This section includes articles published in 2003 to the present.
Issues are listed in descending chronological order.

Issue One Hundred One

March 9, 2010

“Good, Steady Progress”: Success Stories from Ontario Elementary Schools
in Challenging Circumstances

Joseph Flessa and Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, OISE, University of Toronto,
and Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker, Brock University

This paper presents findings from a funded case study research project conducted in Ontario, Canada during the 2007-2008 school year. Together with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the researchers undertook a qualitative investigation to identify and describe success stories from a diverse sample of 11 Ontario elementary schools working with students and communities affected by poverty. Through school visits, interviews, and document analysis, researchers identified three major findings: schools made connections with parents and the broader community; schools built a sense of collective endeavor and community within the school; and schools struggled with a persistent dilemma regarding students’ social versus academic needs. The project contributes to the Canadian research literature on poverty and schooling and to the practical understanding of how schools can better work with students and communities affected by poverty.

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Issue One Hundred

February 16, 2010

Special Issue: Educational Policy and Internationally Educated Teachers

Guest Editor: Clea Schmidt

Table of Contents in Brief:

1. Introduction: Moving from the Personal to the Political in IET Scholarship
--Clea Schmidt, University of Manitoba

2. Marginalization and the Occasional Teacher Workforce in Ontario: The Case of Internationally Educated Teachers (IETs)
--Katina Pollock, University of Western Ontario

3. “Qualifying” as Teacher: Immigrant Teacher Candidates’ Counter-Stories
--Christine L. Cho, York University and Trent University

4. Linguistic and Cultural Adaptation of Internationally Educated Teacher Candidates
--Farahnaz Faez, University of Western Ontario

5. Participation of Internationally-Educated Professionals
in an Initial Teacher Education Bachelor of Education Degree Program: Challenges and Supports
--Caroline Chassels, OISE, University of Toronto

6. A Historical Exploration of Internationally Educated Teachers: Jamaican Teachers in 1960s Alberta
--Jennifer Kelly and Dan Cui, University of Alberta

7. Internationally Educated Teachers and Student Teachers in Iceland: Two Qualitative Studies
--Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, University of Iceland

8. Without and Within: The Implications of Employment and Ethnocultural Equity Policies
for Internationally Educated Teachers
--Clea Schmidt and Lee Anne Block, University of Manitoba

Issue Ninety-nine

January 28, 2010

Learning French as a Second Official Language: Reserved for Anglophones?

Callie Mady, Nipissing University, and Miles Turnbull, University of Prince Edward Island

This article reviews federal language policies and provincial curriculum documents as they relate to Allophones and their access to French as a Second Official Language (FSOL) programs across Canada. Results of a detailed document analysis reveal that policies provide obstacles to access for allophone immigrants to Canada who seek to learn both official languages. An examination of research reveals that implementation of policy also restricts Allophones’ access to learning French in English-dominant provinces. We argue that increasing Allophones’ access to FSOL programming would not only support Canadian government initiatives and goals related to linguistic duality and official bilingualism, but also allophone students’ success in Canadian schools.

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Issue Ninety-eight

January 11, 2010

Combining the Views of “Both Worlds”:
Science Education in Nunavut piqusiit tamainik katisugit

Brian Lewthwaite, Barbara McMillan, Robert Renaud, University of Manitoba,
Rebecca Hainnu, Quluaq School, Clyde River,
and Carolyn MacDonald, Atuguttaaluk Elementary School, Igloolik

This paper reports on several phases of a five-year science education development project in Nunavut, Canada. The project, in its entirety, was established as a Pilot Program for Nunavut schools in effort to understand school community aspirations for science education and potential contributors and impediments to fostering the realization of identified goals. This paper focuses on the cases of three Inuit school communities in identifying and achieving their aspirations for science education. This paper describes the goals collaboratively identified and the processes utilized to work towards the realizations of such goals. Of importance is the identification by the school communities to offer an educational experience that combines the knowledge, processes and values of “both worlds” (western science and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit) and to employ both traditional and contemporary methods for implementing and evaluating the success of the project. Finally, based upon the outcomes of this project, suggestions are provided for supporting developments in other jurisdictions aspiring to see the realization of local and Indigenous aspirations for science education. Of critical importance to seeing such efforts realized are the policy and leadership conditions manifest at the school-community, divisional and territorial level for fostering culture-based education programs.

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Issue Ninety-seven

December 10, 2009

First Nations Educational Governance: A Fractured Mirror

Sheila Carr-Stewart, University of Saskatchewan, and Larry Steeves, University of Regina

The Constitutional Act 1867 established a dual system of education in Canada – provincial authority and federal responsibility for First Nations’ education. As a part of its treaty obligations, Canada agreed to provide western schools and services equitable with that provided by provincial systems (Morris 1880/1991).  The authors argue that the federal system of education for First Nations children has only a surface similarity with the provincial systems. The fractured federal approach to First Nations education – lack of a governance system, educational policy, limited second level services and funding inequities – contributes to dissimilar educational services and inhibits First Nations’ student learning and effective educational outcomes. 

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Issue Ninety-six

November 9, 2009

“The First Year, They Cried”: How Teachers Address Test Stress

Ruth A. Childs and Lina Fung, OISE, University of Toronto

Grade 3 teachers in Ontario must administer the Primary Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics to their students. In this study, we analyze how four teachers framed and addressed the problem of the stress some of their students experienced when sitting the test. The teachers framed the problem in different ways: as related to students’ perceptions of the test, students’ preparation for the test, teachers’ attitudes about the test, or the developmental appropriateness of the test administration instructions. Their approaches to addressing the problem were related to how they framed the problem and whether they believed the test administration instructions must be strictly followed. We believe it is important for educational policy makers and test developers to understand the problem of test stress and to engage teachers in finding ways to address it.

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Issue Ninety-five

October 26, 2009

Stressful, Hectic, Daunting: A Critical Policy Study of the Ontario Teacher
Performance Appraisal System

Marianne A. Larsen, University of Western Ontario

Teacher performance appraisal policies are a part of a global complex of accountability based teacher policies. This paper is a study of the Ontario teacher performance appraisal (TPA) system. First, the paper describes the education reform contexts associated with the origins and adoption of the TPA policy. Then the paper reports on the results of a mixed methods study that aimed to understand the effects and implications of the TPA policy from the perspective of the teacher.  The study, based on a survey and interviews with 125 teachers focused on the implementation stage of the policy and demonstrates the disparate ways the policy has been taken up across the province. 

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Issue Ninety-four

April 17, 2009

Symbolic Policy and Alcohol Abuse Prevention in Youth

Marcella Ogenchuk

In Canada, the prevalence of alcohol use among school-age students has emerged as a leading public health issue. Though governments at all levels have called for inter-organizational collaboration to address the issue, the representation of youth interests by key community groups is critical to the efficacy of those initiatives. This article describes the case of a community project supported by provincial and local governments in which an integrated community centre (ICC) was combined with a new high school. The ICC included a soccer centre, a track, and a licensed beverage room on the premises that opened on a daily basis. Government support for the ICC policy and related values is examined from the perspective of symbolic policy. The point is argued that the best interests of youth (the main interest group associated with the ICC) must be defined, represented and mobilized materially and symbolically in policy related to their well-being.

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Issue Ninety-three

April 4, 2009

The Science Gap in Canada: A Post-Secondary Perspective

Dietmar Kennepohl, Athabasca University

Despite having its students score among the top in the world in mathematics and science, the level of science literacy and participation in science-related fields in Canada is relatively low. In the context of the economic and societal benefits afforded by science, this article reviews what is already being done in support of science, technology and engineering, as well as identifying some missing pieces that may explain declining interest in its pursuit. The focus is primarily on the role of post-secondary institutions in addressing the challenges from both organizational and student-centred perspectives.

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Issue Ninety-two

March 14, 2009

Character Education Re-conceptualized for Practical Implementation

Mira Bajovic, Kelly Rizzo, and Joe Engemann, Brock University

In this paper we explored conceptual ambiguities of character education within the present Ontario Ministry of Education initiative. Through the critical lens of moral development theories and theories of mind, social and cognitive domains and their affect on character development were examined. Based on these findings three shortcomings in implementation were identified: a lack of clarity in defining ‘character’, a lack of recognition of the importance of cognitive and social processes in moral development, and a lack of clarity in effective strategies for character development.  The recommendations for future implementation of character education were proposed.

