Election 2003
Do the Right Thing in Education

Dear Colleague;

The Sparrow Lake Alliance Education Task Force has prepared a series of questions regarding education, to be used at All Candidates’ Meetings, during the Provincial Election.

			Do the Right Thing in Education
			Questions in MS Word (59KB)
			Questions in Adobe PDF (27KB)

The material has been prepared on the basis of considerable discussion with educators and parents, and represents a distillation of the most urgent issues identified.

Please feel free to distribute the attached statements and questions to your staff, Board, and general constituency. This material may be circulated as widely as possible, including to other agencies and services, for maximum use and effectiveness.

The Sparrow Lake Alliance recognizes that education is a crucial issue for children and their wellbeing, and one which affects all families and citizens of Ontario.

We hope you find this material useful in your advocacy work during the election.

Sincerely,

www.sparrowlake.org

We are a coalition of professionals from seven service sectors that provide services for children and youth.

We are educators, physicians, psychologists, social workers, administrators, judges, lawyers, researchers, and recreation specialists.

We are:

• DETERMINED to raise the public’s appreciation of children and youth as society’s most important hope for the future and of their claim to first call on the nation’s resources.

• COMMITTED to improving the effectiveness, efficiency, integration and humanity of services for children, youth and their families.

• DEDICATED to promoting the optimal development of all children and youth.

DO THE RIGHT THING IN EDUCATION

THE SPARROW LAKE ALLIANCE knows that our schools are the critical pathway to healthy Ontario children. Education should be the topic on everyone’s lips this election. To assist you in making statements and asking questions at all-candidates meetings, the following have been prepared.

1. The public perception is that the quality of our school system has deteriorated significantly over the last decade, resulting in larger classes, fewer textbooks and supplies, unclean schools in need of repairs, and the loss of essential staff.

• What are you going to do to restore quality to our schools?

2. The public perception is that schools have stopped providing opportunities for children in the arts, sports, and culture.

• Should we expect schools to provide these, or are these just unnecessary frills?
• What is your position?

3. The public perception is that, despite Strict Discipline policies, kids are more badly behaved in schools than they were ten years ago, and our schools are less safe.

• Do you agree that this perception represents a major shortcoming of current education policies?
• What do you plan to do to turn this around?
• When should we expect to see the situation change?

4. The public perception is that our education system is not preparing kids to make a living as well as it did ten years ago.

• What will you do about this?

5. The public perception is that the education system is competent at identifying kids who are at risk, but not so good at doing anything about it.

• Which Ministry is responsible? Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and/or Ministry of Community, Family and Children’s Services?
• How will you ensure that your Ministries work together in the future?

			Do the Right Thing in Education
			Questions in MS Word (59KB)
			Questions in Adobe PDF (27KB)