“reckless cuts”? “destroying the system”? Really?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z4–gMKaIJDwW_zcgoQGsiHY_sQF-pI2/view
Month: February 2020
Ontario Teachers Unions supporting rail blockades. #onted #onpoli #cdnpoli #ottnews #osstf #oecta #etfo #tdsb #tcdsb #ocsb
Teachers unions supporting the blockades.
There will be an immediate drop to corporate revenues of all the manufacturing companies who rely on rail. This will effect govt tax revenues. Will a 1% raise now be impossible to give to teachers??
Longer-term, factories will not be built, or expanded. Some factories will close and move to Ohio or Kentucky so they can minimize risk to supply chains.
“Internationally, there are legitimate fears that Canada’s reputation as a reliable supply partner will be damaged. The long-term cost of this to the Canadian economy is hard to quantify, but certainly it’s massive.”
“In addition to disrupting domestic and global supply chains, the blockades undermine Canada’s reputation as a dependable partner in international trade,” they said in the letter.
Lost opportunities have real costs both to railways and to the Canadian economy. The economic pain is magnified by the intangible costs to Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier to world markets. If the flow of products can be interrupted, especially without a healthy lead time, then foreign buyers will protect their interests by buying elsewhere. These are the harsh realities
Ways to stop the rapidly increasing cost of education in Ontario. #ottnews #onted #onpoli
We have unstainable growth in the education budget given our aging demographic ($$$$ for healthcare), and loss of manufacturing to USA/Mexico. Why build a plant in Ontario with risk of rail blockades?
https://www.ifsd.ca/en/blog/last-page-blog/ontario-larger-sizes
https://www.ifsd.ca/en/blog/last-page-blog/education-ontario
Also, despite high graduation rates, the readiness for university has declined and our PISA scores are down and fundamental prep for college/trade is poor (poor math etc)
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-universities-shine-a-light-on-ontarios-failing-schools
=========
A potential savings list; not ranked, no editorial comment on pro/cons. Not mutually exclusive:
1. Slightly larger classes with more “Direct Instruction” and less edu-fads (like in NSW Australia – no more edu fads that have NO evidence, like play-based learning, group work, inquiry-based learning, the development of ‘self-directed learners’, teachers as facilitators, so-called ‘21st Century skills’, general capabilities, creative thinking, growth mindset, ‘emotional regulation strategies’, ‘student impulse control’, teaching emotional intelligence, collaborative classrooms, flexible learning spaces, co-teaching and constructivist teaching ).
2. Merger of 4 school boards into 2 language based boards (savings of $500M from admin and busing etc?)
3. Merger of 4 school boards into 2 for rural areas (ie. Not GTA or Hamilton or Ottawa, or London). The North, Simcoe, Kingston, SW Ontario, etc all get merged
4.Much Less French Immersion (mainly used for elementary grade streaming by parents in Toronto, Kitchener), especially outside of Eastern Ontario/Ottawa
5. An end to some SHSM courses (eg Emergency) in high school that really need a college diploma (eg. Paramedic) anyways to get a job. Less courses like Fashion, “Living and Working with Children” etc esp in “Social Sciences”
6. A ban on school board advertising or allowing unqualified students in their schools (eg. children with no Catholic baptism certificate or English kids in French schools)
https://catholicintelligenceblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/how-catholic-are-ocsb-elementary-schools/
7. $5000 grant for those that want to go to independent or charter schools (saves govt $8000 per child)
https://www.edchoice.org/engage/faqs/how-does-school-choice-work-in-other-countries/
8. 4 year freeze on teacher salaries (2% raises for EA/ECE ec). Family doctors had a government imposed multi-year freeze and are only up 1% total over the decade.
9. An end to free parking for teachers (esp in Toronto, Ottawa etc). Pay “market rates” (which may be zero) – It is the LAW for federal civil servants
—
The alternative is a Education Premium Surtax (like the Health Premium Surtax that McGuinty brought in amd brings in $3B/yr). However, only 35% are now in favour of more taxes for education (OISE survey)
Ontario needs Education Reform! Look to NSW. #onted #onpoli #pcpo #ottnews #toronto
Ontario needs a report like this Feb 2020 report in Australia. We need to get away from edu-fads pushed by Fullan, OISE, Jo Boaler, Hargreaves etc etc. It has only led to a DECLINE in PISA scores. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-universities-shine-a-light-on-ontarios-failing-schools
Powerful Report to NSW State in Australia:
PDF:
PC3 – Final Report – Measurement and outcome based funding in NSW schools – 18 February 2020
(BTW, Direct Instruction is more amenable to slightly larger classes in High School)
Excerpts:
The Committee Inquiry identified a striking lack of measurement, accountability and quality control in the government schools system. Classroom practice has been allowed to deviate from the evidence-base. We know what works in schools and what doesn’t work. It has all been researched and reported on in
many thousands of studies here and around the world. Some NSW schools are using this evidence-base to good effect, but others are not….