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Issue Ninety-one

February 23, 2009

Trading in Education: The Agreement on Internal Trade, Labour Mobility
and Teacher Certification in Canada

Dick Henley, Brandon University, and Jon Young, University of Manitoba

Canada’s provincial and territorial governments are committed to implement the Labour Mobility chapter of the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) in 2009. This article examines the implications of this agreement for teacher certification and teacher education programs. It argues that the full impact of AIT will not be immediately apparent, but over the long term the new circumstances have the potential to bring about profound changes to public education. This is a two-part paper: the first half examines the development of the Agreement on Internal Trade with reference to its labour mobility provisions. The second half lays out what we see as four troubling aspects of the Agreement.

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Issue Ninety

February 9, 2009

Holding the Reins of the Professional Learning Community:
Eight Themes from Research on Principals’ Perceptions
of Professional Learning Communities

Jerome Cranston, University of Manitoba

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach and thematic analysis, this paper outlines the findings of a research study that examined 12 Manitoba principals’ conceptions of professional learning communities.  The study found that these principals consider the development of professional learning communities to be a normative imperative within the educational culture of their schools, yet their understandings of what constitutes a professional learning community, as defined by Toole & Louis (2002) are varied and partially limited.  However, the principals suggested that there are eight dominant themes that are central in their conceptions of “professional learning community.” The themes are: professional learning communities are about process; structural supports enable the development of professional learning communities; trust as the foundation for adult relationships; congenial relationships dominate conceptions of community; learning is an individual activity; professional teaching is derived from attitudinal attributes; teacher evaluation shapes how principals think about learning in professional communities; and, teacher evaluation impacts principal and teacher relationships in professional learning communities.

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Issue Eighty-nine

January 22, 2009

The Catholic School Administrator: Using Tacit Assumptions to Promote Human Dignity

Randall Woodard, Saint Leo University

The discussion about the meaning and intended results of education is a conversation that must be undertaken frequently by all stakeholders in the educational process. One of these conversation partners is the Catholic school system. As in the public school sector, the question of school mission is taking place among leaders in the parochial system. Within our current context of high stakes testing and school accountability, today’s Catholic school leaders are also working to provide a clear vision of education in their school mission and practice that relates to core beliefs about life and the human person. Although differing in many considerable ways, leaders from both public and separate school systems can delve deeper into the dialogue of educational mission by sharing what is valued within each system’s context, and by reflecting on the practices of the other. The purpose of this article is to invite those interested in the social mission of education to consider the perspective of Catholic education in order to continue discussion and debate about the role and meaning of education. Specifically, this paper will attempt to articulate how school administrators might use reflection on tacit assumptions as a means to promote human dignity within their school communities.

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Issue Eighty-eight

December 22, 2008

The PhD Dissertation Defense in Canada: An Institutional Policy Perspective

Shuhua Chen, McGill University

Drawing upon publicly accessible information on the websites of ten Canadian research universities, this paper aims to shed some light on the assumed variation of institutional policies regarding the PhD dissertation defense in Canada. It discusses How are the institutional policies on the doctoral dissertation defense different across Canadian universities?; What do these differences imply about the role, function, and purpose of the oral defense in the PhD examination in Canada?; and How might these differences inform PhD education in Canada?. It concludes with a call for academics and students’ awareness of these variations in policy and practice.

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Issue Eighty-seven

December 3, 2008

A Quarter Century of Inclusive Education for Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Ontario: Public Perceptions

Philip Burge, Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz, and Nancy Hutchinson, Queen's University, and Hugh Box, Queen Elizabeth Collegiate and Vocational Institute

Understanding the views of the public is an important factor in developing and evaluating policy on inclusive education. This article presents the results of an opinion poll conducted by an alliance of researchers and community partners to measure public perceptions regarding inclusive education of students with an intellectual disability, the related impacts, and obstacles to expansion. Participants were 680 adults across a large region of Ontario. Respondents held divergent views about the best type of schooling for children with intellectual disabilities; 52% viewed some degree of inclusive education in regular schools as best while about 42% believed that education in special schools was best. When asked to first assume inclusion in regular schools was occurring, about one third of respondents believed that it would cause discipline problems, and make it harder for other students to learn. Schools’ lack of special resources (79%) and teachers being unprepared to teach students with intellectual disabilities (69%) were seen as obstacles to inclusion. Analyses identified younger age and having known someone with an intellectual disability who was not a family member, as associated with inclusive views. Policy implications are discussed.

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Issue Eighty-six

November 19, 2008

The Urgency of Postsecondary Education for Aboriginal Peoples

Jane P. Preston, University of Saskatchewan

Canada has an unprecedented need to increase the number of Aboriginal peoples who undertake and complete postsecondary programs. Endorsing postsecondary education for Aboriginal peoples advocates an invigorating, fortifying future for Aboriginal peoples, their families, and their communities. Additionally, the postsecondary educational achievements of Aboriginal peoples support the health and sustainability of the Canadian nation; spearheaded by Western Canada’s current economic prosperity, human resources supplied by Aboriginal peoples have become increasingly important. Captured herein are demographic, social, educational, and economic trends reinforcing the rationale that Aboriginal peoples urgently need to be provided with greater opportunities to succeed in postsecondary education.

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Issue Eighty-five

November 2, 2008

Trust in the Contemporary Principalship

Brian Noonan and Keith Walker, University of Saskatchewan,
and Benjamin Kutsyuruba, Queen’s University

The social relevance of trust and the principals’ obligation to foster trust in schools have been strongly advocated. This paper describes an in-depth, qualitative study that engaged a group of twenty-five Canadian school principals over a period of seven months, exploring the issues of trust as it affects principals’ roles and responsibilities. Four central concerns were identified by the participants: i) defining trust, ii) establishing trust, iii) maintaining trust, and iv) trust breaking.  The principals’ multiple relationships produce a complex web of issues related to trust; including intensity of relationships and the contingent role of school principals in trust brokering within learning communities.  This research has further established a basis for on-going examination of the nature, extent, and effect of trust relationships in the lives of school administrators.

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Issue Eighty-four

October 18, 2008

Examining Factors that Influence School Administrators' Responses to Large-Scale Assessment

Louis Volante, Lorenzo Cherubini, and  Susan Drake, Brock University

This study examined factors at the school, district, and provincial level that influenced school administrators’ responses to large-scale assessment. To understand administrators’ perspectives, 5 secondary and 4 elementary administrators from a suburban school district in southern Ontario, Canada were interviewed. Key factors noted by administrators included school improvement planning (elementary versus secondary), departmental structures and teacher resistance within schools, lack of professional development opportunities, inadequate resources and direction from districts, ministry initiative overload, lack of an easily identifiable provincial assessment and evaluation policy document, and pressure to reach provincial achievement targets. The findings underscore the need for greater initial and ongoing professional development for school administrators as well as more thoughtful support from district leaders and provincial policy-makers.

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Issue Eighty-three

October 3, 2008

A Tale of Two Provinces: Who Makes Stronger Vertical Equity Efforts?

Xiaobin Li, Brock University

Policy makers in Ontario and Alberta provide financial assistance to disadvantaged students. Three special allocations in 2006–2007 school year for disadvantaged students in grades one to eight in the two provinces are compared to answer the question: Who makes stronger vertical equity efforts? The three compared allocations are: the allocation for special education students, for English as Second Language students, and for students from low socio-economic status families. Since stronger measures are needed for equal educational opportunity, measuring how strong vertical equity efforts are is a highly relevant topic. The results indicate that Ontario provides more assistance through these allocations. The answer to the question is, “Ontario makes stronger vertical equity efforts.”

