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The Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education provides non-partisan education research and information to policy-makers, education partners and the public. Our purpose is to encourage higher performance throughout Canada's public education system.
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The Pressure for Choice
Dr. Peter Coleman
During 1994-1996, a significant number of B.C. school districts received proposals to establish alternative public schools of choice based on the effective schools model. These became commonly known in B.C. as 'Traditional Schools'. The proposals were put forward by parent groups of substantial size and attracted considerable community support. Most proposals, after going through a lengthy and heated district approval process, were denied.
In this 1998 study, Simon Fraser University Professor, Peter Coleman reviewed the contents of 14 of these proposals to answer the following questions: What were these parents asking for? How do Traditional School proposals match up with the effective schools literature? His report sheds light on an important education policy question facing many school boards.
The essential characteristics distilled from the proposals revealed that parents were seeking a consistent, structured approach to learning, school accountability, adherence to the prescribed curriculum, input into decisions through a governance council, and parent and teacher commitment to the values of the school. They desired regular assessment and reporting, and traditional models of instruction, with teachers having high expectations for students, and holding them accountable for achievement, including homework. They wanted a school climate which emphasized a safe and pleasant environment, a strict code of behavior, and a dress code.
Coleman then compared each desired element with the research on effective schools. He concludes "the proposers have learned well from the effective schools research and they capture much of what is being said about the differences between ordinary schools and effective schools. There are no guarantees in education, but these schools represent a very good opportunity."
Research Series 4, Published June 1998, ISBN # 0-9685144-1-3
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