Governance
Our pod worked on governance related inquiry projects during the week of September 14th, 2015. On Friday, September 18th, we met to present to each other what we had learned from our individual inquiries. The topics were varied and the presentations were enlightening, which made for a rich learning experience for all of us.
Because policies and governance issues vary locally and our pod is geographically located in the Cowichan School District, some of us focused our inquiries specifically on the School District 79 (Cowichan):
Others touched on provincially relevant governance questions:
Sharing our learnings on these topics generated interesting and animated discussions as well as questions that related to our "Inclusive Classroom" and "Social Justice" classes.
For my personal inquiry project, I wanted to find out why my local district, SD79, had gone through a restructure in 2013. I also wanted to learn more about the place of Independent schools in the district and explore the implication of the growing enrolment for the public French Immersion program. To answer these questions, I found valuable information online and also met with Lisa Leclerc, vice-principal of École Cobble Hill (French Immersion school in the South Cowichan), to get her personal interpretation of some the local governance issues. This document summarizes some of the main points of my presentation:
What is happening in SD 79? 2013 Restructure of the public schools, Independent schools, the French Immersion Trend and related governance issues
Because policies and governance issues vary locally and our pod is geographically located in the Cowichan School District, some of us focused our inquiries specifically on the School District 79 (Cowichan):
- SD79 hiring process and human resources policies: applying for TTOC list and contracts;
- SD79 governance issues related to declining enrolment, the 2013 Restructure and the place of Independent Schools and French Immersion programs
Others touched on provincially relevant governance questions:
- The various stakeholders involved in Aboriginal Education;
- The distribution of responsibility at different levels (provincial, district, school) and the funding for students with special needs;
- Local Education Agreements and the relationship between School Districts, local First Nations and the Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada;
- British Columbia teacher certification (historical and current) and the growth of qualified educators.
Sharing our learnings on these topics generated interesting and animated discussions as well as questions that related to our "Inclusive Classroom" and "Social Justice" classes.
For my personal inquiry project, I wanted to find out why my local district, SD79, had gone through a restructure in 2013. I also wanted to learn more about the place of Independent schools in the district and explore the implication of the growing enrolment for the public French Immersion program. To answer these questions, I found valuable information online and also met with Lisa Leclerc, vice-principal of École Cobble Hill (French Immersion school in the South Cowichan), to get her personal interpretation of some the local governance issues. This document summarizes some of the main points of my presentation:
What is happening in SD 79? 2013 Restructure of the public schools, Independent schools, the French Immersion Trend and related governance issues
