Education Tag

29 Jan 2013 Christian Schools and Disconcerting Legal Developments

“Legalization” of Education - Part 1: Christian Schools and Disconcerting Legal Developments By Ted Postma, Principal of Calvin Christian School in Hamilton, ON and member of the Free Reformed Church Ethics and Public Relations Committee. (First published in the FRC Messenger, Jan 2013) Introduction The Christian school landscape has seen an abundance of far reaching changes during the past decade. Some of the changes were welcomed and some remain quite undesirable. At one time, the call, “let schools be schools,” was a reaction to matters pertaining to a school’s pedagogy or philosophy of education. This same call has now become a reaction to a plethora of legislation and court decisions. We are living in an era which fosters the “legalization” of education. There is an intimidating body of law that deals with students, parents and teachers. Certain regulations are touching and stirring Christian school officials and parents. To ignore or cherry- pick various regulations is risky. Christian school personnel need to exercise a considerable measure of awareness and careful compliance in response to changes ushered in by applicable legislation and judicial decisions. Since I reside in the province of Ontario, my comments will mainly relate to the Ontario scene.[i]

10 Jan 2013 Intolerance Unmasked: Loyola School, the Québec Court of Appeal and Reformed Christian Education

On December 4, 2012 the Quebec Court of Appeal released a shocking decision, one that has direct implications for Reformed education in Canada. Perhaps our readers are wondering how three Quebec judges could possibly have anything to say about an independent Reformed school in Ontario or Western Canada. Rest assured that they do. The decision of the Court of Appeal requires Loyola High School, a private Roman Catholic institution, to teach the province’s Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC) course, and to teach it from a “secular” perspective. The Court of Appeal decision declared that because Loyola’s own World Religions course is Catholic in orientation, it could not be considered equivalent to the ERC program, because the ERC course was specifically designed to be religiously "neutral".

06 Dec 2012 TD Bank on early learning: Do they believe their own recommendations?

Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, Andrea Mrozek, Dec 6 2012: “My kids have ‘kennel cough,’” says John, a dad who has created this joking term for the ongoing sickness his children experience in daycare. “My four-year-old son is so tired at the end of the day that he falls asleep at the dinner table,” says Marie. “I feel like I hardly see my children,” complains Julie. Though the names have been changed, these are the experiences of real parents. They use daycare because they must. And yet they are aware it’s not ideal. So why do activists, some government officials and now even bankers work to increase early learning funding? On November 27, TD Bank joined hands with lobbyists declaring that “early childhood education has widespread and long lasting benefits.”1

12 Oct 2012 ARPA Welcomes new Alberta organization “Parents for Choice in Education”

Through our efforts to promote parental authority in BC's and Ontario's public education system it has become very evident that we have to be proactive in upholding parental rights. As such, we are very grateful to see a new organization forming in Alberta with this very purpose. Headed up by Garnett Genuis, who has provided training to ARPA in the past, Parents for Choice in Education's mission is "to advocate for an excellent, quality-oriented, and choice-driven education system which recognizes parental authority." We encourage our Alberta readers to check out...

02 Oct 2012 Valuable: Cardus Education Survey

ARPA Note: How do independent and private schools compare to public? ARPA thanks Cardus for their exhaustive survey that tackles this and other questions pertaining to our children's education. Cardus.ca: How do Canadians students rate their education? How do they fare—years later, decades later—in their cultural and civic lives? After surveying thousands of Canadian high school graduates, we happen to know some answers. And we'll share them with you. The 2012 CES report is the first of its kind to fully examine government and non-government schooling across Canada, and the...

30 Aug 2012 Nurturing children: Why “early learning” doesn’t help

Aug 30 2012, By Andrea Mrozek, Institute of Marriage and Family Canada: "I want to make sure that my son learns how to get along with others," one parent will say. Another will add, "My daughter is shy. I want her to be with other children, to help her come out of her shell." A third might enthusiastically report that her child loves all her friends at daycare: "She can't wait to go and spend time with them!" These are just some of the things parents say when it comes to the benefits they see in the social settings that pre-schools, daycares and all-day kindergarten provide. Parents are rightly concerned about whether their children get along well with others. However, is it true that early interaction with peers improves socialization for young children? Canadian developmental psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld says this is not the case, particularly in sending young children into "social" environments before they are ready. [1]

13 Jun 2012 Do anti-bullying laws work?

By Peter Jon Mitchell, FocusInsights.org: On May 25, 2012, Ontario’s government announced they would bar any school, whether separate or public, from vetoing the name “Gay Straight Alliances” for school-based anti-bullying clubs. While nearly everyone believes more should be done to stop bullying, this sharp action shows that even consensus issues can be mangled in the political sphere.The GSA issue is important because it has larger implications for Catholic and religious education in Ontario. But the debate has simplified a complex bill into one single issue, obscuring the reality that laws against bullying may not actually stop bullies. The question is this: Is legislating against bullying effective public policy in the first place? Do anti-bullying bills stop children from bullying?

06 Jun 2012 Bill 13 Passes Final Vote in Ontario Legislature

ARPA Note: Although this is very bad news, we are grateful that ARPA's in Ontario, and the Reformed community in general, made the MPPs and public well aware of its dangers. We fulfilled our duty to be a prophetic witness to our society. But let's not retreat now. Bill 13 should be a lesson to us to remain involved in the public square, both out of love for our secular neighbours, as well as to maintain the freedom to live our faith freely and openly. Other provinces must act now,...