In Sooke BC, parents camped out overnight in the cold to ensure their children would be guaranteed a spot in the district's new pilot project, a nature-based Kindergarten. Students spend half their days immersed in local flora and fauna exploring the local shorelines and forests, while afternoons are spent inside the classroom.
According to a study conducted at SFU low income students are much more likely to live in and attend school in heavy traffic areas. Car exhaust carries a range of pollutants including carbon monoxide, lead and Formaldehyde, and is "associated with lower lung function, impaired lung growth, asthma, ear infections and lower cognitive functioning." Exposure to pollutants has also been associated with lower reduced cognitive abilities and sleep quality. The study captured traffic patterns and income in 10 Canadian cities and found the traffic patterns to be consistent.
A Vancouver organization, Fresh Roots is working with schools to develop "market gardens." The gardens provide food to the cafeteria and to culinary programs, but are also used as a learning tool in curriculum. Known benefits of school-based food programs include, a decrease in bullying and vandalism, improved nutrition and academic scores, greater community connections and support for local farmers. Read more in the Courier.
Finland's education system was reformed in the 1980's with a singular goal in mind, to provide all students regardless of economic or social background or geographic with the opportunity to learn. Schools provide meals, healthcare, guidance and counseling. Despite requiring far less homework than in other countries and despite having a large focus on play, students are performing exceptionally well on international education tests. In fact, Finish scores are typically at the top of the list. There are no private schools in Finland, nor is there competition between schools for ratings.
A new UBC study titled “Education and Crime over the Life Cycle,” examines the impact of education levels on reducing property crimes. Co-author Giovanni Gallipoli explains,
Ontario's auditor general is suggesting that school administrators start collecting data on students' ethnicity, language and socio-economic status. The suggestion comes as several US states have found success in targeting programs to specific ethnic groups to raise graduation rates. The information would not be made public, but it could help administrators to fund and design specific programs.
According to the Globe and Mail, iPads, bring your own computer devices and twitter are the latest trends in education, while cursive writing and long division are going out of style. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of research validating computers over other basic skills. In fact, in the heart of Silicon Valley, many computer executives are sending their children to the Waldorf School, where computers are not used. Waldorf schools rely on traditional teaching techniques along with play.
The 2011 edition of Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries' performance. It provides a broad array of comparable indicators on education systems and represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. The indicators report covers the following broad topics:
Fabrice Murtin, an OECD economist in Paris, and Romain Wacziarg, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, compared 74 countries’ democracy scores from 1870 to 2000 with their educational attainment. The study found that primary education had a far greater Impact on participating in democracies than did income. The authors suggest that primary schooling leads to higher literacy amongst populations and that literacy is one of the keys to political participation. Read
Last spring, the Saanich School Board banned WiFi in all public elementary schools, now a private elementary school south of Prince George is following suite. The move to ban WiFi comes as reported cases of nausea, faintness, headaches and cardiac arrests among children, are on the rise. To find out more about WiFi and children's health visit Safe Schools.
