People for Education – latest newsletter

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Ministry releases new guide to Pupil Accommodation Reviews

“Why do school boards close schools?”
“How can I get involved in the process?”
“What happens when the accommodation review is completed?”

These are just some of the questions raised when it comes to closing schools. To help address these questions, the Ministry of Education has released a new guide to Pupil Accommodation Reviews. The guide provides parents and the broader community with information about the process school boards go through when deciding whether to close schools.

To read more, click here.
Join our discussion on school closings.

What have the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals got to do with Ontario education?

In a landmark agreement, tabled at the United Nations in September, countries from around the world—including Canada—committed to working toward 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The goals focus on ending poverty, fighting inequality, and tackling climate change by 2030.

Nearly every one of the goals is connected to public education. From environmental issues to global citizenship, the goals provide a framework for a forward-thinking vision for education.

To learn more about how you can join this international movement, click here.

Measuring What Matters in Africa

In early February, People for Education was invited to an extraordinary meeting in Zambia, led by the Brookings Institution and UNESCO’sLearning Metrics Task Force. At the meeting, we were struck by two things:

  • First, around the world, we share a desire to ensure that all young people have access to an education that includes not just the “3 R’s”, but also supports creativity, citizenship, social-emotional learning and health.
  • Second, how much Ontario has to learn from the rest of the world about the deeper purpose of education.

To read more, click here.

Does Ontario’s post-secondary education provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life and work?

The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has launched a ground-breaking project to measure students’ communications and problem-solving skills as they enter college or university, and then measure them again when they graduate.

To read The Toronto Star Article about the project, click here.
To read about HEQCO’s work on post-secondary learning outcomes, click here.

Social media this week

What people are talking about…

A number of countries are “contracting out” education.What happens if an education system is outsourced?

A U.S. study finds that schools offering more physical activity had significantly better math scores.

Level Up is a free online resource from Ophea, supporting educators in promoting positive mental health and well-being.

Watch this touching story about an amazing caretaker who “makes his school shine, simply by being there”.

Do you know a teacher or school that is making an impact in Indigenous education? Nominate them for Indspire’s Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Awards.

Students at a school in Gatineau were asked to fundraise $20,000 for desks and chairs. Is this a user fee for public education?

To keep up to date on all the latest social media news, check out our Facebookpage or follow us on twitter: @peoplefored, @anniekidder, @jacquistrachan.