There has been a lot of discussion over the last several years about the role of School Board Trustees, and whether they help make the schools that they govern better or worse. Much of this debate…
EdVo-Post: Feel, Think, Do
The Ontario Ministry of Education is using the phrase “Think, Feel, Act” to describe its strategy for introducing self-regulation into schools. I think that they are putting the cart before the horse. Brain research…
EdVo-Post: Center for Disease Control report on health supports in US Schools
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the availability of mental health and social services available in US schools declined significantly in the past 14 years despite an increased awareness of the importance of mental health to student…
EdVo-Post: Term Limits – Turnover data on MPs, Ontario MPPs, Toronto Councillors, & Ontario Public Trustees
Lately there has been a great deal of talk about putting limits on the number of terms that a person could serve as School Board Trustee, but these discussions have been largely data-free. To get a sense of the validity…
EdVo-Post: Community Hubs Action Plan Report
In August 2015, the Ontario government released its Community Hubs Action Plan that was developed by an independent panel set up by the government. The Plan describes broad elements will be needed to make it easier for community hubs to be set…
EdVo-Post: Trustee or Ombudsman – who should you call?
There can be confusion about the role of the Ombudsman versus the role of your locally elected Trustee. You may not know who to turn to when you have a concern about your child and school. I hope that this…
EdVo-Post: Elected Trustees are good for schools & students
The Quebec government is making a major mistake by planning to eliminate elected School Board Trustees. The Ontario government has asked the Hall panel looking into the governance of the Toronto District School Board to consider the same possible action.…
EdVo-Post: Walking & School Closures & Helicopter parents
Four generations ago, 8 year-old George Thomas was allowed to roam 10 km from his home in Sheffield England. In 2007, his 8 year-old great-grandson Edward could only go 300 m without being accompanied by an adult, often being driven.
EdVo-Post: What Vaccines & Sex-ed have in common
Vaccinations and candid authoritative sexual health education for students are two sides of improving both public health and the well-being of individual children, youth, and young adults. Vaccines keep deadly diseases at bay with next to no negative effects. Effective…
EdVo-Post: What Does ETFO want – raises or no-strings-attached prep-time?
Recent news reports have been giving contradictory information on what the leaders of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario want before they allow teachers to provide students all the supports that students and families expect. Some reports are that ETFO…
EdVo-Post: Unions’ Priorities Don’t Mention Students
How to decide who is looking after the interests of students One of the most confusing parts of the coverage of these teacher negotiations is who is most committed to student achievement and well-being. Both the unions and the school…
EdVo-Post: Current Collective Agreements
Why aren’t students, and student well-being, part of teacher collective agreements? Most media reports and public discussion related to collective agreements deal with money. Very little attention is given to the rules that determine what happens in the classroom and…