ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Personalized Learning? Is There Anything New in the Ministry of Education Service Plan for 2011-12? BCTF Research Report. Section V. 2011-EF-03
Author: Kuehn, Larry
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Student Interests,School Districts,Educational Needs,Electronic Learning,Individualized Instruction,Capacity Building,Educational Objectives,Indigenous Populations,Educational Assessment,Distance Education,Foreign Countries

Each time a provincial budget is released, along with it comes a &quot;service plan&quot; for each of the ministries. It is supposed to be the minister's accountability report. So what's new this year? Unlike some previous plans where teachers were not even mentioned, this time teachers are referred to several times in the report. The purpose for education is repeatedly put in economic terms, preparing students for the world of work. Not surprisingly, given the talk in education circles in the past few months, the recurrent theme in the service plan involves &quot;personalization,&quot; &quot;technology,&quot; and &quot;skills for the 21st Century.&quot; The one concrete thing is distributed learning. &quot;Online and distributed learning, offering more personalized schooling choices, more than doubled in demand between 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 to over 71,000 students.&quot; Note that this does not say that 71,000 students were successful in distributed learning courses. In fact, the ministry has acknowledged elsewhere that it does not really know what the level of completion is in these courses. Is anything else concrete in defining &quot;personalized learning?&quot; Not really. One strategy for personalized learning is to &quot;Develop new forms of schooling to support the unique needs and interests of students.&quot; Another is to explore &quot;other assessment processes that would provide developmental information at the individual learner level.&quot; The ministry will &quot;Revise and streamline curriculum to better accommodate the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the 21st century, and to offer more personalized programming and instruction tailored to students' interests.&quot; The ministry also promises to &quot;Support the development of networks among school districts, schools, and teachers to build capacity in teaching and share practices throughout the province.&quot; No sign of the money for these in the budget, though. Perhaps most significant among announced plans is to publish &quot;a new and improved suite of goals, objectives, strategies, and performance measures tied to personalized and 21st-century learning.&quot; A significant portion of the service plan is dedicated to Aboriginal students. The report indicates that 51 of 60 school districts have signed an Aboriginal enhancement agreement that involves &quot;shared decision making and specific goal-setting to meet the educational needs and interests of Aboriginal students.&quot; The service plan ends with information about major capital projects. Most of them have included space for a neighbourhood learning centre in the new school design, but no new funding is announced for operating these centres.
2011 Canadian Teacher Salary Rankings: Provinces and Territories. BCTF Research Report. Section I. 2012-TS-01
Author: White, Margaret
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Research Reports,Teacher Salaries,Salary Wage Differentials,Comparable Worth,Compensation (Remuneration),Tables (Data),Classification,Tenure,Collective Bargaining,State Surveys,Comparative Analysis

This paper is an update of research report 2011-TS-02. It presents tables that show the minimum and maximum salaries for BC's Category 5 and Category 6, or equivalent, for provinces and territories. A sample of school districts is included for those provinces/territories with multiple collective agreements.
Announced Changes to the Funding Formula for 2012-13--What Do They Really Mean? BCTF Research Report. Section V. 2011-EF-04
Author: White, Margaret
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Finance,Foreign Countries,Funding Formulas,Research Reports,Operating Expenses,Comparative Analysis,Resource Allocation,Financial Problems,Economic Impact,Politics of Education,Educational Policy,Policy Analysis,Grants,Finance Reform

A news release by the BC Ministry of Education on December 9, 2011 describes upcoming changes to the funding formula for the 2012-13 Operating Grants and announces increases in CommunityLink funding for 2012-13 and 2013-14. This research report analyzes the potential impact of these changes and compares BC's performance in improving education funding over the last five years to other provinces in Canada. (Contains 2 tables and 6 footnotes.)
Teacher Salary Comparisons--Inter-City Differences: 2010-11 and 2011-12. BCTF Research Report. Section I. 2012-TS-02
Author: White, Margaret
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teaching Experience,Foreign Countries,Public School Teachers,Research Reports,Teacher Salaries,Salary Wage Differentials,Comparative Analysis,Teacher Qualifications,State Surveys,Comparable Worth,Collective Bargaining,Compensation (Remuneration),Rural Urban Differences,Tables (Data)

