• Private Schools
• Advice Guide
• Private School Basics

Governance and Principles

Canadians are in an enviable position as their education system for students in primary grades through to the completion of secondary school is held in high regard throughout the world.  Education for this age group falls under each provincial government’s jurisdiction except for the education of Aboriginal students.  

Provincial departments of Education have the authority to design curriculum, assessment and accountability policies that take into account the unique factors inherent in local geography, history and language where appropriate. Education for Aboriginal students is funded and governed by the Federal Government of Canada rather than the provinces.  Many of the democratic principles outlined in the Canadian Constitution and those principles of equality and inclusiveness expressed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms can be found in the mission and vision statements of all of the Education systems across Canada.

As reported by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education, Public and Separate schools systems that are publicly funded (publicly funded Separate schools are only in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta) serve about 93 percent of all students in Canada.  The other 7% of students are educated in a number of accredited private or independent schools across Canada or in a ‘home schooling’ environment.  The high enrolment of Canadian children and youth in Public education systems ensures some measure of consistency and ability to uphold a standard of practice and accountability.  Many private schools across the country are regulated and required to hold to specific standards of practice by Provincial Ministries of Education.  Considering the vast geography of the nation and the diversity of the population, the systemic consistency of basic principles, values and many practices are viewed with interest by those beyond our borders.  Canadian schooling provides fundamentally for:

• The poorest of children to have access to good schools;
• The neediest learners to have their individual needs addressed;
• All students to have safe and caring school environments;
• Involvement of parents and community stakeholders;
• Education for preschool children (between the ages of three and five); and
• Recognition of the need to establish programs to support the general well being of all students and not just academic needs.

To learn how the Canadian education system compares with that of the United States and Great Britain, read our guide.

Assessing the Quality and Level of Student Learning

In view of the efforts to establish and maintain a respected education system, Canadian students are measured regularly on international assessments.  These assessments compare Canadian students to those in many other countries at specific ages and on outcomes that are specific to academic or content areas for learning.  The following are the assessments most commonly used and highly regarded for their results in K – 12 education:

• PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) for 15 year old students in reading, mathematics and science. Assessed on a 3-year cycle – 2012 is the most recent assessment.
• TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science) for fourth and eighth grade students. Assessed on a regular 4-year cycle –  2011 is the most recent assessment.
• PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) for fourth grade students. Assessed on a 5-year cycle – 2011 is the most recent assessment.

Canadian students perform at or above the statistical average on all of the above assessments.  There are many specific areas of strength and some concerns indicated in overall results in both the PISA and the PIRLS assessment.  For more information visit: https://cdnsba.org/  and https://www.cmec.ca/docs/pirls/PIRLS_2011_Highlights_EN.pdf   

Some key findings from both these assessments are:

• Canadian students perform well in most of the competencies in reading.  On the combined reading scale, only four countries surpassed Canada:  Shanghai-China, Korea, Finland and Hong Kong-China.
• Canadian students in the English-language school systems outperformed students in the French language school systems on the combined reading scale.
• The Canadian gender gap:  females outperform males in reading, while males outperformed females in math and science.
• Equity, a measure of how well a country can maximize its students’ potential, was ranked as extremely high in Canada.  The combination of high PISA scores with high equity demonstrates that there is a small gap between highest and lowest performing students.
• In relation to the Canadian average, British Columbia performed above the Canadian average, while Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador performed at the Canadian average.  The average scores for Quebec and New Brunswick French were significantly lower than that of Canada overall.
• There is a positive relationship between Canadian students’ reading achievement with time spent reading outside of school and parents who like to read.  Worldwide, Canadian students are among those who like to read the most, surpassed only by those in four other countries.

Only the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec are assessed in the TIMMS international assessment of Math and Science.  East Asian countries continue to have a significant lead in the world for mathematics and science achievement.  Singapore, Korea, and Hong Kong, followed by Chinese Taipei and Japan, were the top-performing countries in both Grades 4 and 8 Math and Science.

All three of the Canadian provinces produced good results but concerns about areas of decreasing results were noted in this summary of the TIMSS assessment:

• Ontario students have shown significant improvement in Mathematics between 1995 and 2011.  There has been a significant decline in the Grade 8 average scale score since 2003.
• Quebec’s Mathematics results have dropped significantly since 1995 in both Grade 4 and Grade 8.
• Alberta’s Mathematics results have remained statistically unchanged in Grade 4 but declined significantly in Grade 8 since 1995.
• Ontario students have shown improvement in Science between 1995 and 2011, but in 2011, the average scale scores for Grades 4 and 8 are lower than in 2003.
• Alberta students' science scores outperformed students in all other provinces, putting them in the top seven in the world just behind the East Asian group of Countries.

Private schools in Canada and around the world are part of the random selection of schools that are included in the PISA study.  Significant findings indicate:

• Students who attend private schools tend to perform significantly better than students who attend public schools;
• Students in public schools in a similar socio-economic context as private schools tend to do equally well; and
• Countries with a larger share of private schools do not perform better in PISA.

