Safe school policies in many urban schools in Ontario have featured security guards, electronic surveillance, student identification tags, discipline, and zero tolerance. In 2000, the Ontario Ministry of Education passed the Safe Schools Act, which set out a list of offences that could trigger expulsion, suspension, and other disciplinary…

Policies to ensure education equity and programs to foster educational advancement among Aboriginal people have been in place for several years in most Canadian jurisdictions. Despite of the successes brought about by these policies, questions about just how much has been accomplished, and how best to secure desired results, remain matters of…

Analyzes the anticipation of educational change in British Columbia associated with the Year 2000 document. The perspective on change involves positive and negative aspects dependent on values and beliefs embedded in the culture. The study of four teachers and their classrooms shows that the seeds of change have been planted. (KS)

Offers some pointers on how school psychologists can do a better job. (Editor)

What do teachers know about what is happening in classrooms other than their own? Surprisingly little. And what they do know certainly is not from first hand observation. Discusses how beginning teachers can learn how experienced teachers conduct their classes thereby building their own teaching expertise. (Author/RK)

Classroom life was observed for six weeks in four British Columbia classrooms: Grades one, four, split-grade six/seven, and nine. Despite differences in teaching styles and methods, classroom environments were similar, demonstrating active student engagement, shared enjoyment, and guided independent thinking. Teacher attitudes toward mandated…

Explains why movements toward more progressive, inquiry-based teaching practices generally have failed. Examines resistance to change arising from school climate, greater demands of progressive teaching, nature of teacher preparation and teaching practices, deficiencies in teacher knowledge of subject matter, and controversy over purposes of…

Identifies elements of successful approaches for at-risk students. Discusses three educational ideologies, five evaluation criteria that reflect overall school quality, joint use of internal and external evaluation, the importance of school culture, balancing common and culturally relevant curricula, professional development of teachers, classroom…

Children's rights, as described in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, are increasingly being taught in Canadian schools. Children's rights curricula yield positive results for teachers and students, including increased self-esteem, improved classroom environments, and improved student behavior, especially when democratic…

Identifies some of the current forces influencing global change; speculates on possible ramifications of these forces for changes in a school system; and suggests what possible deterrents and inhibitors operating in large public education systems are preventing change. (SB)