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Priority 1: Improved Outcomes Especially for Less Successful Learners
While it is important to look at better outcomes for all students, it is
especially important to focus attention on those who are currently not succeeding.
Less successful learners are socially and economically disenfranchised. In
the absence of academic success, students lack the skills needed to secure
relevant training and employment, and to participate fully as citizens. As
a consequence, the costs to the individual and society as a whole are significant.
Across Manitoba, a number of initiatives are underway to address these issues.
Schools, divisions and community organizations have formed partnerships to
support pre-school, school-age and adult learning and literacy. Provincial
curricula continues to provide effective instructional strategies and assessment
approaches. A variety of field-based initiatives are positively influencing
the readiness of young children for school, literacy levels and the school
climate in which children learn. For example, Strong Beginnings in Assiniboine
South School Division, Better Beginnings Pre-School Project in Swan Valley
School Division, Literacy Links Program in St. James-Assiniboia School Division
and Grand Rapids School Initiatives in Frontier School Division.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- An annual report on student achievement will be released to the public.
A variety of province-based indicators will be presented with the content
of each report being reflective of collaborative data collection efforts
across Manitoba schools and divisions. A draft outline of the first report
has been shared with the field, with release expected in Fall 2002. This
report could also serve as a model for school and division outcome reporting.
- Recommendations of The Manitoba Special Education Review (1999)
are being implemented to support school personnel to best address the needs
of struggling learners. Legislation is being introduced in 2002, while a
pilot project on special needs funding and accountability has already been
initiated, and a policy handbook related to special needs education has
been sent to all school divisions.
- Information on successful strategies to increase success for Aboriginal
learners is being shared. An Aboriginal Perspectives document for
curriculum developers to assist integration into all curricula is being
developed. The Aboriginal Academic Achievement (AAA) grant supports family
involvement, high school graduation rates and educator expectations. The
Department works with many partners creating opportunities to share appropriate
practice related to the education of Aboriginal children.
- Policy and programming with respect to English as a Second Language (ESL)
is being reviewed. A consultation process with partners has been initiated,
and a survey of schools has been conducted to obtain timely information
on ESL programming. The program review report will be released in early
Fall 2002 with consultations to follow.
- An action plan on equity and diversity is being developed. A draft of
this plan, focused on concrete and achievable actions, will be circulated
for comment in Fall 2002.
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Priority 2: Strengthening Links among Schools, Families and Communities
Parents and families are children’s first teachers, and as such they set
the foundation from which children grow and continue to learn. Throughout
a child’s schooling and life in general, family involvement has been shown
to be an essential component to facilitate success. Communities also contribute
to children’s physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and cognitive well-being,
all of which are important features for healthy growth. Collaboration among
families, the school, and the community improves the learning successes of
all students.
In order to support this priority, collaboration among families, the school,
community services and the Department has been increasing. The Department
continues to fund the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils, maintains links
with various community agencies to support pre-school children and students
with special needs, and encourages community use of schools. Additionally,
the Department continues to provide learning opportunities for parents and
other family members through workshops, information sessions and reporting.
A number of school divisions and individual schools have opened their doors
to the community through unique community school initiatives, mentorship
programs and inviting community members into the schools to provide insights
and knowledge to complement the professional skills of educators. For example: Advancing
Community Schools in Seven Oaks School Division, Towards Cultural Restoration—Healing
and Community in Mystery Lake School District, Citizens in Education in Brandon
School Division, Arthur Meighen Mentorship Program in Portage la Prairie School
Division.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- The Department is providing print and online materials for parents and
the public that describe what students are learning in various grades and
subjects. In consultation with the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils,
content is being developed for the K–8 and S1–S4 English, French Immersion
and Français programs. Materials will be posted on the Department’s
website starting in September 2002 with print copies to follow.
- Information is being provided to schools about effective communication
strategies that engage parents in the education of their children. In partnership
with the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils, information sessions are
being delivered on a pilot basis throughout the province. An information
binder is being developed for parents and communities for receipt and use
of updated information on a continuous basis from the Department.
- Professional development is being enhanced with respect to parental and
community involvement in the school and supporting learning activities in
the home. A bibliography of articles related to parent involvement has been
developed and is currently being distributed to parents and educators as
a pilot initiative. In Fall 2002, a needs evaluation will be held with stakeholder
groups, and professional development sessions will be held for teachers
and parents related to parental and community involvement.
- In consultation with educators and parents, support materials related
to conflict resolution are being developed for schools, families and communities.
A resource guide on commonly asked questions will be made available to the
field in the 2002–2003 school year with other support documents to follow.
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Priority 3: Strengthening School Planning and Reporting
Schools are most successful when they have meaningful, clearly stated goals
and a process for monitoring and reporting on the progress being made towards
the achievement of these goals. Teachers, students, families and communities
must participate in this process if it is to succeed.
Over the past year, tremendous strides have been taken by schools and school
divisions to enhance their planning process. The Department has sponsored
a variety of planning workshops, with many schools and divisions formally
initiating planning processes in partnership with their respective communities.
Planning for Outcomes has been generally accepted as a viable and needed
focus. Many schools have already taken the initiative to identify how their
goals relate to the Department’s six priorities.
This action exemplifies the growing sense of connection across all our initiatives.
In many school divisions, for example, a collaborative process with parents,
students, staff and the Manitoba School Improvement Program (MSIP) has been
created to explore positive ways of collecting and using data to better inform
school improvement.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- School plans are to focus on improving learners’ success and furthering
the six priorities. Regional workshops on Planning for Outcomes have
been held across the province. As a second phase, workshops on "outcomes
evaluation" are being developed for regional sessions in the 2002–2003
school year.
