The Fraser Institute- What Does it Mean When Choosing a School?
Many parents have been paying close attention to the Fraser Institute School Ranking. The Fraser Institute is an independent, research and educational organization based in Canada. They publish peer-reviewed research into economic and public policy, including taxation, government spending, health care, school performance and trade. They use a variety of methodologies to measure data.
The Fraser Institute uses the results fro the EQAO Provincial Assessments in order to rank schools. EQAO, (Education, Quality and Accountability Office), is a provincial organization that mandates that students in public education across the province participate in standardized assessments in reading, writing and math. These assessments occur at different stages of a child's school career, in elementary and secondary school. The expectation is that every child in every school participate in the EQAO assessments, including those students with various learning challenges, social-emotional challenges, as well as those children for whom English is not their first language.
There are many factors that contribute to the EQAO results in any school, and those can vary student to student. Many educators appreciate the merit in assessing EQAO results in our schools in order to use the information to inform best teaching practices and school planning. Parents, through their School Councils, are invited to participate in this planning.
Where many educators have challenges with the Fraser Institute school ranking system, is that EQAO results are only a snapshot of an individual school, and by no means tells the whole, important story. Schools are made up of a rainbow of learners, individual school cultures, varying degrees of parent involvement as well as unique teachers.
In my opinion, no measurement, no matter how accurate, can assess the human quality and school life that impacts students in our schools every day. I urge any parent to take the time to speak with the school principal and some parents on their School Council, to really begin to appreciate the whole story the school has to tell. Only then can a parent make a more informed decision.
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