Los maestros y maestras de las escuelas publicas de la provincia de la Columbia Britanica (CB) son miembros de la Federacion Magisterial de British Columbia (BCTF). En todas las provincias canadienses, cada maestro/maestra tiene que... more
Los maestros y maestras de las escuelas publicas de la provincia de la Columbia Britanica (CB) son miembros de la Federacion Magisterial de British Columbia (BCTF). En todas las provincias canadienses, cada maestro/maestra tiene que pertenecer a su sindicato para poder ensenar. Esto provee una base estable para la organizacion, ya sea para fines de negociacion y/o para el financiamiento de muchos programas que involucran a sus miembros como activistas en su sindicato. La BCTF ve su papel mas alla de velar por la mejora salarial y los beneficios de sus afiliados, a pesar de que estos continuan siendo una parte importante del trabajo sindical. El trabajo de la BCTF incluye tambien velar por mejores condiciones de aprendizaje de las y los estudiantes, ofrecer oportunidades de desarrollo profesional para el personal docente, capacitar a activistas sindicales, asi como incluir programas en pro de la justicia social, y apoyar el trabajo de solidaridad internacional, particularmente con or...
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It is tempting to believe in conspiracies, to think that events have unfolded because powerful forces have secretly and behind-the-scenes carried out an action that had significant social and political impact. Enough stories have been... more
It is tempting to believe in conspiracies, to think that events have unfolded because powerful forces have secretly and behind-the-scenes carried out an action that had significant social and political impact. Enough stories have been proven later—the Iran-Contra scandal, CIA engagement in overturning elected governments—that one must at least keep an open mind about the possibilities. But international standardized tests—isn’t that going a bit far? Could the PISA exam (Programme for International Student Assessment) be a result of a conspiracy? The PISA exam is the beginning of the testing program of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD is a club for the thirty major industrial economies, originally made up of the countries of Western Europe, North America and Japan. In recent years, some of the emerging industrial countries, such as Korea and post-NAFTA Mexico have been added. More than a decade ago, the OECD began a project called the OECD Ed...
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In Issue 196 of the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy (CJEAP), the journal published an article by Jason Ellis, A Short History of K-12 Public School Spending in British Columbia, 1970-2020 that claimed “K-12... more
In Issue 196 of the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy (CJEAP), the journal published an article by Jason Ellis, A Short History of K-12 Public School Spending in British Columbia, 1970-2020 that claimed “K-12 public education spending in British Columbia – adjusted for inflation – is 250 percent higher in 2020 than it was in 1970” (Ellis, 2021, p. 102). We illustrate how this claim lacks a theoretical framework, is based on weak data sources, a flawed research method and skewed analysis that results in a misleading understanding of resource allocations in BC. We present alternative ways to understand spending on education in BC in an effort to correct the scholarly and public record.
These associates wrote the 11 commissioned case studies for this chapter (nine countries from four continents, one hemispheric region- Latin America, and one economic grouping region-OECD). As such they bear part-responsibility only for... more
These associates wrote the 11 commissioned case studies for this chapter (nine countries from four continents, one hemispheric region- Latin America, and one economic grouping region-OECD). As such they bear part-responsibility only for the sections that they wrote rather than for the chapter as a whole. In this chapter, I have simply abstracted or summarized sections from some of them, reordering, editing and
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These associates wrote the 11 commissioned case studies for this chapter (nine countries from four continents, one hemispheric region- Latin America, and one economic grouping region-OECD). As such they bear part-responsibility only for... more
These associates wrote the 11 commissioned case studies for this chapter (nine countries from four continents, one hemispheric region- Latin America, and one economic grouping region-OECD). As such they bear part-responsibility only for the sections that they wrote rather than for the chapter as a whole. In this chapter, I have simply abstracted or summarized sections from some of them, reordering, editing and subtitling on occasion. The three case studies presented here, on the United States, Latin America and England and Wales, are my own summaries and abstractions from the case studies submitted. Some of the 11 case studies will subsequently be published, in full, as separate chapters. For this chapter, 11 case studies were commissioned by the author. They provide detailed information on the types, extent and effects of the liberalization of schooling and further education. The studies are written by people who, at the time of writing, were academic writers and trade union offici...
1. The ministry provided public school boards with additional funds in the form of the Teachers’ Labour Settlement Fund. These were the funds promised to public boards to cover the cost of the settlement of the 2014 strike. But the... more
1. The ministry provided public school boards with additional funds in the form of the Teachers’ Labour Settlement Fund. These were the funds promised to public boards to cover the cost of the settlement of the 2014 strike. But the ministry then added the amount of the Teachers’ Labour Settlement Fund to the total used to calculate the independent schools grant. This extra $81.5 million is reflected in the per student grant upon which the 50% or 35% is calculated. This adds an additional $78 (Group 1) or $55 (Group 2) for each student attending an independent school, providing at least $5 million extra in funding for independent schools in 2014–15. In effect, the public school teacher gains from collective bargaining were handed to the private schools as well.