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Issue Eighty-two

September 18, 2008

Norming and <Re>forming: Challenging Heteronormativity in Educational Policy Discourses

Catherine McGregor, University of Victoria

Since the early 1990’s, the advocacy of teachers and other queer allies have sought to alter the curriculum and educational policies of British Columbia’s schools so that queer youth are no longer harassed, bullied, ridiculed or discriminated against by the system, teachers, and other students. Court decisions and Human Rights Tribunals have recently imposed more inclusive policy responses by government and school districts respectively. This article considers to what extent such legal discourses are remediated by competing discourses and practices. The article concludes by considering the limitations of policy priming as an advocacy strategy, and considers what approaches might be taken to achieve civically informed outcomes.  

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Issue Eighty-one

September 3, 2008

Are You Listening to Me? Space, Context and Perspective in the Regulation of MP3 Players and Cell Phones in Secondary School

Julie Domitrek and Rebecca Raby, Brock University

Recently, there has been much media coverage about cell phone and personal music player usage in schools, including in the Toronto and Whitton regions. However, there is little literature on how students and teachers view rules on the use of such electronic devices. Using data gathered from focus groups with students in Toronto and Whitton and interviews with teachers and administrators from Whitton, we present the viewpoints from these stakeholders on the usage of cell phones and personal music players. We frame this preliminary discussion around six themes: the importance of context; public/private space and cyberbullying; safety; regulation and enforcement; and tension between integrated and peripheral users of digital technology. We conclude that the role of such electronic devices in school is understood quite differently between administrators, teachers and students, that music players and cell phones are not equivalent and that movements towards top-down ‘blanket’ rules limit input from most stakeholders.

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Issue Eighty

August 19, 2008

Ontario’s Challenge: Denominational Rights in Public Education

Dawn Zinga, Brock University

Denominational rights in education have a long and controversial history within Canada. Ontario has struggled with denomination rights and continues to face the challenges posed by accommodating denominational rights. This paper examines those challenges and considers the future of denominational rights in Ontario, in light of John Tory’s 2007 election campaign platform to extend funding to all faith-based schools or to none. It includes a consideration of the historical roots of denominational rights, their expression throughout Canada, the conflicts between denominational rights and the Charter, the media storm that surrounded the faith-based funding campaign, and proposed solutions to the question of denominational rights in Ontario.

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Issue Seventy-nine

August 2, 2008

Ontario Ministry of Education Policy and Aboriginal Learners’ Epistemologies: A Fundamental Disconnect

Dr. Lorenzo Cherubini, Faculty of Education, and John Hodson, doctoral candidate, Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, Brock University

The Ontario Ministry of Education has made a recent commitment to address the achievement gap between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal students with the release of various policy documents.  Yet, there appears to be a disconnect between the policy principles and the standardized means of reconciling these differences in achievement, teacher education, and parental involvement.  The dualities between the expressed intent presented in the policy documents and the reality of Aboriginal epistemologies imply overtones that are symptomatic of the colonial treatment of Aboriginal peoples in this province and country.  There is, then, a need to rethink critical aspects of the policy, for the profound implications it has on educational policy and student achievement in this province and beyond.

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Issue Seventy-eight

July 17, 2008

Do British Columbia's Recent Education Policy Changes Enhance Professionalism among Teachers?

Peter Grimmett and Laura D'Amico, Institute for Studies in Teacher Education, Simon Fraser University

Since 2001, British Columbia instituted a number of policy changes to bring about cultural and economic restructuring of its school system. This study reports on teachers' perceptions of these policy changes, especially with regard to their impact on professional collaboration. In general it was found that the new policies have made collaboration more difficult than before 2000, and raise concerns about their possible impact on teachers' professionalism.

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Issue Seventy-seven

July 1, 2008

Quebec ’s adult educational settings: Potential turning points for emerging adults? Identifying barriers to evidence-based interventions

Julie Marcotte, Department of Psychoeducation, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec

Abstract:

Using the new “emerging adulthood” developmental period (Arnett, 2000) as a theoretical framework, this article emphasizes the chal lenges faced by emerging adults (17- to 24- year-olds) enrolled in adult education. First, emerging adulthood as a developmental period and the additional difficulties experienced by youths with emotional, behavioral and school disabilities during this period are briefly discussed. Then, a description of adult education within the Quebec’s school system and its potential role as a turning point is presented. Finally, barriers to improvement are identified and the need for better knowledge about this clientele to establish evidence-based interventions is asserted.

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Issue Seventy-six

June 15, 2008

The Evolving Culture of Large-scale Assessments in Canadian Education

Don A. Klinger, Christopher DeLuca, and Tess Miller, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Abstract:

In recent years, an increase in the number of large-scale assessment programs in Canada has been observed. However, due to the provincial/territorial control of education throughout Canada, the format and purposes of these assessment programs vary. The central purpose of this study was to document the format and explicit purposes of the current large-scale assessment programs in each of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories. Through document analysis of publicly accessible policy documents, examination of Ministry websites, and telephone interviews with Ministry of Education officials, specific and general characteristics and purposes of large-scale assessment practices in Canada were obtained and analyzed. This analysis provided an opportunity to examine the commonalities and variations in the frameworks guiding the current large-scale assessment culture that is evolving in Canada. Assessment programs were categorized by their explicit purposes as they related to the functions of accountability, gatekeeping, instructional diagnosis, and monitoring student achievement over time.

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Issue Seventy-five

June 1, 2008

Devolution, Choice, and Accountability in the Provision of Public Education in British Columbia: A Critical Analysis of the School Amendment Act of 2002 (Bill 34)

Dr. Gerald Fallon, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Jerald Paquette, University of Western Ontario

Abstract:

This critical policy study provides an understanding of the different actors—individuals, interest groups, and other organizations—involved in influencing and defining, through their narratives what public education in BC ought to be, thus capturing the core intellectual dispositions that informed and determined the kind of policy problems that were posed, the kinds of explanations that were offered, and the kinds of policy options suggested as solutions in the restructuring of public education in BC. The study provides an account of the manner in which policy problems were posed, of the explanations constructed, of the policy directions formulated, and of the policy issues to which policy makers ultimately paid attention with enactment of Bill 34.

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Issue Seventy-four

May 15, 2008

Professional Learning Communities: Developing a School-Level Readiness Instrument

Ray Williams, Ed.D., Ken Brien, Ed.D., Crista Sprague, M.Ed. and Gerald Sullivan, M.Ed

Abstract:

Professional learning communities have become a focus of educational reform in New Brunswick. The implementation and sustainability of this reform is dependent on shifting many of the organizational and operational characteristics of the traditional bureaucratic model into those that support a learning community approach in schools. The study examined traces the process for developing a school-based instrument that identifies systemic barriers that may prevent schools from becoming professional learning communities. The instrument examines culture, leadership, teaching and professional growth & development factors in an attempt to determine the readiness of a school to become a PLC.

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Issue Seventy-three

May 1, 2008

Working Towards a Model of Secondary School Culture

Dr. Patrick Brady, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University

Abstract:

Contemporary secondary schools in Canada and the United States are complex institutions whose organizational structures, program delivery mechanisms, and institutional community members combine to produce distinctive mini-societies within their walls. Replete with complex arrays of rituals, ceremonies, as well as traditions and founded on a variety of basic assumptions, these unique cultural entities have a profound effect on the individuals, and groups who inhabit them. Indeed failure on the part of individual inhabitants to comprehend and accommodate the cultural nuances of the organizations they dwell in has the potential to significantly diminish their prospects for success in those domains. Furthermore, many of the structures and rituals of secondary school life have developed into something akin to cultural icons that have proven to be remarkably resistant to change. This article, therefore, proposes a model of secondary school culture that is intended to serve as a potential starting point for the further examination of these complex institutions.

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Issue Seventy-two

April 15, 2008

School Boards and Education Finance in Manitoba: The Politics of Equity, Access and Local Autonomy

Dick Henley , Brandon University and Jon Young, University of Manitoba

Abstract:

This paper provides an analysis of current educational finance debates in Manitoba within a broader discussion of the essential character of public education in Canada. Arguing that public accessibility and equity, public funding, and public control constitute three touchstones of public education, the paper describes the Manitoba debates over provincial and local funding of schools and the use of property taxes to fund education and analyzes them in relation to these criteria. Significant continued local school board funding from property taxes, along with a greater commitment to provincial equalization initiatives, is the direction that the paper suggests offers the greatest potential for sustaining and nurturing a strong publicly funded school system characterized by both public accessibility and public control.

