Search

Canadian population trends were examined from a life course perspective to identify needed social policy changes. First, the following principles underpinning the life course perspective were discussed: (1) aging involves biological, psychological, and social processes; (2) human development and aging are lifelong processes; (3) individuals' and cohorts' life courses are embedded in and shaped by historical time and place; (4) the antecedents and consequences of life transitions and events vary according to their timing in a person's life; (5) lives are lived interdependently; and (6) individuals construct their own life courses through the choices and actions they take within the opportunities and constraints of history and social circumstances. Next, the following policy domains were analyzed from the life course perspective: (1) education, the transition to employment, and lifelong learning; (2) family and the relationship between work and family; (3) work-to-retirement transitions; (4) income security in the later years; and (5) intergenerational relations and social cohesion. It was recommended that Canadian policymakers responsible for public, corporate, union, and educational policy focus on the increasing inequality that develops over the life course, avoid the error of assuming a model life course, and move toward consideration of need rather than age. (Contains 166 references.) (MN)

Although Ontario's Ministry of Education currently funds a variety of literacy programs, the province of Ontario (Canada) currently has no overall policy, evaluation process, or agreed-upon definition of adult literacy to guide further development in the field. When developing a comprehensive government policy regarding adult literacy in Ontario, policymakers must recognize that adult literacy exists in the broader context of adult basic education and adult education. Policymakers must address the following contextual issues: lifelong learning, equity of outcome, integrated services, and the financial implications of policy decisions. The policy developed must recognize that literacy is first and foremost a human service whose delivery must be tailored to give consideration to Ontario's multicultural character. Policy decisions regarding adult literacy must be developed with consideration for the following issues: access, language rights, diverse and flexible programs, support services, field development and support, and shared responsibility. (Appended are lists of the following: literacy and skills training programs funding by Canada's ministries of education and colleges and universities; Ministry of Education-funded adult literacy programs; people consulted during the project; and issues identified during the consultations.) (MN)

A fundamental goal of teachers in public schools in British Columbia (BC) is to ensure all students of every age, through the principle of continuous learning, have an equal opportunity to develop their full capacity for artistic, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. BC public school teachers believe that the primary purpose of assessment is to support and promote students' learning. They know it is important to use a variety of methods to assess students' progress and meet students' needs. Classroom instruction and assessment practices must be congruent with a belief that learning happens when the individual child is central to, engaged in, and excited by learning. With this focus, and through a series of finely tuned and complex decisions, the teacher's responsibility is to make curricular, instructional, and assessment choices to foster the growth of the whole child. Ongoing classroom assessment allows students to demonstrate, in a variety of ways, what they are learning and thereby informs teaching and learning. Teachers know that learning is a complex process, and that students learn in different ways and at different rates. The proliferation of mandated, district-wide, and provincial testing has taken time away from teaching and learning and has had an effect on the "taught" curriculum, by both narrowing it and making it shallower. The workload on teachers has increased dramatically, adding stress to the job, and forcing some to choose to teach part-time in order to be able to comply with the requirements imposed on the system. The misguided use of school district data has not improved the learning conditions of children nor increased the resources necessary for effective instruction to ensure success for students. The so-called accountability or achievement agenda has not produced any tangible improvements for the education system as a whole nor for the children who attend schools. Teachers are committed to ensuring the best possible education for every child. It is because of this commitment that they are so concerned about the current practices in, and direction of, the public education system. If teachers are being pressured to act in ways that are harmful to children, causing children undue stress, short-changing them on exciting educational opportunities, labeling them as failures because of their language, class, or gender then there is a need to change what is being done. This paper contends that educational policy and practice must shift away from standardization and return to focusing on student's individual learning needs.

