Education
RDC and President Joel Ward mark ten years of transition
From Red Deer College Communications
State of the College Address reflects on past and looks to future
Red Deer College opened its doors to members of the community for the third annual State of the College Address on Thursday. The event had a 10-year retrospective theme, reflecting Joel Ward’s contributions to RDC, and it also provided an opportunity for RDC’s Board of Governors and President & CEO to share recent highlights from the College, while also looking to the exciting future as Red Deer University.
“When it comes to serving current students, future students and community members, Red Deer College has made tremendous advances in recent years, with the past 12 months really representing the turning point in our College’s evolution,” says Morris Flewwelling, Board Chair. “This is a direct outcome of the strategic and diverse work that the College is undertaking to benefit our learners and the citizens of central Alberta.”
During his speech, Flewwelling pointed to highlights including RDC’s approval to become a university, along with the confirmation that Red Deer University will be the institution’s name of the future. He also noted that RDC has launched eight new programs and opened three new facilities – the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, the Alternative Energy Lab and new Residence – all within the last year.
Planning and partnerships have laid the foundation for RDC’s unprecedented growth, as the College works with its partners to establish pathways and opportunities to serve people from across the region. Recent examples include the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre partnering with RDC to build a Centre for Excellence on RDC’s main campus, and also RDC signing the Colleges and Institutes Canada Indigenous Education Protocol, formalizing our commitment to Indigenous education.
As the College expands, diversifies and becomes increasingly inclusive, it will be able to seamlessly transition into the university of the future. “RDC will be guided by the communities we serve, and we will continue to engage our communities as we learn and grow together,” says Joel Ward, President & CEO. “We will build on our strengths as a college as we transition to a university that offers comprehensive programming, which will ensure the success of our learners and have a direct impact on the economic, cultural and social growth of central Alberta.”
After the Address, guests and community members took part in a public farewell, acknowledging Joel Ward’s upcoming retirement from the College.
For further information, please see the State of the College publication.
About RDC: For 55 years, Red Deer College has proudly served its learners and communities. In 2018, RDC received approval to become a university, offering its own degrees. The College continues to grow programs across a breadth of credentials as it transitions to become a comprehensive regional teaching university during the next three to five years. Once this transition is complete, RDC will officially be known as Red Deer University. RDC offers more than 100 programs (including degrees, certificates, diplomas and skilled trades programs). With impressive new facilities that have opened this year, the College educates 7,500 full-and part- time credit students and more than 38,000 youth and adult learners in the School of Continuing Education each year.
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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