Our Children, Our Future: Getting It Right

On the 17th of November, 2011, emails went out to anyone who had registered with Alberta Education, with the following announcement:

Office of the Minister

To: Interested Members of the Public

As the new Minister of Education, I want to provide you with the opportunity to share your views about education in Alberta. Since the introduction of the proposed Education Act in April 2011, much has changed. Our government has made a renewed commitment to the education system, and it is important to confirm that we are indeed moving in a direction that reflects the desires and wishes of Albertans.

On November 15, I announced the opportunity for public input as we begin to review the proposed Education Act. The first component is a series of seven full-day meetings, called Our Children, Our Future: Getting It Right, scheduled for late November and early December 2011.

The new Education Act must support and sustain learning environments in which students can thrive through flexible, personalized learning. By opening discussion to the public, especially to students, we can ensure this legislation reflects Albertans vision for their education system and that it has a direct and positive impact on Alberta classrooms now and for years to come.

Many of the ideas emphasized in the earlier draft will likely carry forward because it:

· enables school boards to be more responsive to local needs;

· engages students from Kindergarten to graduation;

· better supports inclusion of learners with differing needs, cultures and abilities; and

· ensures that schools are caring, respectful and safe environments all remain important priorities for this government.

I invite you to attend one of the scheduled meetings identified below. I also ask you to encourage participation among others in your community for whom the meetings would be a new experience by passing along this information.

We have invited community leaders and education authorities to attend the meetings, however, the vast majority of registrations are being held for students, parents, teachers and others who have a broad interest in education as learners, as taxpayers and as future employers.

The meeting dates are as follows:

Date Location

Saturday, November 26 Edmonton
Tuesday, November 29 Red Deer
Thursday, December 1 Calgary
Saturday, December 3 Bonnyville
Monday, December 5 Lethbridge
Wednesday, December 7 Fort McMurray
Friday, December 9 Peace River

For more information, and to register, please follow this link: http://ideas.education.alberta.ca/engage/current-initiatives/education-act-getting-it-right. Following submission of registration, participants will receive a confirmation. This will include venue information and pre-meeting reading materials.

While space is limited and preregistration is required, those who are unable to participate in a community meeting will also have other channels for submitting their thoughts on the future of education in Alberta. We expect to have online options ready in a little over a week and will ensure Albertans are aware of how to provide us with their input. Of course, I also welcome traditional forms of communication, such as letters and emails.

If you have any questions, please contact the project team by email at Engage.Education@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-422-1484 (dial 310-0000 first for toll-free access in Alberta).

Thank you for your interest as we continue this important work on behalf of education in Alberta. Your input will be considered as we work toward reintroducing the Education Act in spring 2012.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Lukaszuk
Minister of Education

I, for one, will be attending on November 26th, and will update my blog afterward.
(I thought we were hooped. There was no more input for educating our kids and the ivory tower educationists had won. Maybe they will still win, but at least we have one more kick at the cat.)

Still hope for the future...

Cheers - Mike