There is a long history of philosophical inquiry into the concept of explanation in science, and this work has some implications for the ways in which science teachers, particularly in the physical sciences (physics and chemistry), explain ideas to students. Recent work has outlined a constructivist approach to developing, delivering, and refining…

The Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) program has been implemented in Ontario as a way to increase secondary graduation rates. This study's aim was to understand how the implementation of the SHSM program impacts student outcomes. The conceptual framework consists of an amended version of Fullan's (2007) critical factors that affect policy…

This guide focuses on the curriculum and assessment requirements in Grades 10, 11, and 12 and the related policies for the B.C. Graduation Program. The guide provides a common understanding among educators, students, parents, post-secondary institutions, business, and government of the policies of the B.C. Graduation Program. The B.C. Graduation…

Many educators and education leaders have found implementing districtwide programming at the secondary level challenging. High schools are more organizationally complex than elementary schools (Grubb, 2010). High school teachers are deeply entrenched in subject specialties and tend to be resistant to change. This article describes how the Greater…

This study examined the literacy profiles of students from diverse home-language backgrounds and tracked those profiles from grade 6 to grade 10. The authors also investigated the predictive relations of students' immigration background, gender, and participation in two instructional programs. The results from latent class and latent transition…

This paper is based on a research that explored how Inuit community members in Nunavut Territory, Canada, conceptualized quality education in the socio-cultural context of the territory. Data were collected through telephone interviews of 13 Inuit community members in Nunavut and document reviews both of which were conducted in 2010. The data…

This Annual Service Plan Report discusses the results related to measures in the Ministry of Education's 2016/17-2018/19 Service Plan. British Columbia's education system continues to rank among the best in the world. This year over 640,000 students attended public and independent schools in every corner of the province, eager to develop their…

The main goals of this article are twofold. The first is to explore whether the General Education Development (GED) program has the potential to meet the academic requirements cited by the scholarship in the area of mathematics for First Nations upgrading programs. Secondly, this paper explores how the GED program influences identity in students…

This paper examines the options available to states to redefine their accountability systems as they begin to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new law provides the possibility that states can create more balanced systems of support and accountability focused on educating young people so they can become productive, engaged…

There has been considerable interest in British Columbia in improving secondary to post-secondary transitions, and the provincial government and secondary and post-secondary institutions have adopted a number of strategies intended to aid in successful student transition from one system to the other. This paper looks specifically at the policy and…

Background/Context: Two key uses of international assessments of achievement have been (a) comparing country performances for identifying the countries with the best education systems and (2) generating insights about effective policy and practice strategies that are associated with higher learning outcomes. Do country rankings really reflect the…

This Annual Service Plan Report provides data and discusses the results related to measures in the Ministry of Education 2014/15-2016/17 Service Plan. The Ministry of Education operates in accordance with the Taxpayer Accountability Principles. Work within the Ministry is driven by the Minister's Mandate letter, aligning both with government's…

The "Ministry of Education 2013/14 Annual Service Plan Report" shares some of the significant achievements by the British Columbia ministry and government. These include the development and release of BC's Skills for Jobs Blueprint: Re-Engineering Education and Training. As well, they successfully negotiated agreements with CUPE and…

This policy brief examines standards-based approaches that hold promise for shaping a common vision of skilled teaching commensurate with the national goal of preparing all students for college and careers. Numerous studies confirm that teachers are the most significant school-based factor in improving student achievement, particularly for the…

The education system is complex, but at its core, it is a learning partnership between the student, the family and teachers. This partnership -- supported by the Ministry -- is ultimately responsible for ensuring every learner receives a high quality education. A high quality education enables learners to realize their full potential and…