This study unearths and examines rich models of learning in which multiple institutions collaboratively play a role in promoting civic education. Using historical and ethnographic case study analysis, this paper addresses the research question: What is the role of community in civic education? Specifically, the author examines Hull House and the pioneering social settlement work of Jane Addams at the turn of the 20th century; democratic education for social change put into practice during the civil rights movement by Myles Horton, Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, and others at the Highlander Folk School; and the Neighborhood Learning Community in St. Paul, Minnesota, a network of community institutions, schools, and higher education institutions which applies the lessons from Hull House and Highlander in its efforts to create a neighborhood culture of learning. Short overviews of these cases are given, as well as detailed lessons for the role of community in civic education. The cases in this study present important historical and contemporary models where educators commit to making change over longer periods of time; place a deliberate emphasis on comprehensive, relational, and public education; make learning relevant to people's everyday lives; recognize the creative powers of diversity through public work; utilize the talents and instincts of non-professionals; foster reciprocal relationships; and embrace flexibility and trust in the messiness of democracy. [This paper was produced by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), University of Maryland.]

There is broad recognition in Canada that offering both early childhood education to strengthen healthy development for all children and child care to support mothers' workforce participation is in the public interest. Noting that Canada does not currently provide adequate early childhood care and education, this paper examines federal/provincial jurisdictional obstacles to a national child care strategy, especially those that arose in the 1990s. The paper first examines how a national child care program has been envisioned over the years, and clarifies the proposed roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government. This part examines three failed attempts to secure a national child care strategy in the context of the shifting federalism between 1984 and 1995. The paper also analyzes child care within the concept of the social union that began to be debated as the federal role in social programs waned in the 1990s. Finally, the Social Union Framework Agreement of February 1999 and its possibilities for a national child care program are appraised. The paper maintains that the Agreement's principles and state objectives not only create a new imperative for a national child care strategy but also provide new opportunities for implementation. The paper also argues that federal leadership is necessary for any national child care strategy's success, and proposes that an effective national strategy be used as a benchmark from which to evaluate nation-shaping political arrangements such as the Social Union Framework Agreement. Appended is a list of the presentations from the conference at which this paper was originally presented. (Contains 63 references.) (KB)

These three publications examine the current state and future of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta, Canada. The "Current Context" publication, released in October 1996, examines the following topics: the structure of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta; enrollment and industry participation; Alberta's contribution to apprenticeship training and the interprovincial standards (Red Seal) program; funding apprenticeship and industry training; the emerging economic environment and skill requirements; and recent government initiatives. A "Vision for the Future," also published in October 1996, is a discussion paper and outlines the vision and principles of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta. The "Keeping you Informed" publication, released in March 1997, presents the responses from stakeholders to the discussion paper. Both the "Vision for the Future" and the "Keeping You Informed" responses are structured around 14 specific goals and strategies related to responsiveness, accessibility, affordability, and accountability. The following are among the recommendations discussed in both papers: (1) redesign the advisory committee network; (2) consider opportunities for flexible certification; (3) increase flexibility in methods of formal instruction; (4) review the regulatory framework; (5) communicate alternative ways of accessing apprenticeship training; and (6) provide apprentices with appropriate financial supports. The three documents include a total of 21 tables/charts and a questionnaire examining the vision and principles of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta and strategies for achieving them. (MN)

This paper on adult informal learning is divided into four sections. Section 1 examines different conceptions of informal learning and the issues and limitations associated with alternative definitions of informal learning. Section 2 is a review of empirical research on the estimated extent, role, and outcomes of informal learning and posited linkages between informal and formal methods of learning. It reports that, according to the New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL) 2000 national survey, over 95 percent of Canadian adults are involved in some form of informal learning activities that they identify as significant. Section 3 critically assesses current research approaches to studying informal learning and identifies policy-relevant knowledge gaps concerning the general level and nature of informal learning, distribution of informal learning across the adult population, impact of informal learning on individual and firm performance, and relationship of informal learning to formal skills development. Section 4 recommends optimal approaches to future research on informal learning practices with a particular focus on survey research in Canada and finds it imperative to establish benchmarks of the general incidence, basic contents and modes, and any differential patterns of intentional informal learning and training, and to continue to track trends in relation to other dimensions of adult learning. (Appendixes include NALL questions and 69 references.) (YLB)

