BCTF Information Services—Research & Reports

John D. Malcolmson
Recognition & Respect: The Unpaid Work of Education Assistants in British Columbia
Burnaby: CUPE, November 2008

CUPE researcher John Malcolmson reports on the results of a survey administered by CUPE that sought to evaluate the working conditions of the province's education assistants.

From the responses of approximately 4,000 education assistants around the province, it became clear that many were putting in extra hours of unpaid work because their paid allocation was less than what they felt was necessary to support student health and safety.

Canadian Education Association
Education Research Roundup - CEA's Year-End Review

A summary of education research from the CEA web site and Bulletin, the year-end review includes research on topics such as Aboriginal Education, Accountability, Inclusion and Equity, Social Impacts and Outcomes of Education, among others.

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada in collaboration with The Canadian Commission for UNESCO
The Development of Education Reports for Canada
Report One: The Education Systems in Canada - Facing the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century; and
Report Two: Inclusive Education in Canada: The Way of the Future; October 2008, 75 pages

The first report, "concentrates on major reforms and innovations in the education systems, as well as the main policies and achievements in access to education, early intervention, learning outcomes, teacher training, and the role of education in combating social exclusion and poverty."

The second report, "relates directly to theme of the conference – inclusive education, which is defined as an approach that looks into how to transform education systems and other learning environments in order to respond to the diversity of learners."

See especially, page 29 of the first report, for a discussion of teacher working conditions including class size and workload.

Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert
From Sorting to Learning: Developing Deep Learning in Canadian Schools
Originally published in Education Canada 48:5 (Winter 2008)

Kaser and Halbert argue that in order to engage adolescent learners, we need to move from a sorting system to a learning system. The four major shifts they identify are:

• From a focus on instruction and teaching to a focus on deeper forms of learning;
• From summative assessment to formative assessment
• From teaching in isolation to teaching in teams
• From "managing the school" to distributed leadership and reflective inquiry
  

Statistics Canada
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: School Achievement of Nine-Year Olds, 2006-2007
November 2008

This study supports previous research showing that children's academic knowledge and skill at the time they begin school contributes to higher levels of learning in the early grades.

Canadian Council on Social Development
Poverty Reduction Initiatives in Canada - Taking Action Together: CDPAC Third National Conference Poverty and Action in Canada
Ottawa: Westin Hotel, November 25, 2008

This 16-page presentation summarizes poverty reduction efforts in Canada and abroad, poverty trends (including a widening income gap), action on poverty within health sectors, and what is necessary for advocates in moving forward with the goal of reducing poverty.

Tim Richards, Marcy Cohen, Seth Klein and Deborah Littman
Working for a Living Wage: Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Vancouver and Victoria - Summary
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sept. 2008, 8 pages

CCPA calls on major public and private sector employers to pay a living wage that would allow low-income families to afford the basic necessities. The authors calculate that each parent would need to work full-time at an hourly wage of $16.74 in Metro Vancouver in order to pay for necessities and participate in the social and civil life of their communities.

Donna St. George
Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility
Washington Post, November 3, 2008

Published in the journal Pediatrics, the research covers 3 longitudinal studies from the U.S. and Japan, examining the video game content, how often the games were played and what types of behaviours occurred later in the school year.

The study from the U.S. involved 364 children ages 9 to 12 and was documented in a 2007 book, "Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents."

Psychology professor and head researcher Craig A. Anderson said, "We now have conclusive evidence that playing violent video games has harmful effects on children and adolescents."

Mizuko Ito and Others
Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; November 2008, 2 pages

While adults may worry about children wasting time online or playing video games, researchers of this 3-year study (said to be the most extensive study on youth media use in the U.S.), say that youth are engaging in peer-based, self-directed learning. The digital world, they claim, allows young people the opportunity to explore interests, develop technical skills, grapple with social norms, and experiment with new forms of self-expression.

Michael Shaw
The View Inside the Classroom
Times Educational Supplement, October 31, 2008

Britain's Standing Committee for the Education and Training of Teachers surveyed primary and secondary teachers in the U.K. on their views about teacher professionalism. Nine out of ten felt teachers want to be recognized as professionals yet seven out of ten thought the status of teachers was diminishing.

Refer to the actual survey results for more information.

W. Steven Barnett
Preschool Education and Its Lasting Effects: Research and Policy Implications
Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Policy Research Unit; September 2008, 37 pages

This brief which reviews the research on short and long-term effects of preschool education on young children's learning and development, finds that such programs produce many improvements including higher achievement scores, lower rates of grade repetition, and higher educational attainment. Some programs also showed a correlation with reduced delinquency and crime in childhood and adulthood.

