Lobbying

The Board of Trustees will continue their debate on the future of the Alternative Program at a special continuation meeting on February 23rd at 6:00 P.M.

A student at Algonquin College has been working on a story about the Alternative Elementary Program Review. Here is a short 2-minute video delegation he made to the February 9th Board Meeting.

alternative school mp4 from Kevin Caners on Vimeo.

In advance of Tuesday night's continuation board meeting, which will not allow delegations or questions, ASAC has sent the following open letter to all trustees:

Committee of the Whole (in Camera)
7:00 pm
Board Meeting
8:00 pm

EDUCATION COMMITTEE
(Continuation of 19 January Meeting)
Monday, 01 February 2010
7:00 p.m.
Board Room
Agenda here.

CONTINUATION MEETING
BOARD AGENDA
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
5:30 pm (Public)
Agenda here.
BOARD AGENDA
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
7:00 pm (In Camera)
8:00 pm (Public)
Agenda here.
 
Board Office, 133 Greenbank Road

Dear School Trustee,

The presentation is attached in PDF format. Other formats are available upon request, such as PowerPoint or Open Document Format.

I was a Trustee with the Ottawa Board of Education in the early 1980's when the School Board adopted the alternative schools program. I remember well the debate then and the Board was convinced this was a different approach to education that wasn't normally offered. In my view the alternative schools program, the teacher commitment and parent commitment distinguishes this approach to education from the regular classroom. This program has proved its worth over the years and should be maintained.

Role, Value and Opportunity:
A way forward for Ottawa’s Alternative Program
 
The Alternative Schools Advisory Committee’s Response to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Review of the Alternative Elementary Program
 
ASAC's Recommendations:
 
1. Commit to continue the Alternative Program
2. Commit to strengthen and renew the Alternative Program; and

Documents from ASAC that outline our official position regarding the Alternative Elementary Program Review:

Dear Ottawa Carleton District School Board,

The Alternative Schools Advisory Committee is the parent/teacher/ student advocacy group for alternative schools at the Toronto District School Board. We are writing this letter as Co-Chairs of ASAC to support alternative schools in Ottawa. We understand that the OCDSB is conducting a program review of alternative schools. We hope this review will be a way to nurture and grow alternative schools in your board.

As parents and teachers we cannot praise alternative schools enough. These schools have proven to be important parts of our educational system. In today's diverse Canadian cities, we need many different approaches to educating our children. The TDSB heartily endorses alternative schools; 4 new alternative schools were opened this academic year. The parents also endorse them, as all four have full enrollment.

The TDSB did a review of its alternative schools a few years ago. In sum it turned out to be a positive process. The board administration came to understand its schools better, and the teachers and parents felt like they had been listened to. We hope that the OCDSB review will result in stronger, more dynamic alternative schools for Ottawa's children and parents.

Sincerely,

Stephen Cooper and Steph Carrier

Co-Chairs, ASAC for the TDSB

To Whom It May Concern,
 
Carleton Preschool has been an integral part of the Lady Evelyn Alternative School environment since its inception in 1982.  As in keeping with the alternative philosophy, and the natural inclusive environment within this school, Carleton Preschool has always been made to feel that it is an important component of this school envionment.
 

Having retired from the TDSB as a classroom teacher, I now work at OISE.  I  started my career as a classroom teacher in 1968 and during my career taught in NYC in the South Bronx, in the UK at The American School in London, and in Toronto. From 1986 until I retired in 2004 I taught in alternative senior schools..  I believe it was these alternative schools which provided the best educational environment for students and the best working environment for teachers. There were many reasons that these schools were so powerful.

My experience with Alternative Schools in Toronto, at both the elementary and secondary public school level, has been extremely positive. These schools have in fact "saved" many children, especially at the high school level, who would have perhaps become discouraged, disenchanted and left school.

I am writing about the importance of supporting alternative schools within your school board. Last year the Toronto District School Board approved four new alternative schools. All these were in response to community based groups in Toronto. I was associated with one project, the Whole Child School. When registrations started for this school there were 320 applicants for 150 spaces, indicating the parent interest. A board that does not support alternative schools indicates a one size fits all approach to education that is unresponsive to community based initiatives.

Jack Miller
Professor
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the U of Toronto
252 Bloor St.
Toronto, ON M5S 1V

On Tuesday October 27th, parents from Grant, Churchill and Lady Evelyn attended the monthly Board of Trustees meeting wearing orange shirts. We asked a question and used the opportunity to chat with trustees, a superintendent and the president of the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers Federation.

It was a useful evening and the trustees seemed interested in our issues and concerns. Read on for more details of the evening...

Here are some letters that parents, and other supporters of alternative education and our schools, have sent to the board.

The Lobbying team is in charge of identifying the decision makers in the board and making them understand the value of the program, both in terms of education and in terms of market share. In addition, it will be working with other teams to highlight the inherent bias in the current process.