A descriptive study observed the transmission of manual job skills from older to younger men in working class communities in Ontario and the effects of massive downsizing in industrial plants on this process. Current as well as previous ethnographic research was used. Some of the outcomes of the continual downsizing included the following: (1) the restructuring that destroyed many working-class communities also destroyed the social organization that stored and transmitted manual skills among men in working class communities; (2) within the workplace, the development of managerial technologies expropriated workers' skills and supported greater control of management over the work process and training; (3) the informal relationships among working-class men that were part of the community as well as the workplace were weakened by increasing technology, decreasing workforce, and managerial control; and (4) this process was gender-specific to men and included the transmission of values, such as anti-intellectualism and disdain for academic occupations. (Contains 13 references.) (KC)

This paper analyzes the current proposals by the government of Alberta, Canada, to implement an accountability framework for the province's postsecondary institutions using performance indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for performance indicators based on a discrepancy model of evaluation using three metaphors: mechanical, medical, and economic. This is followed by a critical examination of performance indicators with delineation of potential weaknesses and strengths as well as recommendations for practice. Finally, the Alberta plan is used as a case study to illustrate the concepts developed in the paper. The Alberta plan for performance indicators in the public postsecondary sector is seen as reflecting an economic metaphor of performance indicators which will result in measuring fiscal effectiveness as opposed to educational effectiveness. Further, while the Alberta government has indicated that the performance indicators will allow for inter- and intra-sectoral variations, no allowances seem to have been made for a value-added assessment of student outcomes, which is at the heart of the purpose for postsecondary educational institutions. (Contains 19 references.) (Author)

Following a review of Alberta (Canada) provincial policies related to teacher preparation, certification, evaluation, and professional development, the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards advised the Minister of Education on ideas that should be included in a framework to improve educational quality. The policy positions outlined in this paper reflect the Minister of Education's commitment to a provincial policy framework that guides individual, cooperative, and collaborative actions to enhance the quality of education provided to all Alberta students. This paper specifies the steps for enhancing the quality of teaching in Alberta, including: (1) The Quality Teaching Standard and descriptors of quality teaching to be used as guides in teacher preparation programs, teaching, teachers' initial and ongoing professional growth, and teacher evaluation; (2) improved teacher preparation with support for ongoing collaboration to improve teaching and establish procedures to assure the effectiveness of teacher preparation and competencies; (3) teacher certification and amending the Certification of Teachers Regulation to specify both academic and competency requirements for interim and permanent certification; and (4) teacher evaluation and professional development. Appendix A includes descriptions of elements in quality teaching; required knowledge, skills, and aptitudes; and certification implementation. (JLS)

Aboriginal people are not benefiting from the British Columbia school system, as evidenced by their poor performance on basic skills tests, overrepresentation in special education, and low high school completion rates. The British Columbia Human Rights Commission feels that Aboriginal students do not receive an equal education. Through research, public hearings, and follow-up actions, the Commission will identify ways to use its human rights mandate and legislative authority to remove barriers for Aboriginal students in the school system. The intention of the public hearings is to work cooperatively with all education stakeholders to identify and implement solutions to ensure educational equality for Aboriginal students. Educational equity will be achieved when Aboriginal children see themselves and their people reflected in the curriculum, feel a sense of belonging in the school system, and no longer face discrimination; Aboriginal parents are a part of their children's education; Aboriginal communities share control over their children's education; a holistic approach to education is adopted; and non-Aboriginal Canadians understand their country's history regarding Aboriginal people and respect the unique status of Aboriginal people. Key questions for public hearings include: How can the Commission work with education and Aboriginal communities to create an equal education system for Aboriginal students? How can identified barriers be eliminated? What educational barriers have yet to be identified? and Which programs and activities are successful? (Contains 28 endnotes.) (TD)

The pilot project, "A Pedagogy of the Land" (POL), provides an opportunity to ponder the relations between aboriginal community/university knowledges in this case, the relations between an Anishinaape land-based pedagogy and the developing theorizing around formal and informal learning. Traditional aboriginal education is not limited to elders teaching children. While elders are responsible for passing knowledge to the appropriate people when they are ready, any person older or more experienced in a particular knowledge than another has the potential to be that person's teacher. Education is a community responsibility taken seriously by each and every community member who at any moment can be in the position of teaching. The learning in POL does not fit any category of the "Basic Types of Intentional Learning." It involves traditional indigenous knowledge keepers with some fluency in their language whose knowledge arises from traditional Anishinaape world view in a program that allows them to build on one another's knowledge and prepare to pass it on to others who know less. Located on an isolated island in a large northern lake, POL has the goal to recreate indigenous knowledge in a contemporary context. Over a year, students attend two summer courses with an intervening research component. As participants work through their days in traditional activities, they incorporate sacred knowledge into their every action. Comments from Anishinaape teacher, Kaaren Dannenmann follow. (YLB)