The impact factors in the study seen as supporting the ‘private school advantage' were that private schools:

• Mostly attract those students with the advantages that are seen from having a higher socio-economic level;
• Have autonomy in designing curricula and allocating resources;
• Have less complex decision making processes and can explore innovative practice and programs with fewer restrictions; and
• Are able to compete for the best and brightest students

Behind the numbers, these assessments show that Canada is performing well but results from other countries are improving at a more significant rate than Canada’s, which could result in a relative decline in Canada’s overall ranking.  It was noted in the report by the Canadian School Boards Association that Canada is “well-positioned, but we can’t afford to be complacent,” resulting in this organization recommending a review and analysis of similar educational systems from the top-performing countries to ensure we are focusing on those skills that will enable Canadian students to become global leaders of the 21st century.

Trends in Canadian Education

The review of these international results combined with Provincial and School district assessments and National assessments such as the Pan Canadian Assessment Program enable leaders in education across Canada, to determine the emerging trends and pressure points which are likely to create change in education policy and practice in the short and long term.  Other factors such as worldwide economic trends and the paradigm shift created by the impact of technology on our lives are also included in this analysis.

A sense of urgency is building nationally and internationally about how to educate our students today, to be citizens of a world where countries and communities are and will most likely continue to deal with:

• Rapid change;
• Lack of employment opportunities for youth;
• Youth who have few skills for work presently available;
• Knowing which skills students need for jobs that have not yet been created;
• Integrating present technology effectively into educational practice and the emergence of technology that has not yet been invented; and
• Multiple social economic and political situations that we have little or no experience to deal with.

Many Jurisdictions in Canada have started to develop and implement educational strategies which focus on competencies for 21st century learning.  National educational organizations such as CMEC – Council of Ministers of Education, Canada and C21 Canada are providing some consistency on what 21st century learning is and setting a vision for policy development and standards for Canadian educators in this area.  There are still significant differences between provinces with regard to the implementation of 21st century learning.

John Seely Brown, a world renowned innovative thinker known for his ideas for merging digital culture and education, notes what the impact this shift to 21st century learning has and will have on education.

• The world is changing faster than ever and our skill sets have a shorter life
• In this connected world, mentorship takes on new importance and meaning
• Challenges we face are multi-faceted requiring systems thinking and sensibility to the impact of technology on social behaviour
• Skills are important but so are mind sets and dispositions
• Innovation is more important than ever
• A new culture of learning needs to manage social and technical infrastructures in new ways
• Put the emphasis of instruction on competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, innovation, digital literacy and character rather than the instruction of facts
• Educators are no longer dispensers of knowledge but facilitators of learning.

Classroom practices will change with a greater focus on 21st century competencies.
Learning will become more:

• Student-driven and personalized, students become partners in learning;
• Focused on inquiry;
• Focused on students solving authentic real-life problems within the context of the curriculum;
• Multi-disciplinary, sometimes using such pedagogical approaches as project-based learning;
• Focused on assessment which is designed to involve the students in identifying the descriptors for learning and using descriptive feedback through the process of learning from both teachers and peers; and
• Assessing skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving.

As the Canadian education system continues to meet the needs of today’s students other trends emerge to impact the system to ensure that Canadian students are knowledgeable participants in a future that is complex.  These trends put pressure on the Canadian system to evolve and remain relevant to support Canadian students to compete in a global economy.  All or most provincial education systems recognize the need to:

• Create effective and appropriate education for very young children – all day every day pre-primary programs;
• Focus on increasing levels of achievement for mathematics and science in elementary and secondary programs;
• Integrate entrepreneurial studies into both elementary and secondary programs;
• Work with educational partners in all levels of the education system to create multiple formats, opportunities and environments where students learn;
• Ensure equality of opportunity and inclusiveness for the diversity of student needs and cultures in Canadian schools;
• Re-assess and develop programs for Aboriginal students which more appropriately address their strengths and needs;
• Develop national programs to support students to understand and deal with cyber bullying; and
• Review and redefine what leadership competencies leaders need in today’s schools and school systems.

Is Canada meeting expected targets for students in expected timelines?  Is Canada up for the challenge of transforming a good education system to a great one and truly leading the world?  The foundation is in place and it will take the vigilance and courage of educational leaders to make the tough decisions in a timely manner.

About the Author

Anita Townsend is an independent Educational Consultant who has been an educator for over 35 years as a teacher, consultant and principal. She also served at the district level of a large Ontario school board as a principal for K -12 Programs. She was the recipient of several awards for her work in promoting the effective use of technology in learning and using global collaboration to enhance understanding of Global issues. She has travelled extensively in her work and continues to facilitate international leadership programs.

References:
M. Fullan,  ( 2012) Great to Excellent –Launchng the Next Stage of Ontraio’s Education Agenda, Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education Publication
C21 Canada, (2012) A 21ST Century Vision of Public Education for  Canada www.c21canada.org 

Horizon Report 2011 K–12 Edition New Media Consortium Website: https://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf

Learn Canada 2020, (2008)is the framework of the Provincial and Territorial Ministers of
Education, through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada
OECD (2013), Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2013-en
PIRLS 2011 InternationalReport, available at: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/pirls2011/index.html#

OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary
OECD (2012), Public and Private Schools: How Management and Funding Relate to their Socio-economic Profile, OECD Publishing.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264175006-en