012 through a public-private partnership arrangement. It is great to have these new schools in the newer neighborhoods for the many young families who live in them, but investment into our aging buildings in more mature neighbourhoods remains a challenge and an unmet need.
- The Board approved a new approach to evaluating and planning for the future for our school space in the 2008 Capital Plan. Titled Sector Review, the idea is to review school space, the programs offered in that space, the edcuational needs of the students, and the community needs for space sector by sector across the City. The hope is to become more efficient with our school space and ultimately to be able to allocate more funds toward the classroom as opposed to heating and lighting unused educational space.
- I am still committed to the idea of inviting partners into our public school building – in particular, those partners who provide services to support families and extend support for students. The Early Years Policy passed by the Board in late 2009 contains this value. One problem in the new schools is a lack of space to accommodate these partners (and for the 2010 schools, there are some provincial restrictions on this type of partnership) – simply, the schools have no extra space… they are full of students.
To communicate with Ward H residents as well as school staff, parents, and students about policies, priorities, and future directions…
In 2007, I said, “Trustees need to provide regular opportunities for the community to discuss educational priorities and provide their insights on policy issues. These opportunities need to take into account that people lead very busy lives and their time is precious and be diverse in nature. Such opportunities could include email networks through which the trustees could ask opinions, involvement in community newsletters, fanning questions out through school councils and community groups, coffee hour discussions, forums on key educational issues. “
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- Throughout my term, I have experimented with sending out a regular e-letter to anyone who wishes to receive it, keeping my website as current as possible and making it an ongoing and expanding resource of information on what is happening within Edmonton Public Schools and public education, launched a Facebook page, held three community meetings, contributed articles to community league papers, held a book discussion group, experimented with setting up a Ward H School Council network, and attended various community events and meetings.
In 2007, I said, “The Board needs to look at restructuring board meetings and its decision making to encourage more genuine public involvement. A few questions I have are: Should the board agendas be set sooner so that there is ample time for trustees to consult on topics up for discussion ahead of the meetings? Should community groups be proactively invited to speak on issues that affect them? Should Board meetings move around the City to encourage more involvement?”
PROGRESS TO DATE:
- The Board tried holding a Public Board meeting at Jasper Place High School in Spring 2008. The turnout was no better than at a regular Board meeting, so it was decided not to pursue this again.
- For policy work, I have discovered that there is usually ample time between when a policy is posted for input and the final decision by the Board to create discussion opportunities. The challenge for me as an individual trustee is to take better and more timely advantage of this window of opportunity! I think this is true for the Board as well.
- I have also tried to alert people/groups to upcoming Board agenda items on a regular basis through my Insights email and/or if I know they have a special interest in that area. What else could I be doing here? Please let me know.
- The Board has also worked on a public engagement policy to clarify its principles and values on involving the public. It has passed first reading and will be back on September 14 for second (and maybe, third) reading.
