“I feel valued by parents, I feel valued by students,” he says. “I think there’s a bigger discussion out there about the importance of teachers and what they do.” Despite the strife, Canada remains one of the top-performing countries in all subjects, including mathematics, trailing three OECD countries and six other countries. Canadian students in all provinces except Prince Edward Island ranked at or above the OECD average in reading and science. More remarkably, Canada has maintained its scores by making sure that its educational system compensates for societal inequalities. Except for First Nations children, underprivileged students are as likely to meet international standards as their richer counterparts. It’s an accomplishment that teachers say should earn them more recognition. But the most recent results from the Program for International Student Assessment also came with a warning: The “significant decline in the skill levels of youth” is “perhaps a strong signal for ministries and departments of education, as well as for education partners, to work together” as well as allocate “resources to ensure that they continue meeting the needs of our society.” Ironically, this week, a report from the C.D. Howe Institute, a national think tank based in Toronto, found that good salaries are a good indicator of high international test scores. Good pay for teachers is one reason that Canadian students perform so much better in math than those in the U.S., the report said. (GlobeMail)
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 06:48:35 +0000
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