As global climate negotiations wrap up in Doha, it’s worth reminding ourselves of the science behind the push for climate action. You can view the video on our YouTube channel, by clicking here. Dr. John Fyfe is one of 150 Scientists contributing to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. The fifth “assessment report” will be published in 2013-2014. The forth “assessment report” was published READ MORE
With childhood obesity rates climbing at alarming rates, Onatrio explores multiple interventions aimed at different aspects of healthy living including healthier cafeteria selections and increases to daily physical activity for students. Read more at The Globe and Mail .
Kamloops-Thompson school district leaders are calling foul on the Fraser Institute for including incorrect data in their school rankings study. The Institute has been called to task for ranking the mean income of Chase at $103,000 despite knowing that the C.D. Howe Institute lists Chase’s mean income at $40,000. The district also accuses the Institute READ MORE
Amendments to the BC Schools Act will allow school districts to set their own schedules. The current schedule with summers off is based on an agrarian schedule, and is not considered relevant to most parents ‘nor students ‘current needs. Read more at CBC.
Generation Queer, Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Canadian Schools , provides an overview of LGBTQ youth-related research, a current picture of homophobia in Canadian schools and ideas for helping to build the “resiliency of sexual and gender minority youth “in schools . Read more on the Alberta Teachers’ Association website.
A study published in the International Journal of Science Education provides good news for parents with children in public schools; students from public schools outperform in the fields of math and physics at university. Furthermore, students from East Vancouver outperformed students from Westside schools. Read more in the Vancouver Sun. Find study here .
For 60 years Gideon Bibles have been distributed to grade 5 students Owen Sound Ontario, but an 8-3 vote by local trustees is bringing the practice to an end. The board made the move to reflect both the diversity of the local community, not wanting to grant preferred access to a particular faith group, and READ MORE
An updated study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative s shows that university graduates more than pay off the cost of their undergraduate degrees: degrees mean higher incomes, which mean higher taxes paid into the public treasury. These two infographics from the study help explain their calculations. Read the full report here .
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 READ MORE
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, READ MORE
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, “Our findings suggest that keeping kids in school, making them employable and improving their value in the labour market is nearly twice as cost-effective at reducing crime as simple READ MORE
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 READ MORE
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 READ MORE
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 READ MORE
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 READ MORE
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 READ MORE
A Tyee series on Aboriginal education looks at the critical links between language and culture. With a steady decline in spoken aboriginal languages in BC, advocates and educators are looking for solutions. While elders are working hard to pass on their languages, fluent speakers are racing against time to teach the younger generations. Advocates are READ MORE
The Vancouver School Board may follow in the footsteps of Richmond, Maple Ridge, Langley and implement a year-round school calendar. The motive behind such a move is to keep students engaged so that they don’t forget what they learned the year before. The board has not settled on a model but is considering either including READ MORE
A Toronto-based school food program is proving successful in raising academic scores and improving behavior for the students it serves. “Feeding Our Future,” was started after a Toronto student was shot by a fellow student. Some administrators and nutrition experts argued that “hungry kid was an angry kid.” By providing the basics – a meal READ MORE
An article in Macleans Magazine looks at a decline in manual skills amongst youth and shows that the basics such as how to hold a hammer and turn a screwdriver are mysteries for many youth. The lack of basic skills and work ethic is causing problems in a number of trades from engineering and architecture READ MORE
Located on the Adam’s Lake reserve, Chief Atahm Elementary relies on elders for its immersion program that teaches only in the local language, Secwepemctsin, from kindergarten to Grade 3. The school also provides instruction in traditional cultural practices, from plant identification and uses, to preserving meat. The involvement of local elders and parents has created READ MORE
A murder in a neighbourhood often lowers the IQ scores of children within a 10 block radius. Although this dip in IQ seems to go back to normal after 10 days, the post-traumatic stress of children who live in violent crime-ridden neighbourhoods accounts for lower IQ scores and poorer academic performance. Read the full story READ MORE
This issue of Our Schools/Our Selves examines childcare and early childhood development as the multifaceted and diverse topic that it is. It includes contributions from top Canadian researchers, writers and activits and provides insight on how communities can best care for children and families. Find more information at CCPA .
Why are school districts cutting staff and laying off teachers? A new research report, finds growing evidence that the funding formula does not cover the costs of public education, can be read here .
Scientific research suggests that socioeconomic status affects cognitive development and performance in children. Poverty causes social and biological stress that may affect the brain, causing low academic performance among children and youth living in poverty and impaired memory as adults. Read more about the findings of this study at Wired Magazine .
A recent study conducted by the Univeristy of British Columbia found an alarming link between child poverty and poor academic performance. Such findings further highlight B.C.’s high child poverty rates. Read the full story in The Tyee .
The Auditor General of BC has released its report on literacy in BC schools. One of the report’s conclusions was that more could be done to reach out to potential literacy learners and that better support through data and funding is needed, as well as improved monitoring and performance reporting. Click here to link to the READ MORE
A lesson guide developed by the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, the BC Federation of Teachers, SPARC BC and the Vancouver Art Gallery, this guide is designed to engage teachers and students in learning and activities related to Homelessness Action Week. Download the guide here .
A new study from StatsCan has found that young men are far less likely to attend university than young women. The study found that differences in study habits and academic performance at the age of 15 contributed to this trend, as well as parental expectations. To read the study click here .