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Issue Seventy-one

March 31 , 2008

Does Ontario Have an Achievement Gap? The Challenge of Comparing the Performance
of Students in French- and English-Language Schools on National and International Assessments

Francine Dénommé & Ruth Childs, OISE, University of Toronto

Abstract:

On national and international assessments, students attending French-language schools in Ontario usually perform worse than students attending English-language schools. Interpreting these results is challenging because the French- and English-language schools differ both in prescribed curriculum and in how the curriculum is taught. In addition, the French- and English-language versions of the tests and scoring procedures sometimes differ. Even how students in the French- and English-language schools take the tests may differ. Finally, the populations of students differ in important ways. In this paper, we illustrate these challenges using results from the 2001 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.

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Issue Seventy

February 28 , 2008

Safe Schools and Zero Tolerance: Policy, Program and Practice in Ontario

Yvette Daniel and Karla Bondy, University of Windsor

Abstract:

This paper examines zero tolerance discipline policies in Ontario’s public school system legislated as the Safe Schools Act (SSA) 2001. The intent of our paper is to argue that the SSA set within a discourse of zero tolerance as the panacea to the problems of violence in schools has had a detrimental impact. Since the SSA is part of the episteme of standardized solutions to complex problems, Ball’s interpretation of “policy as text” and “policy as discourse” serves as the guiding framework for the study in which we examine the perspectives of professionals who implement these measures. In conclusion we state that the discursive frames within which zero tolerance policies are situated have shifted to some extent in order to consider other possibilities to the zero tolerance approach.

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Issue Sixty-Nine

February 7 , 2008

Merits and Limitations of Distributed Leadership: Experiences and Understandings of School Principals

Lisa L. Wright, University of Alberta

Abstract:

Although claiming leadership to be critical to school improvement, few studies seek the informative voice of principals regarding their understandings of roles and sources of leadership. Using a distributed perspective as a theoretical lens to reconceptualize leadership, this article explores principals’ perspectives of leadership in relation to their roles as defined by legislation and policy. By examining the primary merits and limitations of Spillane’s (2006) distributed framework, consideration is given to persistent issues yielding implications for the practice and study of educational leadership. Lastly, I urge further investigation into the extent to which distributed forms of leadership may contribute to school improvement.

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Issue Sixty-Eight

January 26, 2008

Reforming Education: Is Inclusion in Standardization Possible?

Rosalyn Adamowycz, M.A., University of Prince Edward Island

Abstract:

Two reforms have evolved over the past fifteen years in the North American public education system, inclusion and large-scale assessment. The inclusion movement emerged from an educational reform to establish equal access to education, and the implementation of large-scale assessments stemmed from standards-led reform to encourage high standards for students. This article examines the implementation of these two complex educational movements; analyses how the large-scale assessment movement has incorporated inclusive practices; and presents existing examples that attempt to facilitate inclusive processes in large-scale assessment practices.

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Issue Sixty-Seven

January 14, 2007

Teacher Education Program Admission Criteria and What Beginning Teachers Need to know to be Successful Teachers

Catherine E. Casey & Ruth A. Childs, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

Abstract:

Most teacher education programs receive many more applications than they can accept. How should programs select among applicants and how should the programs evaluate the success of their selection processes? In this article we review the criteria utilized throughout North America to select prospective teachers into education programs. The strengths and weaknesses of each criterion are discussed. We propose a conceptual framework linking the knowledge, skills, and attitudes beginning teachers need, the preparation that teacher education programs provide, and the programs’ application criteria. In the conclusion, the authors make numerous suggestions about how to adapt and change the current selection criteria so that the resultant product is the successful teacher. The authors challenge teacher education programs to critically examine their admission criteria.

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Issue Sixty-Six

December 5, 2007

Does Character Education Really Support Citizenship Education? Examining the Claims of an Ontario Policy

Sue Winton, Ryerson University

Abstract:

The claim that the character education policy of a school board in Ontario, Canada supports citizenship education is examined. 181 documents were analyzed to determine the ways the policy supports and/or undermines citizenship education’s goal to prepare students to become “knowledgeable individuals committed to active participation in a pluralist society” (Sears, Clarke, and Hughes, 2000, p. 153). The findings show that the policy encourages students to acquire specific values, behaviours, and interpersonal skills rather than conceptual or situational knowledge. While the policy encourages active citizenship by promoting the development of decision-making, conflict resolution, and communication skills, it emphasizes participation in activities that support rather than challenge the status quo. The policy also offers some support for developing students’ commitment to pluralism, but its narrow definition of diversity and emphasis on shared values, behaviour, and language contradict these efforts. I conclude that the policy supports citizenship education that adopts an assimilationist conception of social cohesion and/or social initiation as its purpose(s).

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Issue Sixty-Five

November 3, 2007

Reviewing Canadian Post-Secondary Education: Post-Secondary Education Policy in Post-Industrial Canada

by Dr. Dale Kirby, Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Abstract:

Since 2004, a number of Canadian provinces have initiated comprehensive reviews of their respective public post-secondary education systems. This paper examines the ways in which these provincial post-secondary education reviews are consistent with the pervasive influence of economic globalization on higher education and a more market-driven and commercially-oriented ideological outlook on post-secondary education’s raison d'être. Taken together, these provincial reviews provide an informative and interesting repository of the current tendencies in Canadian post-secondary education policy.

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Issue Sixty-Four

October 9, 2007

From School in Community to a Community-Based School: The Influence of an Aboriginal Principal on Culture-Based School Development

by Dr. Brian Lewthwaite, Centre for Research, Youth, Science Teaching and Learning, University of Manitoba

Abstract: This paper explores the history and processes associated with the transformation of a northern Canadian Aboriginal school into a culture-based community school for its Metis, Inuvialuit and Gwichin citizens. In particular, the role of the principal, a local Aboriginal, as a leader in initiating and facilitating the transformative change is examined. The factors providing the impetus for change and processes fostering change are examined through the critical lens of Kaupapa Maori Theory, a guiding framework for transformative praxis in New Zealand Maori schools. Finally, the paper examines current developments in the area of science curriculum development and delivery within this school community that are consistent with culture- and place-based education practice and the aspirations of the community.

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Issue Sixty-Three

August 27, 2007

Policy Window or Hazy Dream? Policy and Practice Innovations for Creating Effective Learning Environments in Rural Schools

by Dr. Dawn C. Wallin, University of Manitoba

Abstract: Rural communities that envision a bright future for themselves and their children have become innovative out of necessity—they learn, and adapt, in order to flourish and to provide opportunities for their children. As the formal centers of learning, and often as the largest employer in the community, rural schools become the heart and symbol of learning and community identity. Unfortunately, their policy and legislative environments often lead to tensions between rural priorities/lifestyles and urbanizing/essentializing agendas which impact upon the quality of schooling they wish, or are able, to provide.

This tension was the focus of a study on rural educational priorities and school division capacity, based on a provincial survey and four case studies of rural school divisions representing four educational regions in the province of Manitoba. Findings suggest that three educational priorities remain central to the creation of high quality learning environments in rural schools: Improving Student Outcomes, Quality of Teachers and Administrators, and Educational Finance. This paper elaborates on the challenges facing rural school divisions for these issues, and discusses some of the ways in which four Manitoba school divisions, the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents (MASS), the Manitoba Association of School Trustees (MAST), and Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (MECY) are working to address these difficulties in what has become a policy window (Kingdon, 1995) for rural education in Manitoba.