To take community seriously in the conduct of educational research, the researcher should consider taking down epistemological walls and the "real" ones that confine the processes and products of academic labor to artificially isolated settings. Epistemologically, the question of walls relates to the kinds of knowledge competed over, most often disciplinary knowledge. Within and around disciplinary walls are the walls of theory. Community in the context of the discussion means the creation of spaces that allow difference to be a constant, unpredictable part of who we are together. A pilot project, A Pedagogy of the Land (POL), is an example of current research in an attempt to take down the walls. POL involves traditional indigenous knowledge keepers with some fluency in their language whose knowledge arises from traditional Anishinaape world view in a program that allows them to build on one another's knowledge and prepare to pass it on to others who know less. POL addresses walls by taking the university a faculty member out of the walls of the campus. It begins from the premise that traditional knowledge has most often been pushed outside the epistemological walls of academe by being given inequitable status and prestige. What happens on the island in the north where POL is located is discourse that has been inaccessible to the English language, arises from the land, and is constructed by the people who have lived there since time immemorial. (Contains 13 references.) (YLB)

The changing world of work requires an evaluation of the ways of thinking about career development and the ways of preparing people for future roles. Canada's participation in a global economy is a reality that must be recognized and translated into career-planning strategies. There are three major global trends that career practitioners must be aware of: the increasingly technological world, the increasingly borderless world, and the increasingly polarized world. Competencies that workers need in order to be successful in the global marketplace are discussed as well as the barriers to their success. In order for career practitioners and workers to be globally minded, they need the following: access to information about the impact of global trends; assistance in seeing themselves as global workers; opportunities for international travel and study; knowledge about cross-cultural competencies; and role models. Both individual and organizational efforts are needed to prepare students and employees for future work roles. (Author/JDM)

This paper overviews the evolution of rural society in Ontario (Canada) from the author's personal experience and research. The paper defines "rural" and "culture" and discusses how these concepts are relevant to social change and the resulting effects on technology, demographics, social organization, and community beliefs and meanings. Modern technology has resulted in the closure of rural schools, churches, businesses, and post offices. Additionally, daily travel between large and small communities has closed the gap between rural and urban life and changed rural demography. For example, rural teachers are now less likely to live in the community; to know much of the child's home life; or to meet socially with the children, their parents, or other individuals active in the community. Another impact of rural change is the centralization of local institutions and loss of local control. In rural Ontario, schools are managed by a cluster of highly trained and highly paid officials with whom parents, teachers, and principals have limited influence. In essence, urbanization has resulted in the adoption of urban values and beliefs at the expense of traditional rural values that emphasize the importance of community life. A form of social action is proposed that uses "community sounding" as a way to stimulate rural community rejuvenation. This effort solicits community participation and stresses local history to reestablish an awareness of rural values. Rural people must strive to develop a new definition of rural by freeing themselves from labels and stereotypes that are impressed on them by urban opinion makers. (LP)

This report presents a brief overview of the most common approaches to the calculation of transfer rates and discusses the use of a transfer rate as a measure of institutional effectiveness. It provides an overview of existing practices and helps to inform a discussion of whether or not transfer rate data should be collected from British Columbia (BC) public postsecondary institutions and how transfer rates should be calculated. The issue of how best to calculate a transfer rate depends in part upon the purpose underlying the collection of such information. If the rate is to be used as a measure of college effectiveness with consequences that follow for the institution depending upon its "success," then how the rate is calculated becomes very important. The key difference in the calculation of various transfer rates rests in the precise definitions of entering or exiting student cohort, time frame for transfer, minimum number of college credits completed, type of curriculum studied, and student intent to transfer. The report looks at transfer rates and the BC postsecondary system and discusses possible transfer rate models in the BC context: entering student cohort model, exiting student cohort model, transfer readiness model, and transfer of credits model. Some recommendations conclude the report. Contains 10 references. (VWC)

