Irene Lanzinger shares her views on the challenges currently facing our public schools and what can be done to ensure B.C. students obtain quality public education.

Guests

Irene Lanzinger

President, BCTF

A focus on environmental education research and environmental learning initiatives that aim to increase students' appreciation for the environment.

Guests

David Zandvliet

Associate Professor of Education, Simon Fraser University

Vanessa Lee

Park Interpretation Leader of Metro Vancouver Regional Parks

Discussion about adult education, adult learning, and other paths of university to the community.

Guests

Darlene Clover

Associate Professor, Leadership Series and Adult Education, University of Victoria

Budd Hall

Professor and Director of the Office of Community-based Research, University of Victoria

An educational experiment is taking place in Surrey that includes school district and university collaboration and innovation. What developments are underway and what are the impacts on the community, economically and socially?

Guests

Joanne Curry

Executive Director, SFU Surrey Campus

Mike McKay

Superintendent of Schools in School District 36

A look at innovations and trends in early childhood education and aboriginal education.

Guests

Chris Stewart

President, Aboriginal Education Professional Specialists Association

Adrienne Montani

Provincial Coordinator, First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, and former Chairperson of the Vancouver School board

The role and quality of our public schools re-emerges as a key issue, raising questions about the pace of learning and whether economic and quantitative criteria accurately represent schools and describe their quality.

Guests

Michael Zlotnik

Ph.D., President, Charter for Public Education Network

Charles Bingham

Ph.D., SFU Education Associate Professor

Is the B.C. school curriculum preparing our students for the real world, as well as higher education? What skills and experiences, including those not measured by standardized tests, might our students need to develop to be ready for a complex world?

Guests

Kieran Egan

Professor, Faculty of Education, SFU, Director, Imaginative Education Research Group

Gillian Judson

Doctoral Student and Researcher, Faculty of Education, IERG Program

Enrollment in higher education continues to be an issue and increased competition for students have administrators reconsidering entrance requirements. What do all these changes in Post-Secondary education mean for students graduating from high school?

Guests

Michelle Nilson

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, SFU

Kate Ross

Registrar, SFU

We are all aware of the link between health and learning. But it's an issue that goes beyond junk food in schools. Health Literacy holds the promise of getting students interested in and able to make healthy life choices. What can each of us do to ensure our communities are raising healthy children?

Guests
Chris Kelly
Superintendent, Vancouver School Board

Laura MacNiven
Graduate Student, Faculty of Education, HEPA Program

Whether a child is beginning kindergarten, or making the transition to high school or embarking on a new journey in higher education, parents and the public in general expect our public institutions and education leaders to be working to provide the best for their students. Society in general benefits from an educated workforce and responsible citizens. Yet, what we often hear about are the problems in the public education system, such as, funding cuts, school closures, oversized classrooms and insufficient resources for overworked teachers. What has been done to address these issues and what more can be done to ensure all students benefit from quality public education?

Guests
David Cubberley
NDP Education Critic

Awneet Sivia
Program Coordinator, Faculty of Education, SFU

BC teachers and education leaders are opposed to the use of standardized test results to measure student performance.Teachers want a more accurate depiction of effort both for themselves and their students. Is it a matter of the tests or how the test results are used?

Guests
Bruce Beairsto

Superintendent, Richmond School Board

Glen Hansman

President of the Vancouver Elementary School Teacher's Association

Economic growth and social advancement require knowledge and ideas, as well as a rising generation of new citizens to pursue and advance society. Michael Stevenson, President of SFU, provides his expertise on the importance of investing in post-secondary teaching and the cutting-edge research universities do.

Guest
Michael Stevenson

President, Simon Fraser University

School Leadership Crunch

The Ministry of Education and other educational stakeholders are collaborating to develop and deliver a program to help develop the essential skills, knowledge, theories, and attitudes for successful leadership in BC schools. What can we learn from what is happening now in order to best prepare school leaders of the future?

Guests
Les Dukowski

President, BC Principals & Vice-Principals Assoc.

Sandi Lauzon

Vice Principal, Alpha Secondary School

The drop in birth rate, diversity in the classroom, government policies, even the retirement crunch of our current school administrators all contribute to changes on the education landscape. Teachers are pressured to keep up with these changes while maintaining a high standard of teaching quality, this makes the bridge between teacher education programs or professional development and classroom practice that much more important.

Our current and future teachers need to be well prepared for the realities of classroom practice. What is being done to ensure that this will happen?

Guest
Susan Lambert

First Vice President, BC Teacher's Federation

In an age driven by success, results and outcomes, assessments to measure school and student performance and their use in school rankings have become a controversial issue. Do tests only measure what students are able to memorize or can they accurately assess what a student knows and is able to do? What are the positive and negative impacts of testing on student morale or the way teachers teach the curriculum? What do educators see as the appropriate design and use of assessments?

Guest

John Nesbit, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, SFU

The enrollment crunch in BC universities and colleges has resulted in some of our post-secondary institutions modifying their admission requirements. What do these changes mean for the next group of high school students aiming to obtain a university degree or college diploma? What do parents need to know in order to best support their children who are pursuing a successful post-secondary experience?

Guests

Nancy Johnston

Senior Director,Student Learning and Retention, SFU

Tim Rahilly

Senior Director of Student and Community Life, SFU

Schools are competing for students both locally and internationally. Superintendents are finding their roles have expanded to include marketing and recruitment. Should business management skill be a basic criterion for our education leaders?

Guests
Robin Brayne, Ed.D.

Adjunct Professor of Education, SFU

Geoff Madoc-Jones, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor,

Coordinator of the Ed.D. Leadership Program, SFU

Schools are competing for students both locally and internationally. Superintendents are finding their roles have expanded to include marketing and recruitment.

Guests

Monica Frank,M.A.

Department Head of Student Services, Burnaby School District

Dan Laitsch, Ph.D.

Education Assistant Professor and Director of the Centre

for the Study of Educational Leadership and Policy, SFU