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Issue Sixty-Two

July 8, 2007

The Depiction of Workplace Reality: Principles of Democratic Learning and New Brunswick’s Youth Apprenticeship Program

by Emery J. Hyslop-Margison, University of New Brunswick; Adrian McKerracher, Concordia University;
Janice Cormier, Concordia University; and Sarah Desroches, Concordia University

Abstract: The sharp decline in voter participation among Canadian youth requires an examination of how our students are being prepared for democratic citizenship. Public schools, including programs falling under the purview of career education, provide the means to prepare learners for vocational, community, and political participation. In Canada, career preparation occurs under a variety of names – Career Planning in British Columbia, Career Preparation in Alberta, Guidance and Career Education in Ontario – to mention a few. In this article, we offer a policy analysis of New Brunswick’s Youth Apprenticeship Program (NBYAP) to determine its respect for the principles of democratic learning (Hyslop-Margison & Graham, 2003). These principles are designed to provide students with a sense of community responsibility, political empowerment and social understanding. Our analysis reveals that NBYAP violates fundamental democratic values that foster student understanding of Searle’s (1995) distinction between brute facts and social facts. Students must appreciate this distinction to recognize how their own agency and democratic decision-making effects change in the formation of social, political, and economic reality.

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Issue Sixty-One

June 4, 2007

What Shapes Inner-City Education Policy?

by Ben Levin, Jane Gaskell & Katina Pollock, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Abstract: This paper is part of a larger study looking at the issues involved as two large urban Canadian school boards, in Winnipeg and Toronto, responded to the demands of poor, inner city areas over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. In this paper we focus our attention on the broader stage on which education policy takes place. We draw from our data three overarching themes that we believe are critical for understanding change in inner-city education over this period. These are:
1) The diminishing role of school boards, as provincial governments took more control of education policy and limited the scope of school boards,
2) The importance of unique, and sometimes unexpected local events, and
3) The powerful implications for schools and education policy of increasing population diversity in cities.

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Issue Sixty

March 11, 2007

Designing a Successful New Teacher Induction Program: An Assessment of the Ontario Experience, 2003-2006

by Larry A. Glassford & Geri Salinitri, University of Windsor

Abstract: Pedagogues and practitioners alike accept the vital importance of an effective professional induction for new teachers. This paper examines the evolution of such a policy in Ontario, from a mandatory pencil-and-paper qualifying test for graduating teacher candidates, to a modest province-wide induction program for newly-hired teachers. It assesses programmatic strengths and weaknesses using both theoretical and practical templates of comparison, and notes the attention devoted to ensuring political validity with interested stakeholders. The authors conclude that the new program combines professional orientation with school-based assessment, while falling short in the crucial area of mentoring.

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Issue Fifty-Nine

February 11, 2007

Portrait of Rural Virtual Schooling

by Michael K. Barbour, University of Georgia (Doctoral Candidate)

Abstract: Over the past two decades, distance education has become a reality of rural schooling in Newfoundland and Labrador. In this article, I provide historical background into the challenges facing rural schools in the province and how distance education was introduced to address that challenge. I also describe how that system of distance education evolved from a system that used the telephone lines and bridging technology to one that uses a combination synchronous and asynchronous system delivered over the Internet. Finally, I examine recent literature concerning the nature of today’s secondary students that would need to avail of this system and relate how this may not be an applicable portrait of youth in rural areas, such as Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Issue Fifty-Eight

January 21, 2007

Educational Quality and Accountability in Ontario: Past, Present, and Future

by Louis Volante, Brock University

Abstract: This paper outlines the genesis, limitations, and future directions for the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in the province of Ontario. Recent assessment reforms are analyzed and examined in relation to broader Canadian and international literature. Research describing the impact of Ontario’s large-scale assessment programs on students, teachers, and the school system is also reported. The discussion outlines measures for strengthening large-scale assessment within the province and proposes a set of three overarching principles to guide future assessment-led reform.

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Issue Fifty-Seven

December 18, 2006

Cyber-bullying: Developing policy to direct responses that are equitable and effective in addressing this special form of bullying

by Karen Brown, Margaret Jackson & Wanda Cassidy, Simon Fraser University

Abstract: The article reviews existing research on cyber-bullying, framed through a policy lens. It is clear that public policy issues for cyber-bullying involve tensions between the values of freedom of speech, the best interests of the child, and parental and school protective authority over the child. Given the complexity of the problem, as well as conflicting values, the development of effective policy requires a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders – policymakers, school officials, parents and youth. It is important to emphasize literature that delineates the differences between conventional bullying and cyber-bullying because the two are very different and must be treated and analyzed separately. Thus, the following sections set out the definitions and mechanisms of cyber-bullying for policymakers contemplating new and/or modified policies, review the characteristics of the problem and the psychology of Internet abuse, explain the physical and mental consequences of it, and outline the results of recent surveys on cyber-bullying. Finally, the article concludes with recommendations on implementing acceptable use policies at the School Board and individual school levels, as well as family contracts for home use.

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Issue Fifty-Six

November 4, 2006

Demystifying Assessment Leadership

by Brian Noonan & Patrick Renihan, University of Saskatchewan

Abstract: In a climate of accountability, the development of assessment literacy among school professionals has become critical to school success. The provision of assessment leadership is viewed as the means by which such literacy can be enhanced. The writers examine the conditions under which student achievement gains can be realized. Implications of assessment reform for the instructional leadership role are translated into the knowledge, appreciations and skills that can help principals transform assessment leadership expectations into instructional leadership practice.

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Issue Fifty-Five

September 8, 2006

Implementing Nunavut Education Act: Compulsory School Attendance Policy

by E. Fredua Kwarteng

Abstract: This paper discusses the implementation of Nunavut compulsory school attendance policy as part of the Nunavut Education Act (2002). Using a bottom-up approach to policy implementation in the literature and the author’s six years teaching experience in Nunavut, the paper argues that the compulsory school attendance policy may not achieve its objectives unless the District Education Authority (DEA) of each community is allowed the flexibility to adapt the policy to its local context. Because each community in the territory has a different micro-implementation environment, the DEA in consultation with principals, teachers, parents, and other community members would be able to construct effective implementation plans based on the latitude that the policy allows them.

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Issue Fifty-Four

June 26, 2006

Transformational Leadership: An Evolving Concept Examined through the Works of Burns, Bass, Avolio, and Leithwood

by Jan Stewart, University of Winnipeg

Abstract: Over the past four decades, the concept of leadership has become increasingly more complex and elaborate. Considerable debate has emerged over the most suitable model for educational leadership. Dominating the literature are two conceptual models: instructional leadership and transformational leadership. This paper will review the conceptual and empirical development of transformational leadership as it evolved through the work of James MacGregor Burns, Bernard M. Bass, Bruce J. Avolio, and Kenneth Leithwood. Moreover, the paper will discuss some of the conflicting opinions and diverging perspectives from many of the critics of transformational leadership. The author argues that transformational leadership will continue to evolve in order to adequately respond to the changing needs of schools in the context of educational accountability and school reform.

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Issue Fifty-Three

May 25, 2006

Leadership for School Reform: Do Principal Decision-Making Styles Reflect a Collaborative Approach?

by Raymond B. Williams, St. Thomas University

Abstract: Economic growth in New Brunswick is increasingly dependent on the improvement of our educational system. Current initiatives to reform education and improve student performance are based on transforming the province’s schools into professional learning communities (PLCs). A key factor that will determine this reform’s success is the capacity of principals to adopt a collaborative leadership style. This paper examines a study of principal decision-making and the forces both for and against the adoption of the collaborative leadership style required to implement the current school reform. While the majority of principals studied, exhibit the capacity to lead using a collaborative decision-making style, the bureaucratic system in which they work may be preventing them from doing so.

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Issue Fifty-Two

May 2, 2006

I want to enable teachers in their change”: Exploring the Role of a Superintendent on Science Curriculum Delivery

by Brian Lewthwaite, University of Manitoba

Abstract: This research inquiry explored the factors influencing successful science program delivery among early- and middle-years schools within a rural school division in central Canada. The study is framed by the author’s personal inquiry into how psycho-social factors at the classroom, school and school division level influence science program delivery. In line with case study methodology, the inquiry uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods and data sources to identify the contributors at the classroom, school and divisional level to science delivery. A validated science program delivery evaluation tool, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), is used as the foundation for the quantitative data collection and ensuing teacher, administration and science education community discussions. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model and Rutter’s views on resiliency are used as a framework for interpreting the data collected and understanding the factors supporting successful science delivery. Participants identify a variety of personal attribute and environmental factors and the interplay between these factors as supportive factors contributing to effective science delivery at the classroom, school and divisional level. Implications of this inquiry are discussed, especially within the context of the role of the superintendent in influencing curriculum delivery.

