Should Ontario adopt the Swedish school funding system?
Sun, 2009-08-02 15:18
#1
Should Ontario adopt the Swedish school funding system?
Sun, 2009-08-02 15:44
#2
No. And the Swedes tried private hospitals and turned their backs on that idea after a few years, too. These conservatives won't last long in Sweden if they push the neoliberal agenda very hard in that country. We should adopt their method of voting instead.
Sun, 2009-08-02 16:28
#3
I like the idea of funding following students, but not to private schools. Independent non-profit schools are a good idea, but only if strictly held to a common curriculum.
Sun, 2009-08-02 17:26
#4
remind
I would have to know more to formulate an opinion.
Sun, 2009-08-02 17:43
#5
What information do you need?
Sun, 2009-08-02 18:09
#6
remind
What types of classes the private for profit schools have
What are the educational results so far by way of standards for the nation
Are there national standards for the corporate owned schools
How many years have they been doing this
For a start
Sun, 2009-08-02 18:09
#7
I like the idea of funding following students, but not to private schools. Independent non-profit schools are a good idea, but only if strictly held to a common curriculum.
I highly doubt even the priciest private schools in Canada are "for profit" and would, instead, be of the "Independent non-profit" variety that you favour. Their tuition might be astronomical, but I would imagine that at the end of the year expenditures = revenues. Even a place like Upper Canada College has scholarships and grants, and needs to solicit donations.
Sun, 2009-08-02 18:49
#8
Within the Canadian context, I could see this benefitting Canada's Aboriginal peoples too. Right now, perhaps with the exception of on reserves and in Nunavut, parents have a choice between French-medium and English-medium schools, with no possibility of children receiving Aboriginal-language-medium education. I could see a voucher system rectifying this by leaving it up to the school to decide the medium of instruction between French, English and the local Aboriginal language, thus finally making them treated with the same respect as the European languages. And if a public school cannot offer the education that local Aboriginals off reserve need or want, we could allow the vouchers to be cashed in not-for-profit NGO schools or, alternatively, in schools that operate as workers' co-ops.
Tue, 2009-08-04 11:05
#9
IIRC the Federal NDP support the funding of Aboriginal Languages...
Vouchers is not good.
Wed, 2009-08-05 13:15
#10
IIRC the Federal NDP support the funding of Aboriginal Languages...
Vouchers is not good.
I'd been looking for a quality self-instruction grammar for the Algonquin language. Owing to my schedule, it would not be easy for me to take a course, and so wanted such a grammar and dictionary to teach myself. Guess what? I looked on Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca, etc. etc. etc. I'd also contacted some First Nations communities, and none knew where I could find such a book.
I'd learn Esperanto on my own with just a gramamr and dictionary, total investment, 40 dollars. Yet I can'd find the equivalent for my local Aborigina language?!
If what you say is true, and considering the NDP was in fact in power in Ontario for awhile, why am I still not able to find such a book? If the government wanted to promote these languages, wouldn't creating self-instruction grammars and dictionaried be a priority?
Wed, 2009-08-05 13:17
#11
So, if the Ontario NDP failed to help the First Nations languages when it was in power, then why could it not have co-allesced with the Ontario Conservatives to create a voucher system allowing schools to choose local Aboriginal languages as the language of instruction, if the NDp is sincere of course.
This is one reason I've lost interest in the NDP. It never follows through.
Wed, 2009-08-05 13:45
#12
remind
really? And the Conservatives and Liberals have?
Wed, 2009-08-05 13:53
#13
really? And the Conservatives and Liberals have?
No, they haven't either. That would be the beauty of a voucher system. It would get the government out of the way so that those who would rather learn the local Aboriginal language as their second language instead of French or English could. Same for off-reserve Aboriginals wh want to send their kids to local-Aboriginal-language medium schools.
The increased demend would help to promote some kind of local Aboriginal language publishing industry for these schools, and in turn might lead to the creation of the kind of textbooks I'd like to see.
Here's the thing. No amount of government intervention will get me to learn the local Aboriginal language. Only my own will can do that... if the necessary resources exist for me to learn it.
If the government should step out of the way, and let the Aboriginals take care of themselves, then maybe we could see enough of a growth in their languages for such books to be published, thus makign them accessible to me so that I could buy them and study them. Until such books are availabel, I can't study them.
Now as to your comment about the Liberals and Conservatives. Are you saying that one party's failures are a valid excuse for another's?
Honestly, only two parties might earn my trust in this matter, and they are the NDP and Greens. However, sicne the Greens are not likely to gain power for a while yet, and the NDP has already proven itself in government, then it would seem the only option left is for the government to step out of the way so Aboriginals could fend for themselves without government pushing them down.
Wed, 2009-08-05 13:53
#14
By the way, I've lost interest in all parties for the same reason.
Wed, 2009-08-05 14:01
#15
remind
In actual fact, at least out here in BC, FN's languages have to first be made into written language, before anything can be done with respect to teaching them and having books on them. And indeed this is being done, and has been for awhile now.
Wed, 2009-08-05 14:03
#16
In actual fact, at least out here in BC, FN's languages have to first be made into written language, before anything can be done with respect to teaching them and having books on them. And indeed this is being done, and has been for awhile now.
Better late than never I suppose.
Wed, 2009-08-05 14:08
#17
But even once that's done, what about putting the local First Nations language on an equal footing with foreign languages.
In BC, schools can choose between French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. Or if it's a French-medium school, English.
Why isn't West Coast Salish on the list that schools could choose from if they wanted to? In Alberta (you know, that backwards, red-necked, right-wing conservatvie province?), schools can choose from among various languages including Cree and Blackfoot. This doesn't mean that many schools teach these languages, but it does mean that the government has granted schools that freedom.
Now I don't see why we couldn't take it a step further and allow them to teach these languages off-reserve as mediums of isntruction, EQUAL to English and French. The problem I'd see with this would be political resistance from the right arguing that they're unfaily subsidised. A simple solution to that would be a voucher system, thus eliminating that argument by pointing out that all get the same amount of funding.