…The know-how exists to make every NSW school a high-quality school for each of its students. This should be a hallmark of our civilisation and the governments that guide it. Yet unfortunately, too many schools have ignored the evidence-base, instead pursuing fad, ideological teaching programs with minimal or negative impacts in the classroom.
Educationalists have developed a long list of programs and pedagogies without a positive evidence-base. This includes philosophy circles, play-based learning, group work, inquiry-based learning, the development of ‘self-directed learners’, teachers as facilitators, so-called ‘21st Century skills’, general capabilities, creative thinking, growth mindset, ‘emotional regulation strategies’, ‘student impulse control’, teaching emotional intelligence, collaborative classrooms, flexible learning spaces, co-teaching and constructivist teaching…
…Concentrate on knowledge development in schools, not politics: “The gradual overcrowding ofthe curriculum in some ways is not surprising. Too often, the curriculum has become a depository for content aimed at fixing societal ills. The reality is that instilling value sets and encouraging positions on social and political issues is not the job of schools. It is the job of parents. A school’s job is to equip kids with the knowledge needed to successfully engage with the world as independent thinkers.”….
Behaviour Issues in Ontario Schools:
Australian Solution:
The new report, by the NSW Department of Education’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE), examined proven ways to keep order in classrooms. They included consistency, clearly-stated rules and routines, and regular reminders of what’s expected of students.
===================================
Edufads:
Growth Mindset does NOT work!
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797619897588?journalCode=pssa&
Mindfulness:
=======
https://educhatter.wordpress.com/category/discovery-learning/
==
Direct instruction
https://www.youtube.com/user/NIFDIINFO
Great blog: https://gregashman.wordpress.com/2020/02/17/evidence-is-not-the-problem/
Great Canadian: blog: https://michaelzwaagstra.com/
https://wisemath.org/math-instruction-programs/
School choice:
https://www.edchoice.org/engage/faqs/how-does-school-choice-work-in-other-countries/
Are Ontarians willing to pay more taxes for Education? NO! Poll: 37%. #onted #onpoli #ottnews #pcpo
Only 37% would be willing to pay higher taxes! Lowest on record. (An example for an Education surtax could be the Health Premium (surtax) brought in by McGuinty – it now brings in over $3B per year.
Most people want the education budget to grow with inflation. The budget went up $800M (not including child care tax credit) on $30B – well above 2%.
—-
Satisfaction with teachers is also at RECORD LOW!!! Only 58% of parents are satisfied!!
====
Huge increases in spending since 2004 with DECLINING PISA results
Teachers punished by unions for telling Principal about poor performance of a very weak teacher. #onted #onpoli #pcpo
We are not going to talk about Reg 274 which stops a Principal from hiring the best teacher for a position. Instead, he must hire one of five longest lasting supply teachers. “Hire the next, not the best”.
Instead, we will talk about “adverse report”. If a doctor see a underperforming surgeon (not fully incompetent (which must be reported to CPSO professional college), just not great), he or she will mention that to the Medical Chief of Staff at a hospital. THANK GOODNESS! Same with accountants, engineers, lawyers etc etc.
Not teachers though! If a teacher says an “adverse report” to a Principal, he must give a written report to the bad teacher! If not, the good teacher will punished by the union!! What a PROTECTION RACKET!!
The ONLY exception to this rule is suspected child sexual abuse. Even then, some teachers are so afraid of having to do a written report after an “adverse report”, they will not report child sex abuse!! (See atty genl report below)
Physical abuse is not an allowed exception. Only sex abuse. A physical abuse adverse report must also be sent in writing from the teacher to the abusive teacher (eg an physical abusive senior teacher)
#OECTA and #OCSB: ELearning BAD, Flipped Classes GREAT! #hypocrisy. #ottnews #onted #onpoli
There are differences between Elearning (video lectures at home or during spare at school, homework at home) and flipped classroom (video lectures at home, homework in class at school).
However, from a home technology needs perspective, they are identical – High speed internet and a computer. In fact, flipped classroom for younger ages than Grade 11/12 (eg. Grade 5) is even worse – no spares at school to watch videos!!!
Teachers unions rage against eschooling but constantly praise flipped classrooms that allow for “flexibility”, “creativity”, “student empowerment” etc.