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Issue Fifty-One

March 31, 2006

Teachers' perceptions of their role in educational marketing: Insights from the case of Edmonton, Alberta

by Izhar Oplatka, Ben Gurion University of the Negv

Abstract: Based on semi-structured interviews with high school teachers in Edmonton, Alberta, the reported study examined teachers' attitudes towards their roles and responsibilities in marketing their school, and the perceived impact of educational markets upon teachers' well-being. The teachers define marketing negatively and narrowly, resist any involvement of teachers in marketing their schools, and feel that working in a market-like environment leads to high levels of stress and uncertainty in their work. Yet many of them provided evidence of their contribution to prospective students' recruitment by promoting their subject matter in the open house. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested.

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Issue Fifty

February 10, 2006

From Community to Commodity College: Globalization, Neoliberalism and the New Ontario College Curricula

by Anita Arvast, Georgian College

Abstract: Adopting a post-structuralist and critical perspective, the author situates The Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002, often referred to as the New College Charter, and its developing Ministerial bodies regarding curricula at the colleges, in discourses of standardization, neoliberalism and globalization. Of concern is the shifting accountability for curricula development and reviews from the state to the local level amidst growing infatuation with market discourses. The author concludes with recommendations for further questioning about the interrelationships of governance and marketplace.

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Issue Forty-Nine

January 26, 2006

Analysis of an Abandoned Reform Initiative: The Case of Mathematics in British Columbia

by Helen Raptis and Laurie Baxter

Abstract: Throughout this era of greater educational accountability, assessment researchers have argued that large-scale comparative assessment data can enhance learning within and across systems of education and can foster reforms based on the practices of high achieving jurisdictions. Other researchers are less optimistic, warning that educational reform is fraught with danger. This paper explores an unsuccessful British Columbia Ministry of Education initiative to reform its mathematics curricula. This case study illustrates the myriad factors which prevent the success of planned reforms.

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Issue Forty-Eight

January 5, 2006

An Additional Way of Thinking about Organizational Life and Leadership: The Quantum Perspective

by Dr. Joe Fris, University of Alberta and Dr. Angeliki Lazaridou, Athens School of Pedagogical and Technical Education, Athens, Greece

Abstract: In this paper our first purpose is to outline a way of thinking about organizations and administration that has recently been gaining ground among theoreticians and practitioners, one that is portrayed frequently as a replacement for the well established newtonian or systems perspective. This way of thinking is the quantum perspective. Our second purpose is to illustrate how the metaphors of this emergent perspective can add to understandings about leadership, in particular when fostering commitment and dealing with conflict. To these ends, we first describe selected differences between the entrenched perspective on organizations and administration – the newtonian perspective – and the new quantum perspective. In this section we give particular attention to the quantum notion of a pervasive energy field that drives change as well as recent discoveries about the ways humans think. Next we contrast the values ascribed to an individual’s public and private selves in newtonian and quantum organizations. Finally we consider how the newtonian and the quantum orientations in leadership are likely to affect the commitment of an organization’s members. And we relate this to findings from research on the management of conflict.

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Issue Forty-Seven

December 5, 2005

The Democratic School: First to serve, then to lead

Carolyn Crippen, University of Manitoba

Abstract:
Today there has been a shift in the organizational structure in our schools (Murphy and Seashore Louis, 1999). These include educational leadership shifts in roles, relationships, and responsibilities; the alteration of traditional patterns of relationships; and the fact that authority tends to be less hierarchical. Senge (1990) believes systems that change require a variety of leadership types at different times in organizational development. As schools move toward democratization, it appears that servant-leadership may be one such vehicle for possible systems change, within educational organizations. Servant-leadership is not a panacea. It is a transformational, democratic form of leadership that requires time to implement and to provide abundant opportunities to involve all members of the learning community. The following paper will present the theoretical framework of servant-leadership, a concept identified by Robert K. Greenleaf in his seminal work, The Servant as Leader (1970/1991), and link servant-leadership to current literature on democratic schools. The paper will conclude with suggestions for the sustainable development of servant-leadership in the educational milieu.

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Issue Forty-Six

November 19, 2005

School Closures in Ontario: Who has the final say?

E. Fredua-Kwarteng, Ontario Institute for Studies in Educatio, University of Toronto

Abstract: This paper uses Foucaultian theory of governmentality as a conceptual lens to view school closings in Ontario. Governmentality relates to regulations, rules, systems, and procedures that allow governments to exercise control in society. Based on a critical review of select court cases, the paper argues that boards have substantial power to close down schools provided they satisfy the spirit of their own closure policy and ministry regulations. The paper concludes that boards need more legitimization to make closure decisions, given the conflictual nature of such decisions. Legitimization role of community members may be found in a participatory model of policy-making.

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Issue Forty-Five

November 3, 2005

A Triumph of Politics over Pedagogy?
The Case of the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test, 2000-2005

Larry A. Glassford, University of Windsor

Abstract: At a time when most American states have embedded an initial certification test into their teacher preparation programs, Canadian educational authorities are faced with a choice: to test or not. One province, Ontario, has experimented with a standardized entry-to-the-profession testing instrument. For three years, 2002-04, teacher candidates were required to take an externally-administered examination, on top of the normal Bachelor of Education requirements, prior to certification. The results were decidedly mixed: politically viable, but pedagogically questionable. Now, the debate has been re-opened, as a new government seeks a more effective form of entry-level assessment for aspiring teachers.

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Issue Forty-Four

August 1, 2005

The Depreciated Status of FSL Instruction in Canada

Scott Kissau

Abstract: An analysis was conducted of relevant documents published by federal and provincial governments and other French as a Second Language (FSL) stakeholders to examine whether governmental and school board policies are contributing to the general decline in status of FSL instruction in Canada. Federal documents published by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, Canadian Heritage, and other branches of the Government of Canada were included in the analysis, as were provincial documents produced by Ministries of Education. Published documents by several FSL stakeholders such as Canadian Parents for French were also included in the analysis, as were conversations held between the researcher and school board officials. The analysis demonstrated that drastic cuts to federal funding of FSL programs, inconsistencies in programming within and amongst provinces, and a general lack of respect for FSL studies at the school board level have all contributed to the message that French is a subject of lesser importance in Canada.

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Issue Forty-Three

June 21, 2005

Policy and Practice: Acquired Brain Injury in Canadian Educational Systems

Dawn Zinga, Sheila Bennett, and Dawn Good, Brock University
and John Kumpf, Ontario Brain Injury Association

Abstract: Within Canada, the needs of students with exceptionalities are addressed through a variety of policies and procedures that allow those students to receive effective and meaningful education. However, in most provinces and territories these policies are serving more as barriers than supports in addressing the needs of students with acquired brain injuries (ABI). Within Canada, only two provinces acknowledge ABI as an exceptionality in any significant way. For the most part, ABI is under-recognized and often poorly responded to in Canada’s educational systems. The issues associated with the problematic delivery of services to students with ABI include: the lack of federal guidelines as to the definition of “exceptionality”, the lack of awareness of ABI as an exceptionality requiring accommodation, the connection between the categorization of exceptionalities and funding, and the lack of training and support for educators. The ramifications of these issues and the changes in educational policy needed to adequately address these issues are discussed with reference to children’s right to education.

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Issue Forty-Two

June 9, 2005

The History of Post-Secondary Finance in Alberta - An Analysis

Calvin P. Hauserman and Sheldon L. Stick, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract: Post-secondary systems throughout Canada and the United States have struggled with funding issues during most of the last decade of the 20th Century, and the new millennium did not open with great enthusiasm for change. This article examines the impact of post-secondary education funding changes in Alberta, Canada, by tracing the historical development of funding initiatives. Historically, the province has relied extensively upon federal financial support to maintain programs of higher education, but that support has diminished as the federal government reduced transfer payments for social programs to all provinces. The decrease in federal funding coincided with the Alberta Government’s initiative to reduce the provincial fiscal deficit. Concomitantly, the provincial government sought to impose performance-based funding, and emphasized a business-planning model upon public colleges and universities. The nature of the government actions is analyzed in relation to the concepts of efficiency of teaching, goodness of fit, and value-for-money.

