A new provincial enrollment study is now available on school board web sites and the provincial government web site.
The report, "Schools for Tomorrow: Building and Sustaining High Quality Education Programs," identifies educational challenges and opportunities that are resulting from changing demographics, movement from rural to urban centres, increasing numbers of new immigrant students, and the planned integration of kindergarten into the public school system.
The study was commissioned by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in response to a request by the Eastern School District. It was conducted by the Ascent Strategy Group, a PEI-based research team.
Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Gerard Greenan advised that one of Government’s five strategic priorities, outlined in the Speech from the Throne, is to “create a contemporary public education system which pursues academic excellence, focusing investment on learning rather than bricks and mortar, a system which honestly adjusts and responds to the new demographic realities.”
“The report contains a wealth of data, information and current research that will be of great assistance to the boards in their work. We are asking the school boards to consider the information in the report, consult with the public, and develop school organization plans by the end of this year that will optimize learning and the organization of schools in their boards,” he said.
The report was presented to school trustees and administrators this week. Government has endorsed the principles in the report and asked the boards to use them as part of their planning and consultations.
The school boards will host public information sessions in the coming weeks to present the findings of the study and seek public input.
The report can be viewed online at www.gov.pe.ca/educ.