The strongest evidence pointed to benefits reaped by economically disadvantaged children. However, children from all other socioeconomic backgrounds also benefited form preschool programs.

The Honourable Roy McMurtry and Dr. Alvin Curling
The Review of the Roots of Youth Violence (Executive Summary)
Ontario Government; November 2008; 52 pages

The full report consists of 5 volumes - Vol. 1 - Findings, Analysis and Conclusions; Vol. 2 - Executive Summary; Vol. 3 - Community Perspectives Report; Vol. 4 - Research Papers; and Vol. 5 - Literature Reviews.

The report was commissioned by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in the aftermath of a fatal shooting of a high school student at school.

Those charged with the task of undertaking a review of youth violence in the province, express serious concerns about trends towards an increasing concentration of violent crime. They suggest that racism and poverty are at the core of much of this deeply troubling violence.

The Replacements - Non-permanent Teachers
Canadian Council on Learning; November 13, 2008

A concise synopsis of the current landscape of teachers on call throughout Canada. The contributions of various Canadian teacher unions are mentioned in terms of training and providing support.

The following 3 papers have been prepared as background to the Institute's new publication entitled World of Work Report: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization.

Lucio Baccaro
Labour, Globalization and Inequality: Are Trade Unions Still Redistributive?
IILS; 2008, 81 pages

The author engages in an econometric analysis in order to ascertain the extent to which union density has declined and centralized bargaining structures have been eroded in many countries worldwide and how these factors have in turn led to rising within-country inequality.

Naren Prasad
Policies for Redistribution: The Use of Taxes and Social Transfers
IILS; 2008, 42 pages

Discusses trends in the composition and levels of social transfers and taxes for developed countries, economies in transition and developing countries. Prasad also examines the extent to which taxes and social transfers are effective in redistributing income.

Uma Rani
Impact of Changing Work Patterns on Income Inequality
IILS; 2008, 46 pages

Assesses the extent to which changes in employment patterns are associated with rising income inequality. Examines various types on non-standard employment including part-time, temporary, and self-employment.

Global Union Research Network (New web site)

GURN has redesigned their web site for easier search and navigation. They have also added "Public-Private Partnership" as one of their important research topics. Here you will find useful information, analyses and current debates, aimed at helping teacher unions and researchers gain a critical understanding of PPPs.

Other topics include "wages and collective bargaining," "poverty reduction strategy papers," and "economic alternatives and poverty eradication."

Building a New Canada Together: The Role of Schools in Creating the Canada We Want
Canadian Education Association, October 2008

A keynote address by former Mayor of Winnipeg Glen Murray, and a panel discussion with participants from OISE, People for Education, CEA, etc. are available to download as podcasts. The discussion focuses on the role of schools in preparing students to be citizens in tomorrow's world.

Marc Frenette
The Returns to Schooling on Academic Performance: Evidence from Large Samples Around School Entry Cut-off Dates
Statistics Canada, November 7, 2008; 35 pages

Researcher Marc Frenette estimates the effect of an additional year of schooling (Grade 10) on academic performance. His findings suggest that an additional year of high school (Grade 10) is associated with a large improvement in overall reading and mathematics performance, and a smaller improvement in science performance. The improvements were greater for boys and lower-income youth than for girls and higher-income youth.

Penny Milton
Getting It Right for Adolescent Learners: An Emerging Agenda for Youth - 2007-2008 CEA Annual Report
Canadian Education Association; November 2007, 20 pages

In order to explore what types of learning experiences - academic, social, and emotional - young people need today, CEA assembled a working group of people from various sectors. CEA researcher Penny Milton notes that it is time to rethink youth learning experiences in light of the impacts of globalization, technology, immigration and migration.

Statistics Canada
Aboriginal Children's Survey, 2006: Family, Community and Child Care
October 2008; 51 pages
(View Summary only)

A report on Aboriginal child health and social development focusing on Inuit, Metis and off-reserve First Nations children under the age of 6.

Titu Andreescu and Others
Cross-Cultural Analysis of Students with Exceptional Talent in Mathematical Problem Solving. Notices of the AMS, 55:10, 13 pages.

Researchers compiled data, including cross-cultural comparisons, on young people's aptitude for mathematics. They found that there were many girls who possessed extremely high aptitude for mathematics but, whether or not they were identified as having such profound mathematical ability, depended on a variety of socio-cultural, educational, and environmental factors. The authors recommend identifying and supporting girls with exceptional mathematical ability.