The COVID-19 crisis has led to widespread temporary school closures and a deep economic recession. School closures have threatened children's ability to learn and later return to school well prepared. The impact of the economic recession is going to be even more devastating: first for students, but also for the ability of some Catholic schools to…

This paper provides a descriptive account of the growing landscape of school choice in Canada through a comparative analysis of funding and student enrolment in the public, independent and home-based education sectors in each province. Given that the provinces have responsibility for K-12 education, the mixture of public, independent and home…

In three Canadian provinces Catholic schools receive full government funding. This funding is premised on Catholic schools providing a distinctive educational environment based on the religious beliefs and practices of, among others, the teachers who work in these schools. A variety of official documents underline this notion of teachers playing…

Ontario Roman Catholic communities have established and maintained their own schools for over 200 years. Yet, their struggle for survival has not come without many challenges, setbacks, and criticisms. With the achievement of open-access at the secondary level and equal funding across the system, many question the legitimacy and worthiness of…

Denominational rights in education have a long and controversial history within Canada. Ontario has struggled with denomination rights and continues to face the challenges posed by accommodating denominational rights. This paper examines those challenges and considers the future of denominational rights in Ontario, in light of John Tory's 2007…

On the surface, Michael Moher's major challenges as a superintendent do not seem so foreign from any other leader who is responsible for the education of 28,000 students. He has been grappling in recent years with budget shortfalls, school closings, a couple of dissident board members and even a week-long teacher's strike. Moher runs a Catholic…

In this article, the author reports how the open-mindedness of publicly-funded Catholic schools in Canada has challenged American preconceptions on funding of parochial schools. In Canada, parochial education has been publicly funded since 1867. On the other hand, parochial schools in America must charge tuition fees and engage in extensive fund…

Manitoba's first School Act in 1871 placed the administration of schools under a Board Of Education, divided into a Protestant and a Catholic Section. In 1890 the Manitoba Liberal government led by Thomas Greenway abolished the board and placed education under a department of education. Discusses the developments that led to that change and the…

This article focuses on Ontario, Canada, which has had two separate, publicly supported school districts since the early 1980s. After summarizing history and constitutional issues, this article develops nine propositions leading to harsh conclusions: providing choice in public education is not easy and may result in diversity without choice.…

Reports on a survey of parent and teacher attitudes in tax-supported and privately financed Catholic schools in Canada. It was found that the commitment of both groups was higher in privately supported schools. The author theorizes that, up to a point, institutional jeopardy calls forth increased involvement. (SJL)

Separate schools were introduced into Ontario between 1841 and 1867 when Upper Canada was joined with Lower Canada to form the United Province of Canada. The school acts of 1841 and 1843 outlined the basic arrangements by which either a Roman Catholic or a Protestant minority might establish a dissenting separate school board. Since the School Act…

Financial support of elementary and secondary education in Canada has gone from absolute local dependence to local with some government support to local with substantial government support to current total government support with restricted, if any allowed, local support. This has been challenged on constitutional grounds in two provinces, Alberta…

The decision to extend the public funding of Roman Catholic schools to include grades 11 through 13 carries with it both minor and major implications for the finance and organization of elementary and secondary education in Ontrario. If the school grant plan is to be successfully adopted, the following issues need immediate attention: (1) the…

The 1984 legislation for public funding of Catholic schools in Ontario exposed two primary conflicting values held by different groups. An analysis of policy change in terms of value conflict, and an examination of the consequences for organizational structure and administrative practice are the themes of this paper. The context in which the…

A study was made to determine the extent of the need for transportation, the efficiency with which school bus routes are designed, the quality of the service, the administrative provisions and procedures to deliver the service, and the methods of financing the cost. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations are summarized in the first chapter of…