Alberta School Research Articles

“Spitting in the wind?”: the demise of a school–business partnership

This paper begins from the premise that school–business partnerships are part of marketization and privatization trends within education and the broader public sphere in several western industrialized countries. In contrast to a dominant construction of partnerships as necessary, benevolent, and unproblematic, I consider the idea that they represent a potential threat to democratic participation. I do this through a case analysis of a partnership between a high school and corporation in Alberta, Canada that was dissolved in 1996. Through interviews, I reconstruct some of the events leading to the dissolution and provide insights into the social processes that are revealed in the case. I conclude by arguing that while the case highlights the problematic aspects of this particular partnership, it also raises more general questions about the goal congruence of private and public institutions and about the implications of such generally lop-sided relationships for schools as public institutions.

What's Happening with Internet Use in Alberta Schools?

Data on Internet use in public and separate schools in Alberta were gathered from principals and teachers using a Likert-scale questionnaire and chi-square testing for significance. Respondents were motivated to learn to use the Internet primarily by personal interest, and trial and error was the most frequently reported approach to learning about the Internet. Principals were more positive than teachers about the adequacy of school and district support for Internet use. Principals used the Internet mostly for e-mailing colleagues and for accessing district and ministry information, whereas teachers used it mostly for finding instructional materials. Fewer than 40% of the teachers engaged their students in Internet use for more than one hour a week. The respondents were evenly divided between experienced and novice users. Users differed mainly on the nature and amount of their Internet use.

Some Aspects of Leadership in Independent Schools in Alberta

Interest in independent schools has been growing in Canada, partly as a result of some parental dissatisfaction with public schools. The Canadian province of Alberta has legislation in place that permits development of independent schools while simultaneously imposing controls on their operations. A recent study used interviews, observations, and documents to examine the perceptions of principals in eight accredited, funded, independent schools in Alberta about the major factors that affected their leadership role. They especially identified philosophical congruence enhanced by respect and trust, as well as personal relationships, school culture, symbolism, and support from staff of the government's regional offices.

Charter Schools in Alberta: Change or Continuity in Progressive Conservative Education Policy?

The Progressive Conservative government of Premier Ralph Klein undertook an ambitious program of educational restructuring. Among other changes the government provided for the establishment of charter schools in the province. This was the first time that charter schools were to be allowed in Canada and led a number of observers to allege that this was a step toward the privatization of public education in Alberta. In other words, a radical change was taking place. However, a careful look at the education policy of Alberta's PC government reveals that it has consistently been favorable to private and quasi-private alternatives to public education. Many different policy decisions since the 1970s demonstrate this to be the case. Rather than being a radical change, then, the introduction of charter schools is simply an extension of the PC government's longstanding policy of promoting "educational choice."

Charter Schools in Alberta: Change or Continuity in Progressive Conservative Education Policy?

The Progressive Conservative government of Premier Ralph Klein undertook an ambitious program of restructuring. Among other changes the government provided for the establishment of charter schools in the province. This was the first time that charter schools were to be allowed in Canada and led a number of observers to allege that this was a step toward the privatization of public education in Alberta. In other words, a radical change was taking place. However, a careful look at the education policy of Alberta's PC government reveals that it has consistently been favorable to private and quasi-private alternatives to public education. Many different policy decisions since the 1970s demonstrate this to be the case. Rather than being a radical change, then, the introduction of charter schools is simply an extension of the PC government's longstanding policy of promoting educational choice.

The Frequency of Round Handwriting in Edmonton, Alberta Schools

ABSTRACTRound handwriting is not taught in the public school system. This style is reportedly favoured by females and rarely found in males. To determine the frequency of this style among the students in the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada region, eight schools were approached to provide handwriting from students in grades 4 through 12. A page of writing on a prescribed form was requested from each student who had permission to participate in this study. A total of 569 males and 617 females completed the form. Of these, 192 males and 171 females hand printed their sample forms either from habit or as a result of teacher instruction. Of the remaining forms, no males and no females wrote using round handwriting. This is not a common style of handwriting in school age children in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Educators' Knowledge of Rights

We surveyed educators in the four western Canadian provinces to determine their knowledge of rights in educational matters. In this article we provide both overall response rates and also results of comparisons between male and female respondents and between administrators and teachers. Differences in responses from rural and urban educators, and in responses from educators in denominational and public schools in Alberta and Saskatchewan, are also reported. We found a considerable amount of self-confessed ignorance; on only 5 of the 14 items on which the educators' knowledge was tested did a majority of respondents provide the correct answer. As educators may be expected to influence students' attitudes and values, the low level of knowledge regarding rights that we found may be cause for concern.

The Role of New Catheters in Avoiding Infections in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Seminars in DialysisVolume 8, Issue 6 p. 362-366 The Role of New Catheters in Avoiding Infections in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Mrinal K. Dasgupta, Corresponding Author Mrinal K. Dasgupta Department of Medicine, Dlvlsion of Nephrology and Immunology, Unlverslty of Alberta School of Medicine, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada*Mrinal K. Dasgupta, MD. MSc, FRCP(C), University of Alberta, School of Medicine, 2E3.22 Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, 8440 112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 287. Canada.Search for more papers by this author Mrinal K. Dasgupta, Corresponding Author Mrinal K. Dasgupta Department of Medicine, Dlvlsion of Nephrology and Immunology, Unlverslty of Alberta School of Medicine, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada*Mrinal K. Dasgupta, MD. MSc, FRCP(C), University of Alberta, School of Medicine, 2E3.22 Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, 8440 112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 287. Canada.Search for more papers by this author First published: November 1995 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-139X.1995.tb00433.xCitations: 2AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume8, Issue6November 1995Pages 362-366 RelatedInformation