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Issue Forty-One

May 24, 2005

Alternative Strategies for Large Scale Student Assessment in Canada:
Is Value-Added Assessment One Possible Answer


R. Marc Crundwell, University of Michigan, Dearborn

Abstract: Recent focus on student achievement and the effectiveness of schools, school boards, and teachers has lead to increased demands for accountability in education. Large scale assessments are now used in most provinces in Canada to examine the degree to which educational standards are being reached and explore issues of accountability. Alternative models of accountability such as value-added models are gaining popularity in other countries. The current paper explores weaknesses of large-scale annual assessment and investigates the degree to which value-added models may be helpful in looking at educational accountability.

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Issue Forty

May 14, 2005

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Rationale for
Implementing Participatory Rights in Schools


Leanne Johnny, McGill University

Abstract: As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Canada has pledged to uphold the participatory rights of children and youth. The purpose of this paper is to provide a rationale for implementing these rights in schools. It argues that while there appears to be a strong philosophical, legal and political argument for encouraging youth participation, school policy and practice often excludes children from the decision-making process. It concludes with suggestions for the implementation of participatory rights in schools.

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Issue Thirty-Nine

April 30, 2005

Savoir-enseigner et approche constructiviste des apprentissages en formation initiale des maîtres: Les paramètres du développement professionnel dans les productions étudiantes des futurs enseignants Franco-Ontariens
or
Learning to teach: A constructivist approach to the professional development of prospective francophone teachers in Ontario

Pounthion Diallo, Université Laurentienne

Résumé: À partir d’une expérience que nous avons menée dans un cours universitaire de planification de l’enseignement aménagé selon le paradigme constructiviste de l’apprentissage, nous montrons, à travers cet article, comment de futurs maîtres assurent à leur niveau un développement autonome du savoir enseigner. L’accent est mis sur la construction des connaissances dans la matière étudiée en prenant appui sur les divers processus d’élaboration de sens et de développement professionnel dans lesquels s’engagent les futurs maîtres. Les résultats montrent que même s’il a pour cadre premier le contexte isolé de la formation universitaire, le cheminement des futurs maîtres se révèle comme un processus complexe de participation où se joue l’entrée de l’étudiant dans les méandres des pratiques de toute une communauté. Le constructivisme est le cadre de référence à partir duquel sont analysés les apprentissages effectués par les futurs enseignants à l’intérieur du cours. L’expérience étudiée a été menée auprès de la cohorte 2003-2004 des étudiants de l’École des sciences de l’éducation à l’Université Laurentienne.

Abstract: Based on an experiment we conducted in a university course about instructional planning that was guided by a constructivist perspective, we show in this article how future teachers consolidate their own personal knowledge of teaching. Emphasis is put on the construction of knowledge about the discipline being studied, while getting a sense of the diverse processes of making meaning and of professional development in which future teachers are engaged. Results show that even in the isolated context of university education, the developmental pathway of future teachers can be seen as a complex process of participation, where students begin to engage in the practices of the community. Constructivism is the frame of reference from which effective learning about teaching is analyzed by future teachers during the course. The study was based on a cohort of education students at Laurentienne University during 2003-2004.

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Issue Thirty-Eight

April 12, 2005

Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of the Nature and Impact of Large-Scale Reforms

Thomas G. Ryan and Peter Joong, Nipissing University

Abstract: The goal of this study was to examine how and to what extent Ontario secondary teachers have implemented educational reforms that had a direct impact on students, teachers, and the curriculum. The survey concluded that secondary school teachers at randomly selected Ontario secondary schools were overworked, lacked in-service professional development, resources, and support. This situation impacted curriculum planning, teaching, student evaluation, reporting, technology, and the delivery of special education programs. Yet, teachers were able to make changes that supported the reforms even though changes required more time, effort, and new knowledge in the areas of assessment and the integration of technology.

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Issue Thirty-Seven

March 12, 2005

What Parents Know and Believe About Large-Scale Assessments

Ming Mu and Ruth Childs, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

Abstract: Most provinces and states that require students to take large-scale assessments provide information about the tests for parents; however, parents vary in their uses of this information. In this study, parents in an urban Ontario elementary school were surveyed about where they obtained information about the Ontario assessments, what they knew about the assessments, and what they believed about the assessments. Most of the parents were knowledgeable about the assessments and held positive opinions. In general, the more sources of information they used, the more knowledgeable they were, and the more knowledgeable they were, the more positive were their opinions about the assessments.

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Issue Thirty-Six

March 4, 2005

CJEAP: Ten Years Old

Kelvin Seifert, Editor and Karen Poetker, Assistant Editor

Abstract: CJEAP has come a long way since it began in 1995: readership now numbers close to 10,000 per month, submissions are numerous, and reviewers' standards have become more selective. But issues remain about where CJEAP should move in the future. In this article, the editors consider these past trends and lingering questions about the future.

Issue Thirty-five

September 25, 2004

Teaching To the Test: What Every Educator and Policy-Maker Should Know

Louis Volante, Concordia University

Abstract: Teachers typically receive the brunt of the criticism for poor performance on large-scale standardized tests. In order to stave off this criticism, some teachers have begun to provide instruction that utilizes actual or cloned items from these high-stakes tests. Such teaching to the test rarely helps learning and has a detrimental effect on the teaching profession as a whole. The present paper addresses the dangers of directly teaching to a standardized test and the implications of this practice for students, educators and policy makers. It also discusses measures designed to promote constructive test preparation activities. It argues that educators and policy makers both have important roles in ending this practice.

Issue Thirty-four

September 20, 2004

Athletic Gender Equity Policy in Canadian Universities: Issues and Possibilities

Dean M. Beaubier, University of Nebraska

Abstract: Establishing gender equity in Canadian inter-university athletics has been a challenging endeavor for policymakers. The problem of crafting and implementing an effective policy has taken considerable time and continues to be a difficult task for administrators. However, success in this undertaking is important to higher education because such policy provides an environment of opportunity and fairness for participants. Furthermore, its establishment in post-secondary athletics demonstrates a natural promotion of tenets central to tertiary institutions. This paper investigates whether U.S. Title IX athletic gender equity policy could be adapted for use in Canadian higher education. This focus is relevant to Canadian inter-university athletics because American Title IX legislation has been in place for over thirty years and has withstood challenges in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. A discussion of how U.S. policy directives might be implemented in the Canadian environment and whether an adaptation may be in the contexts of a partial exercise rather than a wholesale application is put forth.

Issue Thirty-three

September 1, 2004

Schooling in Babylon, Babylon in School: When Racial Profiling and Zero Tolerance Converge

R. Patrick Solomon and Howard Palmer, York University

Abstract: This study is about systemic containment of Black youth by authority structures within schools and law enforcement agents in racialized communities. Through the retrospective narratives of incarcerated Black students in a secure custody institution, vivid insights are provided into the construction of fear of Black youth and of the ways that arbitrary power and authority operate within the contested terrain of schools. Safe-schools policies of "zero tolerance" and the ongoing practice of "racial profiling" appear to converge in moving Black students through the "school-prison pipeline."

Issue Thirty-two

July 1, 2004

Special Issue: Initial Teacher Education in Canada and the United Kingdom

Guest Editors:
Jon Young, University of Manitoba and Christine Hall, University of Nottingham

Abstract: This special issue consists of nine chapter-length articles discussing teacher education in Canada and the United Kingdom. In Part 1, the authors focus on large, fundamental issues of teacher education, especially as seen in the emerging post-modern international context. In Parts 2 and 3, they discuss how these issues manifest themselves in emerging, innovative practices in the two societies.

Contents in Brief:

Part 1: How is teachers' work changing?

1. Theorising Changes in Teachers' Work, by Christine Hall, University of Nottingham
2. New Technologies and Teachers' Work, by Tony Fisher, University of Nottingham
3. Teachers' Ethical Responsibilities in a Diverse Society, by Nathalie Piquemal, University of Manitoba

Part 2: How is teacher education changing?