- Information-exchange is being facilitated on effective school and division
planning. A template for reporting on school plans was developed and sent
to all school divisions for implementation in the 2002–2003 school year.
Each November, the Department will review school plans and provide feedback
to the field on issues that might help future planning cycles.
- Schools and divisions will be expected to report publicly on a range of
student success measures. A discussion paper on the value and use of school-based
indicators to support school planning has been distributed to the field.
The reporting of school-based indicators is intended to complement the Department’s
annual report on student achievement.
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Priority 4: Improving Professional Learning Opportunities for Educators
Teachers have an enormous impact on how well students learn. As demands on
schools and teachers change, educators must have the opportunity to maintain
and improve their skills so that they can best meet the needs of students
and communities.
In order to enhance the opportunities for teacher professional development,
the Department, Faculties of Education, school divisions, educational associations,
and individual schools are jointly and independently seeking alternative approaches.
Priority topics for professional development such as subject areas, school
environment issues, socio-economic conditions and student assessment are being
noted and alternative approaches for delivery and information sharing are
being explored.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- Professional development is being focused on key areas of instructional
practice, assessment of learning, differentiated instruction, working with
high needs schools and communities. Department consultants are working with
stakeholder organizations to improve learning opportunities for educators.
- An online website for teachers that highlights good practice and research
relating to professional development priorities is being developed. Criteria
are being articulated for what constitutes "good practice and research"
and material gathered so the site can be made available in 2002–2003.
- New formats for professional development such as teacher networks, online
learning, mentoring and self-study are being developed. The Department has
initiated work on a delivery model using Web CT software, while also holding
stakeholder focus group sessions to discuss alternative opportunities. In
2002–2003, an online professional learning pilot will be conducted with
middle years teachers.
- Professional development is being strengthened for school leaders including
the review of qualifications and credentials. The Department is supporting
the work of its partners in education now studying the training and certification
qualifications of administrators.
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Priority 5: Strengthening Pathways among Secondary Schools, Post-Secondary
Education and Work
Many young people work while attending high school. After high school, students
go on to work or additional education or both. In order to make these transitions
as effective as possible, schools need to be well connected to post-secondary
education and labour market options.
There are a number of school and school division projects that are successfully
facilitating smooth transitions for students between high school, post-secondary
education and employment. Some examples include the Career Exploration Cooperative
in Portage la Prairie School Division, the MAHRCC Aerospace Partnership with
Winnipeg School Division, the Supporting Teen Parents in Maintaining their
Educational Paths in Rhineland School Division, the Real Game series implemented
in many schools across the province, and the partnership between Children
of the Earth High School and University of Winnipeg. A variety of other initiatives
and programs have been in existence for many years that continue to provide
students with opportunities to link their high school studies with their career
aspirations such as Career Days, Science Fairs and locally developed Manitoba
Prospects and High Demand Occupation reports.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- Employability skills credentials that would complement the high school
diploma are being explored. Such an approach would involve prior learning
assessment and recognition.
- Information is being shared about school-initiated courses to assist students
in career exploration and to address local labour market conditions. Online
registration of school-initiated courses is in preparation and will be available
in Fall 2002.
- Assistance is being provided to schools to enable all secondary school
students to develop a portfolio of skills linked to lifelong learning and
employment. Students in many high schools in Manitoba already prepare portfolios
as part of their program. The Department is reviewing the various approaches
to portfolio development as a basis for province-wide implementation in
2003–2004.
- Articulation between secondary and post-secondary education is being enhanced
through joint programming, the awarding of dual credits, offering challenge
for credit, and increasing distance learning opportunities, including Campus
Manitoba. The Department has been partnering with school divisions on the
development of online distance education courses, and consultation is taking
place with universities and colleges related to distance learning options.
A community service option and challenge for credit will be implemented
in 2002–2003.
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Priority 6: Linking Policy and Practice to Research and Evidence
Education policy development and practice should be based on research findings
and linked to student learning results. The best available evidence from Manitoba
and beyond should be used to inform what happens in our school system.
Over the past couple of years, a number of initiatives have been introduced
in Manitoba schools that link policy and practice to research and evidence.
The Grade 3 Assessment process, the MSIP, and the Understanding Early Years
(UEY) program in Winnipeg School Division are all examples of the use of school-based
data to inform school practice.
Manitoba Education, Training and Youth is implementing the following actions:
- The Department’s website is being linked to research organizations in
Canada and beyond. Research links to key national and international research
sites will be available in Fall 2002.
- Partnership research is being supported among universities, school divisions,
schools and the Department.
- Assistance to schools and divisions is being provided on research and
evaluation techniques. In 2002–2003, the Department will sponsor research
forums, symposia and workshops related to provincial research priorities
and interests. Approaches to improve data collection and information exchange
that support research activities are being developed.
- Evaluation of policies and practices is being improved. On an annual basis,
the Department has started to identify and conduct formal evaluations of
programs and policies through a consultative approach with the field.
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Overall Actions
In addition to each of the specific six priorities, the Department has initiated
a number of actions that are intended to support all six priorities:
- The Department is distributing research and information on promising programs
and good practice to Manitoba schools and public. The Manitoba K–S4 Education
Agenda for Student Success website has been launched in both English
and French.
- Schools and the public are being informed about successful initiatives
in Manitoba and elsewhere on each priority. The Agenda website will feature
information on good practice in schools with an emphasis on Manitoba examples
beginning in 2002–2003.
- The Department will support the development of networks of educators and
others who want to work together on the six priority actions. A review of
communication technology is being conducted to determine means of facilitating
collaboration among educators on the six priorities. In the 2002–2003 school
year, specific topics will be identified to initiate discussion among educators.
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