Intends to facilitate discussion between the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer and degree-granting institutions regarding the feasibility of establishing new transfer arrangements for students who have completed an associate degree in a British Columbian (BC) college or university college and are subsequently admitted to another degree-granting institution. Focuses on the initiative of providing improved transfer for associate degrees as transfer difficulties created by the complexity of the BC transfer environment increases. Asserts that new agreements for the transfer of completed associate degrees, as well as admission priority for students holding an associate degree would achieve this end. Recommends that an "Associate Degree Transfer Policy" could guarantee a minimum of 60 transfer credits but still require students to complete all lower and upper division requirements for their baccalaureate degree. Under any new arrangement respecting transfer for the associate degree, institutions would maintain appropriate control over the academic requirements for all degrees, majors, and concentrations. Under ideal conditions potential transfer students would plan their selection of courses for the associate degree by including the requirements for majors within the electives. Students who failed to do so could be required to complete additional credits beyond the 60 specified in the associate degree. Priority admission over all other transfer institutions could be granted to any student who has completed an associate degree. (VWC)

From 1995-1998, 12 of the 79 organizations funded by Canada's National Literacy Secretariat (NLS) conducted approximately 40 workplace literacy pilot projects across Canada. Those projects were reviewed to determine their effectiveness in increasing the number and quality of Canadian workplace literacy programs. Information for the review was collected from the following sources: review of pertinent materials available through the NLS; conversations with practitioners involved in workplace pilot projects and provincial government representatives; and interviews with representatives of 4 of the 12 organizations (an employer association, federation of labor, the Prairie Regional Training Consortium, and an industrial sector training council). The pilot projects tended to have three fields of activity: learning activities; short-term organizational change strategies; and long-term structural workplace change. The pilots have introduced literacy into a range of new industries and workplaces; however, only a small number of workplaces have created foundations for ongoing programs. Recommendations emerging from the review included calls for the NLS to fund more innovative workplace learning strategies and extend the time and financial resources for pilots to support more effective organizational change activities. A French translation is included. (Appended is information about how the review was conducted.) (MN)

A Virtual Research and Extension Communication Network (VRECN) is a set of networked electronic tools facilitating improvement in communication processes and information sharing among stakeholders involved in agricultural development. In developing countries, research and extension personnel within a ministry of agriculture, in consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders, can develop and implement a VRECN. The tools are artifacts of a planned and ongoing process of stakeholder involvement in mapping communication- and information-sharing relationships and identifying critical relationships that require improvement to reach agricultural development and food security goals. Creating a VRECN in a developing country requires a planned process of stakeholder engagement, multi-stakeholder assessments of communication and information needs, and collaborative workshops to determine the desired characteristics of a VRECN, management relationships, and development partnerships. Six steps are to conduct project preparation, information technology assessment, and VRECN prototype development; identify product and services for VRECN; create VRECN prototype and directory; evaluate product and services; identify and secure staff support; and evaluate project. A number of tangible products result from a preplanned process for creating a VRECN, particularly through efforts to establish stakeholder needs assessments and collaborative working groups. (YLB)

This report examines the status, funding, and accessibility of child care in Canada and presents recommendations for the federal government to improve access to quality child care for all Canadians. The report describes the purposes that can be served by child care and illustrates how it can advance social and economic objectives of national importance. Major concerns with current funding methods and affordability are identified, and the lack of child care spaces for low-income families is documented. The report also discusses the low salaries and inadequate working conditions of child care staff. The paper concludes by advancing 12 specific recommendations to improve child care access and quality, chief of which is that the federal government promote the long-term goal of a publicly-funded, universally-accessible, comprehensive and high quality child care system for all Canadians. Six appendixes include a list of child care grants in Canada, a description of the Canadian Assistance Plan (CAP) child care subsidy, data on child care costs by income level, an evaluation of various funding options, and a description of a comprehensive child-care service system in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Contains 119 references. (MDM)