This research report, which is an update of research report 2011-TS-03, shows the salary difference for each step of British Columbia's (BC) Category 5 or comparable qualifications. Salaries for Vancouver public school teachers are compared to teacher salaries in Toronto (elementary), Ottawa (secondary), and Edmonton. Salaries for Prince George public school teachers are compared to teacher salaries in Near North (elementary), New Brunswick, and Lethbridge. In 2010-2011, a &quot;Vancouver&quot; teacher at maximum salary (Category 5) earned $10,969 less than an elementary teacher in &quot;Toronto,&quot; $11,876 less than a secondary teacher in &quot;Ottawa,&quot; and $16,860 less than a teacher in &quot;Edmonton.&quot; In 2010-2011, a &quot;Prince George&quot; teacher at maximum salary (Category 5) earned $10,685 less than an elementary teacher in &quot;Near North,&quot; and $16,675 less than a teacher in &quot;Lethbridge.&quot; If BC teachers receive no salary increase for 2011-2012, a teacher in &quot;Edmonton&quot; with equivalent years of experience and education will earn $95,354 compared to $74,353 for a teacher in &quot;Vancouver.&quot; The earnings gap will widen from $16,860 to $21,001. The earnings gap between a &quot;Lethbridge&quot; teacher and a &quot;Prince George&quot; teacher with 10 years teaching experience at Category 5 will widen from $16,675 to $20,808. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Amber Yaciw and Anne Field.]
Professional Development/Professional Growth and Engagement: What's Wrong with the BCPSEA Picture? BCTF Research Report. Section XII. 2011-EI-01
Author: Naylor, Charlie
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Opinion Papers
Subjects: Professional Autonomy,Collective Bargaining,Foreign Countries,Professional Development,Research Reports,Educational Change,Capacity Building,Financial Support,Mentors,Beginning Teacher Induction,Professional Identity,Best Practices,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Personnel Policy,Reader Response

This paper is written in response to two BCPSEA (British Columbia Public School Employers' Association) documents: (1) &quot;Teacher professional development: A question of development, growth and currency.&quot; From the series of BCPSEA papers &quot;Perspectives in Practice.&quot; http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/publications/03-HJF-Professional%20Development.pdf, accessed in July 2011; and (2) &quot;Professional growth and engagement.&quot; BCPSEA: Tabled language, June 2011. http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/teacher%20bargaining/E28-CW-Professional%20Growth%20and%20Engagement.pdf, accessed in July 2011. This paper provides evidence that BCPSEA's position is antithetical to the research on professional learning, and to what happens in countries with high-performance education systems where teachers are respected as professionals. BCPSEA's Discussion Paper and its position in bargaining are highly confrontational, in that both directly attack teacher autonomy and shift the locus of professional development control from teachers-as-professionals to employers. Staff development, paid for by employers, is conducted during the regular work day at the employer's expense--an investment which BCPSEA clearly feels need not be made if it can seize control of teachers' professional development, including those professional development days donated by teachers and voluntarily added to their workload. Support for investment is lacking in the BCPSEA documents, in terms of Staff and Professional Development. BCPSEA has actually reversed the Finnish philosophy. The Finns plan to massively increase investment in teachers' professional learning while also maximizing teacher autonomy in schools. BCPSEA, however, proposes no investment, reduced autonomy, and maximum employer control in a managerial model which has no credibility within the current literature on professional development. BCPSEA has a dual approach: offer to open up conversations through its Discussion Papers and then close the conversation by tabling language which explicitly states (in Section 4) that if there is no agreement then their language will be imposed, likely through legislation. &quot;Let's invite a discussion so that it looks like we are in dialogue and consultation, and then do what we tell you to do,&quot; seems to be their approach. It's a stance that fundamentally disrespects both the profession and the collective bargaining process. (Contains 6 footnotes.)
High School Reform in Colorado: A History of Efforts and Lessons for the Future
Author: Padgette, Heather Clapp
Date: 2009-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Minority Group Students,White Students,Graduation,High Schools,Graduation Rate,School Restructuring,Educational Change,Educational Attainment,Educational Trends,Racial Differences,Achievement Gap,Outcomes of Education,Educational Improvement,Educational History,Trend Analysis,Futures (of Society)

