Kate Tagseth's Groups
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Less Testing: Educati...
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21st Century Schools @...
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Kate Tagseth's Discussions
Getting rid of EQAO
Replied Mar 17
Kate Tagseth's Page
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Thank you for this summary of the current state of testing. I have personally asked the premier to abolish EQAO (and the LNS) and redirect the millions of dollars into resources that will actually help students learn. He laughed, but did credit me...
Haven't had much luck finding the consultation paper to which you refer, (still looking!) but I found this review that may be of interest.
Bill 177: Making School Boards More “Responsible” and Less Relevant
Bill 177: “The Student Achievement and ...
Richard, all good points. I don't like the idea that university would have to modify its standards so people who might not "make the grade" (can't believe I just said that) can succeed either. One of my professors taught me a lesson in a stats cou...
Check out the Governance Review Report recently published on the Ministry of Education site, as well as the latest announcement by the McGuinty government (May 7, 2009) called "Making Student Achievement Our Top Priority". I contains links to the ...
If you apply that logic to EQAO, then these marks should not matter either. I doubt there is any successful person who has not "failed" at something at some time. That's how we learn. The important lesson to be taken from a failure is "did we lear...
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- Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself?
- Having been a teacher for over 20 years (and counting) I am very interested in what People for Education is doing to raise awareness and improve the Education experience for Ontario kids and teachers. I hold a B.A., B.Ed., and M.Ed, and have been a President of a Teachers' Union local.
Comment Wall (4 comments)
- At 11:46am on March 14, 2009,
Sonja Friesl said… - Kate,
Thanks so much for your perspective and all of the research tips you provided. This information will be so helpful!
Kind Regards,
Sonja
- At 12:25pm on March 8, 2009,
Sonja Friesl said…
- Kate,
I am mainly interested in how government policies can make it easier for schools to become more actively involved in their communities. For example, how can they provide services to parents like daycare that also provide early education to children too young to be enrolled in school without suffering from financial or political strain?
I am currently working on a paper that will analyze the effectiveness of Ontario's Best Start initiative in Toronto In order to expand my knowledge of this subject.
Also, I wonder what kind of curriculum best prepares students for lives as professional adults and find the comments posted on this site help me refine my opinion.
- At 12:07pm on March 8, 2009,
Sheila Stewart said… - Hi Kate. I hope you will visit the discussions in the "21st Century Schools at the Centre Group". Many overlapping ideas/views in these discussions! I was hoping to hear the voice of teachers more....but I recognize there is a reluctance/risk. I hope a respectful dialoque will continue on this site. Glad you are participating!
- At 11:15am on March 8, 2009,
Sonja Friesl said…
- Hi Kate! I am a Public Policy Masters Student at the University of Toronto and one of the moderators in the online community. Welcome!
What specific policy changes do you think need to be made to the education system in order to improve the experience of Ontario kids and teachers?
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21st Century Schools @...
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Special Education
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Consultations, curriculum, confusion and conferences
There are many things happening on the education front - some better publicized than others.
The province wants to hear from parents and community members about the elementary curriculum (they just forgot to publicize the consultation); Bill 177 is going to undergo two days of public hearings in Toronto; and the Ministry hired a market research company to survey parents about the School Information Finder on the Ministry of Education website.
There have also been some fairly cranky meetings with the Provincial Education Partnership Table about the Information Finder, and all four provincial parent groups wrote a letter to the Minister of Education clarifying their concern about the Finder being described as a tool for "parent engagement."
Next week - more consultations on the Information Finder, maybe there will be news about the province's plans for all day early learning and child care and we'll be putting the finishing touches on the agenda for our November 7th provincial conference.
The province wants to hear from parents and community members about the elementary curriculum (they just forgot to publicize the consultation); Bill 177 is going to undergo two days of public hearings in Toronto; and the Ministry hired a market research company to survey parents about the School Information Finder on the Ministry of Education website.
There have also been some fairly cranky meetings with the Provincial Education Partnership Table about the Information Finder, and all four provincial parent groups wrote a letter to the Minister of Education clarifying their concern about the Finder being described as a tool for "parent engagement."
Next week - more consultations on the Information Finder, maybe there will be news about the province's plans for all day early learning and child care and we'll be putting the finishing touches on the agenda for our November 7th provincial conference.
THINGS WE LEARNED
By reading the news. Send Gay news from your part of the world to post here too!
Hugh Mackenzie, economist and People for Education board member, has written a wonderful column: Can we have an adult conversation about taxes.
Debate flourishes in Toronto over idea of new all boys school. Read the news:
Research shows single-sex schools are not the answer.
Single-sex classes score big, Toronto Star.
All-boys schools foster ‘achievement culture' , Globe and Mail.
School plan calls for boys-only classes, Toronto Star.
Oct 1st:
Happy World Teachers' Day!
To read about some wonderful teachers, click here.
Hugh Mackenzie, economist and People for Education board member, has written a wonderful column: Can we have an adult conversation about taxes.
Debate flourishes in Toronto over idea of new all boys school. Read the news:
Research shows single-sex schools are not the answer.
Single-sex classes score big, Toronto Star.
All-boys schools foster ‘achievement culture' , Globe and Mail.
School plan calls for boys-only classes, Toronto Star.
New research shows the value of work-experience programs in Canadian high schools.
Oct 1st:
Happy World Teachers' Day!
To read about some wonderful teachers, click here.
Latest Activity
Thanks for posting, Deborah! Yes, it relates well to some of the topics/questions we heard at the conference!
I think it is critical to frame discussions of success around some of the themes that Annie suggested in an earlier post - students, parents, teachers, etc. I also think that it is important to find places where this can be wedded to existing oppo...
A bunch of us from the online community are planning to "meet-up" at the conference at York University on Saturday Nov. 7th.
We can chat at lunch!
So let us know if you are coming... we'd like to meet you!
Help us to design a broader vision for education in the 21st century!
Hello everyone,
It's Sunday morning after the conference. I had a great sleep last night and woke up so excited about our group. I loved meeting you all, and I look forward to staying in touch as you explore some of these communication tools! And ...
This morning I was working on a blog entry for the Toronto Development Community Institute. I got on Youtube to search for a piece on Paolo Freire on literacy and oppression. I ended up watching this piece. I think it continues on beautifully with...
Good points Mike. I have also noticed that many of the parent groups and organizations around the province are made of of mostly parents who are over 40 years old.
Where are the younger parents who will take over for the more "seasoned" parents(n...
Everyone is welcome: this group begins at our conference on Saturday. It's a support group for people who want to learn more about using technology to communicate. How to do stuff here, or to start an e-news listserv, or group & more!
I concur.
What a good idea to engage the media.
In our area, Special Education planning committees (SEAC) are supposed to "engage" and consult via "invitation to respond" to "all parents receiving special ed services" but none of the special ed pa...
After living over 11 years in this province with school councils and governments of all stripes propping up their speeches with the usual parent platitudes, it's a real shame that parents need to chase down and impress upon a minister the importan...
Call me cynical, but is it possible that the email coming out from the Ministry and the extension of the deadline could have something to do with the opinions expressed in this discussion?
Thanks to People for Education for supporting this dialogue.
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