The CSBA Newsletter January 2015 will bring you up to date on recent CSBA activities, provide you with a snapshot of what each province is focusing on at the moment and in case you were wondering, it will also give you a quick answer to the question “What exactly is the CSBA?”
Happy reading!
Information on CSBA Annual Congress as well as the National Trustee Gathering on Aboriginal Education is now available at www.csba2015.ca. Check out the great program we have planned for you!
For those interested in presenting, the deadline is at the end of February, which is coming fast. You will find the necessary information to submit on the website.
School trustees and senior school administrators from across the country attended the CSBA 2014 congress, in addition to the National Trustee Gathering on Aboriginal Education and the OPSBA AGM which were held in conjunction with the annual congress in Niagara Falls this past July.
OPSBA were extraordinary hosts of a well run event with an exceptional program. International speakers brought perspective and wisdom and provided direction that certainly will have an impact on the strategic planning of the trustees of our Canadian education system.
Check out our recent newsletter for more information on this event and the next CSBA Congress.
Aboriginal children under age 14 make up 7% of all children in Canada. The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing demographic in this country and eighty percent of Aboriginal children attend off-reserve provincial schools. In terms of school success, there are significant gaps in learning outcomes and graduation rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. How can we create conditions to better support Aboriginal students and their success in our public schools…?
Check out the Publication and for more information on the research, visit the CEA website.
C21 Canada seeks to support the accelerated and effective integration of 21st century skills and competencies, teaching practices and learning technologies into Canada’s education systems. CSBA was proud to submit several nominees for the C21 Shifting Minds National Award for distinctive achievement in the field of 21st Century learning and innovation. Three CSBA nominees won in their category:
Individual Leadership Award: Al Reyner, Principal at Sir John A. MacDonald High School in Boutiliers Point, Nova Scotia for inquiry and project based learning.
System Award Red River Valley School Division, Morris, MB for the use of technology in learning and teaching through the “One to the World” technology initiative.
School Team Award: Sisler High School in Winnipeg, for true innovation in education technology.
The Canadian School Boards Association congratulates the above winners on their efforts to integrate technology and the wqst century skills and competencies into their student’s lives.
CSBA , in collaboration with Aboriginal Leaders across the country developed and on February 16, 2014 was proud to adopt unanimously the Canadian School Boards Association Charter of Commitment to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education. While in development the document was requested, reviewed and revised by First Nations Communities and was endorsed enthusiastically by all provinces. It will now serve as our guide to all we hope to accompish in our school boards. For their contributions and hard work in producing this important document, CSBA would like to thank the First Nations communities for their precious guidance, as well as the members of the CSBA Aboriginal Education Committee Members and the Canadian Association of Academic Deans for providing a good, foundational resource for us to adapt. To download your copy: CSBA Charter of Commitment; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education. Display it proudly in your offices.
Already, the program for this year’s CSBA conference is looking amazing! The quality of speakers is reflective of this year’s theme, “Excellence, Reimagined”. Hosted this year by OPSBA, this event is a lifetime opportunity in a spectacular venue.
For more information on program, registration or transportation, go to the CSBA2014 website .
* Please note that the Sheraton on the Falls is already filling up so the Organizing Committee has arranged for additional hotel rooms at the same rate, with shuttle service, at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls Hotel. For help with accommodation please contact Ernesta Graham egraham@opsba.org.
The leadership booked for the National Aboriginal Trustees Gathering are respected experts in the field and leave no doubt the program will provide excellent opportunities for all who can attend. For more information, got to NATG2014.
Educators and students should be provided with assessment tools to identify issues and gaps for individual students.Release date: 10 February 2014
Standardized testing is a contentious issue in Canada, and internationally. There is a large body of literature about these large-scale standardized tests with no consensus on their effectiveness. According to the Canadian Education Association’s latest Facts on Education fact sheet, while there is some support for standardized testing, overwhelmingly, research suggests that it does not lead to improved educational outcomes for students.
To access What is the Value of Standardized Testing, go to Facts On Education – Standardized Testing And for other hot button issues such as, Under what conditions does technology impact learning? Do good grades in high school guarantee post-secondary success? How useful is homework? and Do smaller classes improve learning?, please visit: www.cea-ace.ca/facts-on-education
About The Facts on Education
With a generous sponsorship from the Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA), CEA has teamed up with researchers from the University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Education to conduct the research and produce the content. Four more facts sheets focusing on what the research says about the correlation of high school grades and post-secondary success, the impact of technology on classrooms, effective approaches to improving students’ mental well-being, creating conditions for Aboriginal student success in our public schools, and defining what standardized testing is actually measuring, will be distributed throughout the 2013-2014 academic year.
Max Cooke, Director of Communications
Canadian Education Assocation
Dr. Mark Tremblay
Only 5 % of Canadian school children are meeting the national physical activity standards. Dr. Mark Tremblay, an expert in Children’s Health and part of the team that wrote the 2013 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, will be at the CSBA conference in Vancouver this week to speak to this critical situation and to offer 10 solutions as a starting point for school boards’ discussions. Student Health and Wellness is a Key Priority for the CSBA and we hope that this Pre-Congress session, which takes place from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on July 4, will assist trustees and commissioners from across Canada to take an active role in affecting change.
Please visit http://www.csba2013.ca/index.php/program/july4 for more information on the session or Dr. Tremblay.
