Education
Aspiring Leaders program focuses on fostering effective relationships
Creating a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment by fostering effective relationships was the goal of the second Red Deer Public Schools’ Aspiring Leaders session.
Nearly 60 Red Deer Public staff including administrators, teachers and support staff attended the session on January 11.
Hosted by the Division’s Human Resources department, the session, titled ‘Fostering Effective Relationships’, allowed attendees to take part in an empathy mapping exercise. The exercise gave participants a leadership scenario in which they each had a role. After reviewing their scenario, which included a choice between a coworker or a classroom scenario, participants then reflected on the series of events from the scenario from the perspective of the role they were playing.
Associate Superintendent, Human Resources Corrine Thorsteinson shared that relationships are the foundation of good leadership and successful leaders rise to the occasion in the way they navigate through difficult or challenging conversations and situations. “There are two key leadership concepts upon which effective relationships are built: empathy and compassion. These two concepts work hand-in-hand to provide a lens for perspective taking and staying out of judgment,” she said. “The result is meaningful connections which help us work towards solutions.”
More Aspiring Leaders sessions will take place throughout the rest of the school year.
“We encourage staff, who haven’t already registered, to consider signing up for any of our sessions through the remainder of this school year,” said Corrine. “These sessions are a perfect opportunity for any Red Deer Public employee who wants to explore whether a formal leadership position is right for them; wants to build or enhance their leadership toolkit; wants to lead where they are at; or wants an opportunity to learn from and engage with other colleagues interested in leadership.”
Red Deer
St. Joseph High School Celebrates Brody Andrie’s National Boxing Championship Victory
News release from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools
St. Joseph High School (SJHS) is thrilled to announce that Grade 12 student Brody Andrie has been crowned the National Champion in the 57 KG youth division at the prestigious Canada Cup & Junior Youth Canadian Championships. The championships were held at the Genesis Centre in Calgary from March 20 to March 24, 2024.
Brody, a dedicated member of Team Alberta and a fierce competitor from the Shadow Box Boxing Club in Lacombe, has achieved a remarkable milestone by winning gold in his division. This victory not only highlights his outstanding skills and dedication to the sport of boxing but also marks him as the first central Alberta boxer to be crowned a national champion in decades.
Reflecting on his victory, Brody shared, “This win is not just for me but for everyone who has supported me along the way. I’m proud to bring this championship back to Lacombe and hope to inspire other young athletes in our community.”
SJHS Principal, Gary Gylander, expressed his admiration for Brody’s achievement, stating, “Brody’s success is a testament to his hard work, perseverance, and the support of his coaches and community. We are incredibly proud of him and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this outstanding young athlete.”
This is a historic moment for both Brody and central Alberta, shining a spotlight on the talent and potential within our community.
Education
Higher spending on K-12 education does not result in better student outcomes
From the Fraser Institute
By Derek J. Allison
Higher levels of per-student spending do not achieve higher student scores on standardized tests, either internationally or among the provinces, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Just spending more on K-12 education does not lead to better student outcomes,” said Derek J. Allison, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of School Spending and Performance in Canada and Other High-Income Countries.
The study compares provincial per-student spending on K-12 education in 2018 (the last year of comparable data) to other high-income countries in the OECD and to performance on the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
It finds that higher per-student spending levels are not associated with stronger academic achievement. In fact, in 2018, 10 countries—or one third—of the high income OECD countries included in the analysis spent more per student than Canada but achieved significantly lower PISA scores.
Similarly, among the provinces, Saskatchewan was the highest per-student spender among the provinces but ranked 8th out of 10 on PISA scores. Manitoba was the second-highest per-student spender and recorded the lowest PISA scores nationwide. Conversely, British Columbia was the lowest spender per student in Canada and achieved the fourth-highest PISA scores.
“The evidence is clear—simply spending more on established K-12 schools without finding new and better ways to help kids learn will not improve student outcomes,” Allison said.
Provincial per-student spending (2018) compared to core PISA score
Province Spending Core PISA score
Saskatchewan Highest spender 8th
Manitoba 2nd Lowest PISA score
Alberta 3rd Highest PISA score
Nova Scotia 4th 5th
Ontario 5th 3rd
New Brunswick 6th 9th
Quebec 7th 2nd
P.E.I. 8th 7th
Newfoundland and Labrador 9th 6th
British Columbia Lowest spender 4th
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