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BC Association of School Business Officials British Columbia Ministry of Education British Columbia Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association British Columbia School Superintendents Association British Columbia School Trustees... more
BC Association of School Business Officials British Columbia Ministry of Education British Columbia Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association British Columbia School Superintendents Association British Columbia School Trustees Association British Columbia Teachers’ Federation Federation of Independent School Associations in British Columbia Learning Forward British Columbia By Sherri Brown, Anne Hales, Larry Kuehn, and Karen Steffensen
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tag=1 data=Devolution and the Electronic highway [Canada]. by Larry Kuehn tag=2 data=Kuehn, Larry tag=3 data=Education Australia, tag=5 data=15 tag=6 data=December 1991 tag=7 data=5,6. tag=8 data=EDUCATION tag=9 data=DEVOLUTION tag=10... more
tag=1 data=Devolution and the Electronic highway [Canada]. by Larry Kuehn tag=2 data=Kuehn, Larry tag=3 data=Education Australia, tag=5 data=15 tag=6 data=December 1991 tag=7 data=5,6. tag=8 data=EDUCATION tag=9 data=DEVOLUTION tag=10 data=High tech communications are facilitating a covert recentralisation of administrative power in public services around the globe. A description of a Canadian project which is trialling computerised monitoring of performance indicators in education, at the classroom level. tag=11 data=1992/4/1 tag=12 data=92/0010 tag=13 data=CAB
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Privatization through Distributed (online) Learning in the BC K-12 Education System Provincial education funding policies have promoted increasing numbers of students with special needs being registered in publicly financed, private... more
Privatization through Distributed (online) Learning in the BC K-12 Education System Provincial education funding policies have promoted increasing numbers of students with special needs being registered in publicly financed, private school Distributed Learning schools in BC, rather than in face-to-face public schools. Many of these students spend their learning time at home with just an Education Assistant, in contrast to an inclusive educational setting with other students and in a classroom with a teacher. The research explains how the policy framework based on neo-liberal policies of choice and competition among schools has produced this ongoing shift of students with special needs to private, online schools. The increase is related to the underfunding of public schools since 2002 that led to more diverse classrooms without adequate support, a reduction in the number of specialist support teachers and understaffing and undertraining of education assistants. Inadequate service ...
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Thomas Friedman uses the phrase “the world is flat” as his book title and the metaphor for his explanation of the impact and inevitability of globalization in homogenizing societies. Yet Friedman’s analysis does not really reflect reality... more
Thomas Friedman uses the phrase “the world is flat” as his book title and the metaphor for his explanation of the impact and inevitability of globalization in homogenizing societies. Yet Friedman’s analysis does not really reflect reality for most people, those beyond the representatives of global elites that he interviewed and dined with in researching The World is Flat (2006). It is certainly true that global brands and global media reach even into seemingly isolated villages almost anywhere. What Friedman omits is that while commodities, including cultural commodities, travel across borders, most people do not and cannot. They still live in communities. Those communities need to be able to maintain education systems that reflect their needs for social cohesion and democratic development and not just be dependent on global markets, cultural “products,” and the “anonymous socialization” of the Web 2.0 social networking tools.
The globalization agenda for education has seldom been laid out so clearly as in a paper published in May 1997 by the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Korea. This Ministry serves as the Secretariat for the 2nd Human Resources... more
The globalization agenda for education has seldom been laid out so clearly as in a paper published in May 1997 by the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Korea. This Ministry serves as the Secretariat for the 2nd Human Resources Ministerial Meeting of APEC, being held in September 1997 in Seoul. The source of the paper, its content, and the process of which it is a part exemplify the reshaping of education rampant everywhere in support of the globalization of capital.
The connections between Information Technology (IT) corporations and the push for technology as a solution to education problems is very clear in the US. The Gates Foundation funds projects and the organizations that are pushing IT and... more
The connections between Information Technology (IT) corporations and the push for technology as a solution to education problems is very clear in the US. The Gates Foundation funds projects and the organizations that are pushing IT and online learning as government policies.
Ursula Franklin tells us that “every tool shapes the task.” And, as Marshall McLuhan said, humans shape our tools, and then our tools shape us. We only have to look around to see how digital tools are shaping and reshaping human behavior.... more
Ursula Franklin tells us that “every tool shapes the task.” And, as Marshall McLuhan said, humans shape our tools, and then our tools shape us. We only have to look around to see how digital tools are shaping and reshaping human behavior. Cell phones with a range of communication possibilities are widely available globally. Access to the internet at home, at work, at school or at a cyber cafe are becoming a norm.
The number of international students in BC public schools has grown four-fold since the 2001–02 school year. Two factors have promoted this growth: tuition from international students was one area that school districts could increase... more
The number of international students in BC public schools has grown four-fold since the 2001–02 school year. Two factors have promoted this growth: tuition from international students was one area that school districts could increase financial resources during a period of government austerity policies; and the province promoted the enrolment of international students as an economic strategy. One outcome of the policy has been an increase in inequality between school districts, with most of the additional resources landing in Metro Vancouver and Lower Vancouver Island.
