In this article, the author discusses a study she conducted in Newfoundland to determine the level of abuse and/or violence experienced by teachers, the nature of that abuse/violence, its personal impact, and whether Newfoundland teachers feel safe in their workplaces. The experiences presented are those of a focus group of eight teachers,…

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a chronic neurological disorder, is not formally recognized in the educational systems across Canada. As a result, there is little opportunity for collaboration or sharing of information between the medical/research community and the educational system. Because ADHD is not formally identified,…

How children feel about school and about themselves in the early years can set the stage for their future success in school and in life. Learning to read and write in those early years is pivotal: children who are not successful by the end of grade three have little chance of ever becoming fully literate. This failure diminishes their chances of…

Schools systems that employ flexible and new methods of teaching their students must take adequate care to insure that suitable goals are established. Only in this way can the freedom given to students be used to advantage. (CK)

Evaluation of the provincial science curriculum in grades one to five in Saskatchewan (Canada) involved collaboration among teachers, administrators, and subject specialists in developing an evaluation plan, developing evaluation instruments, administering student and teacher questionnaires and student achievement tests, evaluating case studies of…

The underfunding of public education over the years has forced schools and school communities to compensate in various ways: door-to-door fundraising campaigns, advertising revenue, exclusive marketing contracts, and seeking donations or handouts from the private sector. Although numerous stories have been gathered ranging from the mundane to the…

To advance understanding of the issues concerning teachers' working conditions, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario commissioned one of the authors to do an analytical review of literature on teachers' working conditions. This resulted in the publication, "Teacher Working Conditions That Matter: Evidence for Change." The…

During this past winter, election fever hit Canadian schools from coast to coast to coast. Elementary and secondary school students across Canada studied the democratic process and took their new found knowledge to their own ballot boxes. Nearly half a million students, aged nine through 18, cast a ballot through the national parallel election…

Collected teacher absenteeism data for 108 elementary teachers and 165 secondary teachers in Nova Scotia. Compared absences by sex, age, level of license, school level taught, and days of the week. The most significant predictor of short-term absences is the level of school taught. Elementary teachers are absent more than secondary teachers. (KS)

The Stress Management in Children Project initiated at an Edmunston (New Brunswick) primary school uses visualization as its primary tool. Visualization, a process whereby people respond to certain themes through mental images, is used to manage stress, as a learning method, as a tool for emotional development, and to explore different levels of…

Finds that, among 418 students in 8 New Brunswick (Canada) elementary schools, students in multigrade classes and matched peers in single grades 1-5 did not differ significantly in grade points or total achievement test scores. Reports that 27 of 34 teachers surveyed preferred teaching single grade classes. (SV)

Describes survey of 296 Canadian educational institutions and agencies concerning written policies and ethical principles they follow in research on student subjects. Concludes that there is no preeminent source of guidance on the ethical treatment of student subjects, and that most respondents do not have specific guidelines on this matter. (SV)

A two-year study in Alberta on the effects of classroom lighting found that elementary school students exposed to full-spectrum lighting with measurable ultraviolet output had fewer dental caries, larger gains in height and weight, larger gains in achievement, and better attendance. Students exposed to high-pressure sodium vapor lamps had the…

A survey and observations of 18 Montreal teachers attempting to integrate computers into the prescribed elementary school curriculum examined inservice training, resources, organization and scheduling of the computer laboratory, laboratory use and activities, and teacher and student reactions. Overall, the teachers were pleased with the…