Seven Oaks Met School, the only high school in Canada that is part of the U.S.-based Big Picture Learning network of innovative schools, graduated its first class this spring. Internships with businesses and institutions in the community are a core element of the Met School experience. Students report on their internship experience, as well as on…

In fall 2010, after several incidents of student suspensions and expulsions at a nearby provincial high school, members of Potlotek First Nation in Nova Scotia talked about having a school of their own. Discussions came to a head several weeks later for the Mi'kmaw community on Cape Breton Island when two more students were suspended on the same…

Since its opening three years ago, Oasis Skateboard Factory (OSF), founded by teacher Craig Morrison, has attracted considerable media exposure and received a Ken Spencer Award from the CEA for its innovative program. OSF is one of three programs offered by Oasis Alternative Secondary School, one of 22 alternative secondary schools of the Toronto…

In October of 2010, Canadian Education Association (CEA), in conjunction with colleagues from SCOPE (Stanford Centre for Opportunity Policy in Education), hosted an event entitled "Achieving Equity through Innovation: A Canada-United States Colloquium." This two-day event provided an important platform for the exchange of ideas,…

An intensive consultation undertaken by the University of Winnipeg revealed that many residents--especially new Canadians and Aboriginal peoples living in the downtown neighbourhoods--face barriers to higher education, and for many the university was an unknown and unwelcoming territory. Winnipeg is home to the largest urban population of…

Many new ideas arise at the borders of systems. Academics and educators engage in research and reform of the education system itself, but much that is innovative in today's schools originates outside the classroom, in a burgeoning set of programs and partnerships with the voluntary or community sector, and in the relationships being established by…

When asked to explain why so many urban schools show unsatisfactory results on academic or social measures, principals routinely and quickly turn to descriptions of parents. In other words, when seeking to explain why work within a school is so difficult or why reform initiatives have been unsuccessful, many principals point outside the school.…

Canada prides itself on being an inclusive country. Immigrants from all over the world arrive in Canada's cities with their families because they feel welcome and safe. According to research, engagement towards social inclusion increased among Canadians during the last 30 last years. These changing values resulted in the creation of official…

Staff morale is highest when teachers, and principals, really know the school community, and feel that their programs and methods have been consciously selected to serve their particular pupils. (Editor)

Set down here are the basic principles behind community schools and how they are developed. (Editor)

Article presented a list of questions designed to learn from the school trustee how effective his role in developing educational objectives is. (RK)

School board decisions should reflect the needs of the public. Questionnaires, home visits and discussions help to achieve these ends. (AF)

Canadian schools, the author claims, will remain cultural deserts as long as curricula do not reflect Canada's multicultural character. (Editor)

Specific suggestions on improving communication between administrators, teachers, parents, and students. (SP)