Parents and Students

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With these changes, will decisions be made centrally at the department? How will parents, teachers and principals have a voice in decisions?

These changes will empower parents, teachers and principals by giving them a greater voice about priorities for their schools.

  • Parents will have a stronger voice through School Advisory Councils that will be supported to advance local priorities for their communities.
  • For principals, these changes will mean greater autonomy and independence to be the instructional leaders our education system needs.
  • Teachers will be able to select textbooks and learning materials to best support their students’ needs, and they will have more influence on the development of curriculum, and more support in the classroom for them and their students from teaching specialists.
  • Regional offices will remain in place and will continue to make local decisions as they do now (e.g. bussing, snow day cancellations).
What is the evidence this new structure will improve the education system and benefit students?

Dr. Glaze based her recommendations for what will work best in Nova Scotia on her review of the current system, input from more than 500 stakeholders she met with and 1,500 people who completed an online survey, and her extensive experience.

The changes will shift resources (including staff and funding) from administration and governance into classrooms to support students, and give parents and teachers a greater voice about priorities for their school. As an example, teaching support specialists, in areas such as math and literacy, will spend more time in schools working directly with classroom teachers to support student learning.

If elected boards are gone, what happens to representation of African Nova Scotians and Mi’kmaq?

The voices of African Nova Scotian, Mi’kmaq and immigrant communities must continue to be heard. Along with representation on the Provincial Advisory Council on Education, diversity must increase within the membership of School Advisory Councils. We will consult with members of School Advisory Councils this spring on how to ensure there is diversity in their membership, as well as other matters. Two new executive director positions representing these communities are being created at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotians are also represented on the Minister’s Council on African Nova Scotian Education and the Council on Mi’kmaq Education. The department will work with these communities to enhance their voices.

How will you address rural schools and ensure rural voices are heard?

We recognize the unique challenges facing schools in rural communities. There will still be regional offices and local decisions will remain local, as they are now. Changes will strengthen the voices of parents, teachers and principals in rural communities. These include supporting School Advisory Councils to advance local priorities; more autonomy and independence for principals; and, for teachers, more influence in developing curriculum, more support in the classroom for teachers and their students from teaching specialists. Dr. Glaze also recommends in her report that the department develop a rural education strategy to better respond to the unique challenges facing schools in rural communities.

What kind of decisions will School Advisory Councils be able to make?

School Advisory Councils will be supported to advance local priorities for their communities. Consultations with current members will be held this spring to determine details such as their structure, membership, and supports needed for members.

Can you tell me more about having teaching support specialists in classrooms?

Teaching support specialists will spend less time in regional offices and more time in schools where they will work closer with teachers and students. They will spend more time working directly with classroom teachers to support student learning.

How does this relate to the work of the Council to Improve Classroom Conditions and other initiatives underway?

All of the initiatives - the Council to Improve Classroom Conditions, the Commission on Inclusive Education, the Pre-Primary Program, and the education system administrative review by Dr. Glaze – work together to build a stronger system and stronger classrooms, all with the goal of better preparing students to achieve success beyond high school. A streamlined, unified education system, focused on student achievement, will be the foundation upon which the other three initiatives depend.  

What work is the Council to Improve Classroom Conditions doing?

Since last year, teachers have been part of the Council to Improve Classroom Conditions that has $20 million to invest in frontline classroom changes. Council’s work has included hiring 139 new teachers, and establishing class caps for grades seven to 12, and the first-ever province-wide attendance policy.

When will parents see changes on inclusion in the classroom? Why not wait for the final report of the Commission on Inclusive Education to make all the changes at once?

The Inclusion Commission’s interim report, which can be found at www.ednet.ca, identified inconsistency in policies and processes as a major problem. A unified, focused system will support provincial policies and equity for all students. The Commission’s final report is due in March. Changes to the administration and governance structure will create the foundation upon which the other improvements can be made; specifically, increased support for all students through a new model for inclusive education.

What about students with special needs?

The Avis Glaze report is focused on administration and governance. The Commission on Inclusive Education’s report is focused on inclusive education. The Commission’s report is coming at the end of March.

Will the CSAP board structure staying in place? And why?

CSAP has Charter rights to protect the culture and language of Acadians and Francophones. Because of that, their board structure remains intact.

What was Dr. Glaze’s review focused on?

Government asked Dr. Avis Glaze, a world-renowned education consultant, to do a review of the province’s education administrative and governance system. The review looked at how public schools are administrated, including elected school boards and their central office administration, and administration at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

How many people did Dr. Glaze talk to as part of doing her review? Did she consult?

Dr. Glaze met with more than 500 stakeholders during 91 consultations across the province. Another 1,500 people responded to an online survey on the issues. A complete list of individuals and groups that Dr. Glaze consulted with can be found in Appendix A of the Raise the Bar report, available at https://www.ednet.ns.ca/adminreview.