The need to complete a successful high school education has never been more important for an individual's future success. But, across the nation, high schools are not living up to their promise. U.S. high school graduation rates have remained virtually the same for the last 30 years--about 30 percent of students fail to graduate from high school with a diploma--while the intellectual demands of college, work and life have increased dramatically. According to a recent report from the Manhattan Institute, Colorado graduates only about 70 percent of its students on time, ranking Colorado 29th among states. Even more disturbing, the state's graduation rate has declined by around 10 percentage points since the early 1990s--likely a result of Colorado's changing demographics. Among Colorado's minority students, graduation rates are much worse--while about 80 percent of white students graduated, only 61 percent of black students and 47 percent of Hispanics graduated. The dismal statistics regarding Colorado's high school performance are not the result of a lack of effort. A great deal of effort has been expended by state and federal policymakers and philanthropic entities to improve outcomes for high school students. (Contains 39 footnotes.)
Denver School of Science and Technology: A High School that Works
Author: Colorado Children's Campaign
Date: 2006-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Standards,Charter Schools,School Culture,Academic Achievement,Low Income Groups,High Schools,Science Education,Technology Education,Educational Innovation,School Buildings,Educational Facilities Design,At Risk Students,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,Public Schools,Graduation,College Preparation

When one sees the new Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), the first thing one will likely to notice is the building's impressive design. The school looks more like a Silicon Valley biotech firm than a typical new Colorado high school. Indeed, the innovative structure, modeled on a similar facility in San Diego, has already garnered numerous architectural awards. While the outside structure is indeed amazing, it's what one sees inside the building that makes the school truly remarkable. As a public charter school in the Denver Public School district, DSST serves a broad spectrum of students from the greater Denver area. About 60 percent of DSST's students are black or Hispanic and about 44 % percent come from low-income families. Within a single year, DSST's CSAP scores have already demonstrated that the school is preparing its diverse student body to meet state standards at a much more consistent rate than almost any other school in the state. DSST leaves nothing to chance when it comes to student learning. The school does everything in its power to guarantee that all students will realize the mission of the school: every student will meet state standards and graduate with the skills necessary to attend and complete college.
2008 KidsCount in Colorado!
Author: Colorado Children's Campaign
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Well Being,Poverty,Child Health,Public Policy,Advocacy,At Risk Persons,Low Income Groups,Child Abuse,Child Neglect,Trend Analysis,Elementary Secondary Education,Early Childhood Education,Counties,Child Development,Family Income,Family Structure,Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Immigrants,English (Second Language),Nutrition,Homeless People,Age Differences,Victims of Crime,Health Insurance,Birth Rate,Immunization Programs,Academic Achievement,Graduation Rate,Dropout Rate,School Schedules,Child Care

&quot;KidsCount in Colorado!&quot; is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. KidsCount in Colorado! informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as a valuable resource for policymakers, community leaders, advocates and citizens. This year's report focuses on an issue that impacts almost every other factor: children living in poverty. Poverty is the biggest obstacle to opportunity for children, and between 2000 and 2006, the number of children living in poverty in Colorado increased by 73 percent--the highest increase by far of any state in the nation. At the same time, the total number of children in the state only increased six percent. While Colorado and much of the rest of the nation are experiencing a rise in the percentage of children living in poverty, some states, including neighboring states like Wyoming and New Mexico, experienced decreases. Understanding the data and the impact of this issue on children are important steps to making sound policy and community decisions about the problem of children growing up in poverty. (Contains 53 footnotes.)
Revisiting the Issue of Year-Round Schools. BCTF Research Report. Section V. 2012-EI-02
Author: Naylor, Charlie
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Public Education,Research Reports,Year Round Schools,Educational Administration,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Population Trends,School Schedules,Poverty,Academic Achievement,Cost Effectiveness,Performance Factors

There has been little attention paid to the issue of Year-Round Schools (YRS) in British Columbia's public education system since 1996. The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) Research conducted extensive research into the issue of year-round schooling in the mid 1990s, when the growth in student enrolment was significant. At that time there was considerable interest in multi-track schooling, a concept designed to reduce capital costs by having schools open all year while students attended three of four or four of five tracks. However, operational costs can increase significantly, while in addition the &quot;community&quot; aspect of school is significantly reduced with one cohort of students missing at all times. The remainder of this paper addresses some general issues around school calendars and reviews the more recent literature since the last BCTF Research review. (Contains 7 footnotes.)
Alternative Compensation: Exploring Teacher Pay Reform in Colorado
Author: Long, Samantha
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Rewards,Compensation (Remuneration),Teacher Salaries,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Recruitment,School Districts,State Government,Teacher Attitudes,Merit Pay,Incentives,Educational Change,Change Strategies,Public Schools,Cooperative Planning,Teacher Evaluation