Urban schools and immigrant families: Gougeon reinterpreted

In his article Urban Schools and Immigrant Families, Thomas D. Gougeon describes the perceptions of 27 ESL teachers toward their students, the students' parents, and the school system that brings them all together. The article represents preliminary work in a massive study of the relations between urban schools in Alberta and immigrant families in which Gougeon plans to interview "a total of 200 K-12 teachers, 40 support staff, 15 administrators, 30 students, and 60 parents" (Gougeon, 1993, pp. 251-252). His ultimate goal is to propose "a theory of communication" (p. 252) followed by the development of a survey instrument for nationwide use. However, exactly how the content of this work might contribute to these two goals is not stated. Furthermore, there are fundamental flaws and biases in his research design. Gougeon begins his study with the assumption that "truly effective communication between staff and teachers of high school students and parents is a rare occurrence" (p. 252). The research strives to provide "a summary of school system strategies to communicate with immigrant parents" (p. 252). What is troubling in his framing of the problem is that immigrant parents are treated as a passive, problematic party. They are underrepresented in the overall research program (60 parents versus 255 school personnel) and are not represented at all in the present study. In other words, from the outset they are perceived to be responsible for increasing the risk of school dropouts/delinquents but are marginalized in the information-gathering and strategy-building process. Gougeon describes his method as using "structured, open-ended interview questions" (p. 254). Unfortunately, he does not provide a copy of the interview protocol, nor does he include a copy of the written statement of the study's

Program equity in Alberta's small rural schools

This paper discusses the development of a distance education service to supplement the range of subjects that could be offered in rural schools in Alberta. Rural schools were suffering from contracting school populations, smaller facilities, restricted course offerings, and greater isolation from the mainstream of education. Use of technology by specialist teachers with refined teaching methodologies completely reversed the trends, opened up all sorts of possibilities for all, and set the pace to lead into the 21st century. Yet, the bubble burst.

Medical school graduates’ activities in research and teaching: Alberta medical schools 1973 to 1985

The paucity of clinicians entering research and teaching careers has been noted. This study examines the proportion of M.D. graduates from Alberta medical schools (with different selection and educational philosophies) who have chosen such careers, and discusses when the graduates' major research interests developed and the significance of the findings to future manpower requirements.

Identifying Giftedness in the Hearing Impaired: the Effectiveness of Four Nomination Forms

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of four nomination forms in identifying intellectually gifted, hearing-impaired children. All subjects in the study were between the ages of 5 and 20 years, had hearing losses greater than 70 decibels in the better ear, and were in attendance at the Alberta School for the Deaf. Group I consisted of students nominated as gifted by teachers; Group II, the comparison group, consisted of age-matched students who had not been nominated as gifted. The results demonstrated that 1) the nominated group (Group I) had a higher mean IQ percentile and a higher mean score on the nomination forms than Group II; 2) there was no relationship between IQ percentile and nomination form scores, and 3) all four nomination forms were significantly correlated for Group I, while three were correlated for Group II. Qualitative data gathered from teachers of the hearing-impaired indicated that perceived characteristics of giftedness in this population are essentially the same as those observed in hearing children except that gifted hearing children are likely to be working above grade level, whereas gifted hearing-impaired children are more apt to be working at grade level.

Educating Able Learners: Programs and Promising Practices

American education has long been under a microscope. In a time when all aspects of our school system face close scrutiny, educators, administrators, and parents are asking critical questions about how we educate those superior students we call learners. Our schools reward behavior inappropriate for an independent thinker, researcher, or artist. Programming for our most capable students is fragmented and discontinuous. And yet there are schools and programs that hold significant promise. This four-year national study from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation provides a broad database, looks into the backgrounds of a few unusually creative individuals, and examines programs with a record of success. It argues in favor of comprehensive programming for able learners, providing a steady challenge for all students, helping to insure that no individual talent withers for want of opportunity. Included are recommendations for discovering and nurturing talent in students (including traditionally neglected groups, the economically disadvantaged, and the culturally diverse), building and administering sound programs, developing appropriately trained staff and teachers, and evaluating effectiveness of programs to assure accountability and add credibility. Compiling data from diverse sources-including 35 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 400 schools, 1,172 school districts, and countless school personnel and students-the study looks at programs for able learners throughout the country, from Project Pegasus in Iowa to Oaks Academy in Texas, from Bronx High School of Science in New York to Bishop Carroll High School in Alberta, Canada. The authors' conclusions based on this broad investigation provide an impassioned call for coordinated schooling and cooperation among all segments of society to develop a new generation of creative, self-motivated students.

Clearinghouse for Computer Software

During the past five years we have seen the very rapid proliferation of small, lightweight, portable and powerful computers commonly called micro–computers. Many suc h computers were being introduced into Alberta school systems in the late 1970s and early 1980s, an d in addition, into the more affluent households. Many indicated that they were buying these computers because of the potential educational help those machines could provide.

Perren Baker and Alberta's School District Reorganization

Perren Baker and Alberta's School District Reorganization

What Canadian Teachers Have Done

In addition to holding the position of assistant executive secretary of The Alberta (Canada) Teachers' Association, F. J. C. SEYMOUR is the editor of The ATA Magazine. Mr. Seymour, who was president of the ATA from 1949-1951, was employed by the Alberta school system for 19 years as a teacher, vice-principal, and principal.

Alberta School Health Education Council

Alberta School Health Education Council