Achievement

Published by Statistics Canada, this document offers a look at educational attainment among Aboriginal people, based on data collected in the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS). Roughly 4.5 million households across Canada were selected for the NHS, representing about one-third of all households.

The topic of school class size is a controversial one. Parents and teachers usually support smaller classes, while education officials caution that the costs of reducing class size may outweigh any benefits gained.

The question of how much and how well children are learning in school is a concern for parents, students, employers, and the general public. The authors of this article look at three critical measures of success: student achievement in the core areas of language, mathematics and science; the disparity of student achievement among different socioeconomic groups; and high-school dropout rates.

By the end of the fall term of 2007, 42 percent of British Columbia’s 2005/06 high school graduation cohort had not registered at a public post-secondary institution. In March 2008, about 2,000 of these graduates were surveyed to find out more about them, their plans, and the reasons behind their decisions regarding postsecondary education.

In many countries that are part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), there is a growing concern over studies suggesting that boys lag behind girls in measures of scholastic achievement.

According to Statistics Canada, the proportion of working-age Canadians with a university education increased steadily between 1993 and 2009. In 1993, 18 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 64 had received a university certificate, diploma, bachelor’s degree or graduate degree; by 2009, that proportion had jumped to 28 per cent.

The authors note that students in rural Canada are falling being their urban counterparts, both in test scores and in level of education attained. Evidence suggests that school conditions and economic conditions combine to discourage rural students from achieving their educational potential.

The goal of this document, prepared by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL), is to examine how Canada’s approach to higher education compares with other leading developed countries and how well its postsecondary education sector can respond to a fast-changing global environment.

The Board of Directors of the National Indigenous Literacy Association (NILA) represents First Nations people, Metis people, and Inuit people from coast to coast. Through provincial representation as well as representation in all stakeholder groups, NILA is poised to respond to the vision of eradicating illiteracy in its communities.

The aim of this project was to compile what has been learned about building accountability systems in adult literacy in British Columbia, Ontario and Scotland. The findings are presented in three sections: dealing with systemic issues, how accountability mechanisms should be designed, and working with data. Wherever possible the findings reflect all three jurisdictions and focus on common concerns.