Having a quality teacher in the classroom is the most powerful influence on student success. With excellent educators, adequate resources and effective support, Colorado will meet Governor Ritter's goals of decreasing drop-outs, closing the achievement gaps and increasing achievement for all students. Recruiting, hiring, retaining and supporting quality educators are the key determinates of whether Colorado can meet its educational challenges. Reforming teacher pay is a long-term, challenging process. The best results occur when policymakers and teachers work together to reform the compensation system. Few districts have been able to successfully implement and maintain alternative compensation systems. Colorado districts are among the nation's leaders in this innovation. &quot;Alternative compensation&quot; encompasses a multitude of strategies for paying education employees in a way that differs from the traditional single salary schedule. Most generally, it involves making determinations about which components within the compensation system support the district's goals. Historically, the single salary schedule has been utilized because it provides a transparent and predictable way to pay teachers. It is perceived as promoting equality in compensation, while rewarding knowledge and experience. Beverly Ingle stressed that where a number of districts have experimented with alternative compensation systems in the past, many have failed because there was not enough money to cover costs, plans were not based on measureable elements or rewards were perceived as subjective. Additionally, as opposed to the traditional schedule, alternative compensation carries a level of uncertainty among teachers and can create additional burdens to teacher time. For these reasons, it is crucial that any reform to teacher pay involve a high degree of education, collaboration and communication between the district and the teachers. [Funding for this paper was provided by the Rose Community Foundation.]
Full-Day Kindergarten: The Need for Quality
Author: Colorado Children's Campaign
Date: 2008-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Readiness,Learning Activities,Educational Quality,Teaching Methods,Emotional Development,Kindergarten,Preschool Education,Vocabulary Skills,Young Children,School Schedules,Early Intervention,At Risk Students,State Legislation,Program Effectiveness,Social Development,Cognitive Development,Vocabulary Development,Peer Relationship,Cooperation,Conflict Resolution,Play,Standards

Because of the substantial impact on outcomes for children, states and school districts across the country are addressing issues surrounding early learning opportunities and school readiness for young children. Full-day kindergarten plays an important role in both. Colorado has made significant investments in full-day kindergarten as a means of providing high-quality education opportunities to young children, and better preparing them for success throughout their academic careers. Colorado has made a strong commitment to early learning opportunities through the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) and, with House Bill 08-1388, a substantial investment in full-day kindergarten. CPP provides high-quality learning opportunities for preschool and kindergarten children who have the greatest social and economic need. As the Colorado Preschool Kindergarten Program (CPKP) shifts its full-day kindergarten slots to preschool, once again becoming the CPP, and CPKP standards are no longer required for full-day kindergarten, it is important for districts to consider the design and implementation of high-quality full-day kindergarten programs. Full-day kindergarten is also a key element of the commitment Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has made to the development of a preschool through postsecondary, or P-20, education system. A report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) indicates children in full-day kindergarten programs spend more time engaged in valuable learning activities than children in half-day kindergarten programs. Results from empirical research suggest children in full-day kindergarten programs spend: (1) 57 minutes per day in self-selected activities, as opposed to 32 minutes per day for half-day kindergarten students; and (2) 16 percent less time in large-group, teacher-directed activities, and seven percent more time in child-initiated learning activities than half-day kindergarten children. Research has shown that both self-selected and child-initiated activities have long-term benefits on children's learning by promoting cognitive and social-emotional development. Center-based and child-directed play time helps children develop vocabulary skills, increase cooperation with peers, practice handling conflict and develop positive approaches to learning. (Contains 7 footnotes.)
Understanding Mill Levy Stabilization in Colorado
Author: Colorado Children's Campaign
Date: 2007-04-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Finance,Taxes,Financial Policy,Costs,Elementary Secondary Education,State Government,Budgets,Public Education,Financial Support,State Legislation

On March 13, 2007, Governor Bill Ritter and state Senator Sue Windels announced a proposal they call the &quot;Colorado Children's Amendment.&quot; This proposal would &quot;freeze,&quot; or stabilize, local property tax mill levies for general education to maintain local funding for public K-12 education. As overall costs for K-12 education grow, and as the state government shoulders a growing share of those costs, the state has less money to spend on other services, such as higher education, health care, prisons and transportation. Since the March announcement, there have been voices in support of and against the measure, but also many questions about the proposal and the potential impact on the state. Without an understanding of the fiscal basis for the measure and the implications for our budget and our students, many Coloradans who care about education and the future of the state are left without the knowledge they need to fully understand and enter the debate. Colorado fiscal policy is extremely complicated. This paper provides a general explanation of the mill levy stabilization proposal but does not answer all related questions about school finance. (Contains 1 chart.)