Ontario Cannot Buy Labour Peace, Hudak Says

Published in the Toronto Star
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/1246379--ontario-cannot-buy-labour-peace-tim-hudak-says 

Dear Editor,


Political debate about education policy in Ontario is important and many different views can have merit. However, Tim Hudak’s claim that performance in Ontario schools has ‘gone down’ in recent years is contrary to all the available evidence, whether from Ontario’s Ministry of Education, the Educational Quality and Accountability Office, the OECD, McKinsey consultants, or the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. All these sources show that Ontario has a very high performing system by international standards, and that our performance relative to previous years and other provinces has improved. Sources for this claim can be found on our website – factsineducation.blogspot.com.


Sincerely,

• Ruth Baumann, Chair, Curriculum Council for the Ontario Ministry of Education
• Ron Canuel, CEO, Canadian Education Association
• Lorna Earl, Director, Aporia Consulting Ltd. and President of the International Congress of School Effectiveness and School Improvement
• Sue Ferguson, Associate, Continuing Education and Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Depts
• Michael Fullan, Special Policy Adviser in Education to the Premier of Ontario
• Kathleen Gallagher, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Jane Gaskell, Professor and former Dean, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Joan Green, Former Director of Education, Founding CEO of EQAO, International Consultant on Public Policy and Performance
• Bill Hogarth, retired Director of Education, Education Consultant
• Kenneth Leithwood, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Ben Levin, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Penny Milton, former CEO Canadian Education Association
• Charles Pascal, Professor, University of Toronto, Former Ontario Deputy Minister of Education
• Jim Slotta, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• Charles Underleider, Professor, Sociology of Education, the University of British Columbia, and Director of Research, Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group, LLP

See, for example:

EQAO’s Provincial Elementary School Report: Results of the 2010–2011Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1–3) and Junior Division (Grades 4–6):

http://www.eqao.com/pdf_e/11/EQAO_ProvincialReport_Elementary2011.pdf

EQAO’s Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), 2010

Highlights of Ontario Results:  http://www.eqao.com/pdf_e/11/PCAP_Highlights2010e_web.pdf

Levin, B. (2012). More High School Graduates: How Schools Can Save Students from Dropping Out. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Levin, Ben. (2008)  How to Change 5000 Schools. A Practical and Positive Approach for Leading Change at Every Level. Cambridge, MA:  Harvard Education Press.

Mourshed, M. Chijioke, C. Barber, M. (2010). How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better. McKinsey & Company.

http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/How-the-Worlds-Most-Improved-School-Systems-Keep-Getting-Better_Download-version_Final.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education (re: High School Graduation rates): http://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2010/03/ontario-graduation-rates-rise-again.html