4. Systems of Educating Teachers, by Jon Young, University of Manitoba
5. The Impact of Quality Assurance on Mentor Training in Initial Teacher Education Partnerships,
by Bernadette Youens and Mary Bailey, University of Nottingham
6. Redefining Classroom Boundaries: Learning To Teach Using New Technologies,
by Do Coyle, University of Nottingham
7. Learning To Teach Collaboratively, by Peter Sorensen, University of Nottingham

Part 3: Developing teacher identity

8. Melissa's Story: Bridging the Theory/Practice Gap, by Wayne Serebrin, University of Manitoba
9. Learning To Feel Like a Teacher, by Kelvin Seifert, University of Manitoba

Issue Thirty-One

June 18, 2004

Unlocking the Schoolhouse Doors: Institutional Constraints on Parent and Community Involvement in a School Improvement Initiative

Bonnie Stelmach, University of Alberta

Abstract: School improvement literature emphasizes collaboration of teachers, parents, and community members. Schools are challenged to create mutually beneficial partnerships that result in improved student performance. One source of challenge is schools’ organizational structures and processes do not contribute to full and meaningful involvement of non-professionals. Using the lens of institutional theory, this paper reports a study that examined the organizational resistance to including parents and others in one rural Alberta school district. The district implemented Joyce Epstein’s school-home-community partnership model in its Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) project. The study used the District AISI Coordinator’s field notes, as well as interviews with three parents who directly participated in AISI.

Issue Thirty

May 12, 2004

Recruitment and Selection: Meeting the Leadership Shortage in One Large Canadian School District

Anthony Normore, Florida International University

Abstract: This article investigates the recruitment and selection strategies of one large Canadian school district in Ontario, called here the "Northwestern School District." Data collection included interviews, document analyses and observations, and were gathered in 2001. Findings indicated that designated structured teams, financial and emotional support from district office, and support for developing professional growth portfolios were key to attracting candidates. Other findings indicated a need to revisit district policies such as the practice of rotating school principals every three to five years, and the policy favoring internal promotion over promotion from outside the district.

Issue Twenty-nine

March 5, 2004

An Intersectoral Response to Children with Complex Health Care Needs

Wendy Young, University of Toronto
Jasmin Earle, Saint Elizabeth Health Care, Toronto
Mark Dadebo, York University

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to stimulate debate on how to define and enact public responsibility to children with complex health care needs and their families. We present a program, developed using the Auditor General’s framework for accountability that involves Community Care Access Centres, schools and Saint Elizabeth Health Care, a complex care nursing provider. The case study illustrates how public responsibility was successfully enacted at a local level within existing policies for children with complex health care needs. There is no urgent need for policy to ‘catch up' with reality. Rather there is a need for the cross-sectoral development of programs that support policies.

Issue Twenty-eight

February 15, 2004

From “La Plume de Ma Tante" to "Parlez-Vous Français?”
The Making of French Language Policy in British Columbia, 1945-1982

Helen Raptis and Thomas Fleming, University of Victoria

Abstract: During the first half of the twentieth century in British Columbia, French language was considered a school subject to be taught as any other using formal classical approaches. Generally, no specific provincial or local policies existed to guide how French was taught and learned. By 1981, however, British Columbia had developed explicit language policies for implementing various programs, such as “core French,” “French immersion,” and “programme-cadre.” It did so despite the fact that fewer than two per cent of British Columbians spoke French as their mother tongue, and only about one-half of one per cent used French to communicate at home. The discussion in this article reconstructs the historical context and events that led British Columbia to embrace French language as a subject of study as well as French as a vehicle for learning and instruction. Why, from the end of World War II to the 1980s, did the province embrace core French, cadre and immersion programmes?

Issue Twenty-seven

July 25, 2003

Leadership and culture in schools in Nothern British Columbia: Bridge Building and/or Re-balancing Act?

Rosemary Foster, University of Alberta and Tim Goddard, University of Calgary

Abstract: This article reports findings from the completed third stage of an investigation of educational leadership, policy, and organization in select schools in Canada’s north. North as used here refers to the area coterminous with the boreal forest region south of the arctic (Bone, 1992). The research questions guiding this investigation were (i) what are school members’ (e.g., educators, parents, students, community members working with and in the school) perceptions and expectations of educational leadership in northern schools? and (ii) how are leadership and culture in these schools intertwined? In order to address the research questions, a qualitative case study methodology was adopted. The two case studies included in this article report on schools located in northern British Columbia. In the following, we present interpretations and a discussion of three themes as they relate to school members’ perceptions and understandings of the (i) purposes of curriculum and schooling, (ii) role of the principal, and (iii) relationship of the schools to their communities. In concluding, we draw on key findings as we urge researchers and educators to consider students’ perceptions and expectations of schooling in the future development of curricula and pedagogical approaches that will benefit all learners, including students of Aboriginal ancestry. Finally, we argue that practitioners, policy makers, and researchers need to examine the potential of models of leadership and community-based education informed by indigenous values, in addressing issues of equity and power in Canada’s northern schools.

Issue Twenty-six

April 15, 2003

Educational Psychology as a Policy Science: A Conversation

Editor’s note: Under the guest editorship of Nancy Knapp, this issue of CJEAP experiments with a new format for exploring issues related to educational policy. The issue has several parts: 1) an introduction to the issue by Dr. Knapp, 2) an exploration policy implications of educational psychology by David Berliner, former president of the American Educational Research Association, and 3) responses by four prominent educators and educational psychologists (Jere Brophy, Jeanne Ormrod, Virginia Richardson, and Asa Hilliard). In the near future, in addition, CJEAP will publish a brief rejoinder to the responses by David Berliner.

Introduction to This Special Issue

Nancy Knapp, Guest Editor, University of Georgia

Educational Psychology as a Policy Science

David Berliner, Arizona State University

Abstract: Educational psychologists should not ignore what they can contribute to the formulation of public policies about educational issues, even though they may have been trained to approach their work in "scientific" and value-free ways. Since policy-makers and leaders of society normally make decisions on the basis of particular social values, educational psychologists should engage with those values when describing research findings to the public. For example, educational psychology research has important information and conclusions to share with the public about high-stakes testing and about the training and certification of teachers. Educational psychologists have a professional obligation to share that information in ways that shows a commitment to serve society, that shows a simultaneous commitment to scholarly knowledge and practical action, and that shows a willingness to work with the uncertainty of the field of education. We are able to do this effectively because educational psychology itself is a scholarly discipline in the fullest sense: it has findings, concepts, principles, technologies, and theories about instruction.

A Choice, not a Duty

Jere Brophy, Michigan State University


Addressing an Identity Crisis of a Different Sort: A Response to Berliner’s Call To Action

Jeanne Ormrod, University of Northern Colorado (Emerita) & University of New Hamphire


In Response To David Berliner

Asa Hilliard III—Baffour Amankwatia II, Georgia State University


Partisan Research: A Critique

Virginia Richardson, University of Michigan


A Brief Response

David Berliner, Arizona State University

Educational Psychology as a Policy Science: The Beginning of a Conversation...

Nancy Knapp, University of Georgia

Issue Twenty-five

April 3, 2003

Home Schooling: Learning from Dissent

Catherine Luke, University of Victoria

Abstract: This paper is a discussion of home schooling as an alternative to the public school system, an alternative at the furthest end of the spectrum of dissent. The discussion places home schooling on the menu of choice that has come to define many aspects of Canada’s publicly-funded service systems, looks at the ideological foundations of home schooling, and explores what its critique of the public school system may have to offer current school reform agendas.

Issue Twenty-four

February 28, 2003

Moving From Denominational to Linguistic Education in Quebec

David Young, Eastern Shores School Board
Lawrence Bezeau, University of New Brunswick

Abstract: In April of 1997, the governments of Quebec and Canada, through a constitutional amendment, eliminated all denominational rights and privileges respecting education in the province of Quebec. Consequently, Quebec abolished denominational school boards, replacing them with English-language and French-language boards. This paper examines the nature of this transition with an emphasis on what is now the Eastern Shores School Board, an English-language board serving the Gaspe peninsula, the Magdalen Islands, and the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River.