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Union-active teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have recently fought to reform their organizations in the name of social justice. This growing movement is remarkable, but it is not new. Organizational histories commissioned or written by... more
Union-active teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have recently fought to reform their organizations in the name of social justice. This growing movement is remarkable, but it is not new. Organizational histories commissioned or written by teacher union insiders (Chafe 1968; Cuff 1985; French 1968; Glass 1989; NUT 2008) and accounts of teacher unionism written by educational historians and sociologists (Danylewycz and Prentice 1986; Foley 1995; Gaskell 2008; Murphy 1990; Smaller 1991; Urban 1982) suggest at least five periods of social justice teacher union activism since the beginning of the twentieth century.
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En Canada, tenemos mas de una decada de experiencia con acuerdos de libre comercio con los Estados Unidos -primero fue uno entre Canada y Estados Unidos, y luego el Tratado Libre de Comercio Norteamericano. El Gobierno canadiense... more
En Canada, tenemos mas de una decada de experiencia con acuerdos de libre comercio con los Estados Unidos -primero fue uno entre Canada y Estados Unidos, y luego el Tratado Libre de Comercio Norteamericano. El Gobierno canadiense esta jugando el papel de lider al impulsar el desarrollo del Acuerdo de Libre Comercio en el Area de las Americas (ALCA) y Canada sera el pais anfitrion de la proxima Cumbre de las Americas que se realizara en el mes de Abril del 2001.
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Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Calvert, John, 1947-Pandora's box (Our schools/our selves monograph series ; no. 13) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-921908-14-8 1. Education - Canada. 2. Education - Economic... more
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Calvert, John, 1947-Pandora's box (Our schools/our selves monograph series ; no. 13) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-921908-14-8 1. Education - Canada. 2. Education - Economic aspects - Canada. 3. ...
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A “platform” when used in the technology field means a digital structure on which a range of services are built. This paper takes a critical look at the shape of “platform capitalism” and at how platforms have increasingly become the... more
A “platform” when used in the technology field means a digital structure on which a range of services are built. This paper takes a critical look at the shape of “platform capitalism” and at how platforms have increasingly become the tools and providers of the content of education. It examines the major corporations colonizing education, including Google, Micorsoft, Apple and Amazon, as well as a platform sprecific to education, Class Dojo. Finally, it calls for government regulation as the only way to have public accountability and use of the data that is crucial to developments of AI in education.
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British Columbians and Canadians enjoy a quality of life that is dependent on quality public services. Public services are accessible, accountable, locally-controlled and a good investment of tax dollars. Public schools are one of those... more
British Columbians and Canadians enjoy a quality of life that is dependent on quality public services. Public services are accessible, accountable, locally-controlled and a good investment of tax dollars. Public schools are one of those services. When privatization creeps into education, sometimes under the umbrella of educational reform, schooling becomes a political tool, accountability is weakened, and public funds and values are diverted to corporate profits.
To be clear, Institute for Public Education/British Columbia is critical of privatization. Our task is to make clear how and where privatization is taking hold within public education and to offer a pro-public education alternative. Understandably sometimes public education needs to be improved to deserve being preserved; that too is our goal.
IPE/BC is currently researching the issue of privatization and will be releasing a series of occasional papers on various aspects of privatization in education.
Public funding for private schools may be the most obvious way public education in British Columbia is being privatized, but there are other less obvious privatizing strategies at work. This is a background paper that offers analysis of 1) the common neoliberal narrative that legitimize and promote privatization thus drawing the public into a manufactured consent of privatization and 2) specific contexts in which this privatization in manifest, such as personalized learning (especially with technology), choice programs, school fees and fund raising, business principles of school administration, corporate sponsorships, fee paying international students, and publicly funded private schools.
To be clear, Institute for Public Education/British Columbia is critical of privatization. Our task is to make clear how and where privatization is taking hold within public education and to offer a pro-public education alternative. Understandably sometimes public education needs to be improved to deserve being preserved; that too is our goal.
IPE/BC is currently researching the issue of privatization and will be releasing a series of occasional papers on various aspects of privatization in education.
Public funding for private schools may be the most obvious way public education in British Columbia is being privatized, but there are other less obvious privatizing strategies at work. This is a background paper that offers analysis of 1) the common neoliberal narrative that legitimize and promote privatization thus drawing the public into a manufactured consent of privatization and 2) specific contexts in which this privatization in manifest, such as personalized learning (especially with technology), choice programs, school fees and fund raising, business principles of school administration, corporate sponsorships, fee paying international students, and publicly funded private schools.
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... the Opening of City Academies in England 81 Ian Murch 10 An Inner-City Public School ... protest meeting called a general strike to oppose the ban and privatization of schools ... report" Trade Union Rights... more
... the Opening of City Academies in England 81 Ian Murch 10 An Inner-City Public School ... protest meeting called a general strike to oppose the ban and privatization of schools ... report" Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan (TURCP) in Sindh rejects ban on teachers' organisations ...