NOT ONE CONCERN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ISSUES FOR KIDS! But Elearning is a big no-no because…. “technology poverty”
Take a look at these search results:
Page after page of flipped classroom and flipped learning from teachers and the Assoc Director of OCSB (#2 in command).
https://twitter.com/search?q=ocsb%20flipped&s=09
Here is a GRADE FOUR classroom in Barrhaven Ottawa. MANDATORY math video lessons at home!! No choice. No parental consulation. Kids must learn via video all their math and do math homework at school with a teacher who becomes and $95K/yr homework helper. Grade 4 video lessons are fine but Grade 12 elearning is TERRIBLE!!!
https://learn.flglobal.org/?_ga=2.102459593.994746337.1581517383-1824475335.1581517383
Even Michael Fullan (basically a saint among Ontario education establishment and teachers unions) talked about kids doing video lessons at home:
Click to access Northeastern%20CDSB.pdf
https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/2017/08/27/deeper-learning-flip-classroom/580840001/
Click to access Northeastern%20CDSB.pdf
Click to access Northeastern%20CDSB.pdf
Stories from 2012!! We are in 2020!:
https://professionallyspeaking.oct.ca/2014-06/2014-06-Feature-Story-2-PS.asp
Flipped classrom for at-risk first yr university students:
The Confusion of Teachers. #ocsb #onted #onpoli #etfo #oecta #osstf #ottnews
Here is but one twitter conversation with a teacher about the education budget that shows financial illiteracy. If you push them even a little on govt finances, they collapse totally!
Teacher (Mr J Hills): Buck a beer Doug Trump can increase the education budget even more and pay us 2%+
Reply: The $1/beer cost the govt 0. It was just lowering the govt-mandated minimum price
Teacher: But Ford spent over a Billion to end Beer Store monopoly
Reply: That never happened. There is nothing in the budget about that.
Us: Here is a link to the audited Budget. Tell me where you want to move $$ from (healthcare? old age homes?) and how much.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/summary-table-1-operating-2019-20
Teacher: The budget is all smoke and mirrors.
Teacher: Raise taxes on the rich and corporations!! Raise Hydro rates
Us: We have 2nd highest tax rates on rich people in North America. They will move. With the Laffer curve, will an increase in corporate tax rates actually cause a DECREASE in revenue? Why don’t you have signs saying “Higher Hydro rates for Education raises etc!!”
Teacher: there are so many efficiencies to be found in the Education budget
Us: Great! Where? Be specific on where the 100s of millions are.
Teacher: No reply. You are Blocked!
===============
Background:
Non-partisan UOttawa (former Parliamentary Budget Office)
EduBudget went from $14B to $30B in 14yrs. The budget went UP $800M this year (exclusive child tax credit)
https://www.ifsd.ca/en/blog/last-page-blog/ontario-larger-sizes
https://globalnews.ca/news/6447872/brampton-health-care-emergency/
Two SERIOUS suggestions I have read on Twitter to pay for bigger edu-budget:
- greatly expand euthanasia to reduce healthcare costs
- cancel new subway lines
Other ideas:
- Cap and trade $$ (but that was supposed to be revenue neutral and not go in General govt revenues to pay for health etc. It was supposed to for a separate fund to help ppl buy Teslas etc)
- The $250M it “cost” to cancel green energy projects. However, the auditor agrees that there hundreds of millions in net savings!!
===========
If teachers can’t come up where the additional $$ should come from then the govt should offer a menu to teachers, after saying the education budget will increase 1.5%/yr over next 3 yrs:
Raise Result
2% Avg Class size up to 28, 4 ecourses, etc
1% Avg Class size up to 25, 2 ecourses using boards, TVO ministry (not private, more like Florida FLVS and Europe)
0% Status Quo, 1 Ecourse for those headed to uni
-1% Status Quo
(Remember that Wynne unilaterally cut family doctor fees 5% one yr and they are at -1% from 2011 to 2021 to help the healthcare system.)
#OCSB uses Shawn Copeland (“queer Christ” professor) as resource #catholic #oecta
https://wisdomwayscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Hedgerow-Fall-2018-Syllabus-2.pdf . This is who OCSB looks to for inspiration. Apparently the Trinity is manifested in multiple sexualities (no, not sexes) according to Copeland
Dr Copeland is big into womens ordination, LGBTQ (presenting at a James Martin SJ conference etc).
Click to access Hedgerow-Fall-2018-Syllabus-2.pdf
Click to access Hedgerow-Fall-2018-Syllabus-2.pdf
Click to access Hedgerow-Fall-2018-Syllabus-2.pdf
“Chaplain” Joe of the OCSB presented her as an excellent resource! Uggggh
============
CIA Blog 