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Lighthouse programs, e-learning and new course options to enhance 'rural
experience'
LONDON, ON, Dec. 12 /CNW/ - The Rural Student Success Program will
improve the viability of rural high schools, increase graduation rates and
encourage more rural students to pursue postsecondary education, Education
Minister Gerard Kennedy announced today at Lord Dorchester Secondary School,
outside of London.
"We're putting rural high schools on an equal footing with their urban
counterparts to ensure greater success for Ontario's 75,000 rural high school
students," said Kennedy.
"Our plan for rural Ontario recognizes that when young people have access
to good education in local schools, our communities can grow stronger," said
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky.
Kennedy, joined by Dombrowsky, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP and Minister of
Labour Steve Peters and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Maria Van Bommel, announced
the new Rural Student Success Program, including a $10-million lighthouse
program, a new 'rural experience' emphasis in the curriculum and $3.5 million
for new e-learning pilot projects.
The lighthouse program will provide 25-50 rural high schools with
$100,000 to $200,000 of additional annual funding for a two-year period. It is
the latest instalment in the McGuinty government's Rural Funding Formula,
which includes $20 million provided earlier this year, and now represents over
$200 million in targeted rural schools funding since 2002-03.
The Rural Student Success program will also adapt the high school
curriculum to provide more options to rural students, including:
- A new farming and rural 'major' as part of the recently announced
Specialist High Skills major in the Ontario Secondary School Diploma
(OSSD). Students will have the option to bundle 6-12 farming and
related courses to receive the specialist designation on their diploma
- New rural- and agricultural-related co-operative courses
- Allowing ministry-recognized external programs to be eligible to count
for credit, such as the 4H program.
An extensive $3.5 million e-learning pilot project will increase the
diversity of courses available at rural schools by providing a provincial
platform to enable students to take the same course from a variety of
locations.
"It is important that people who choose to live in rural Ontario can
access a high quality education," said Peters. "The new funding will help to
ensure the viability of rural schools and strengthen the economic development
potential of rural Ontario."
The Rural Student Success Program is part of the government's broader
high school Student Success Strategy to ensure that all students receive a
good outcome from their high school education.
Announced by Premier Dalton McGuinty last week, the strategy includes a
new government target to increase the graduation rate to 85 per cent by 2010
(up from 68 per cent when the government took office in 2003) and 71 per cent
in 2004.
Disponible en français.
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
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Recognition and Fairer Funding for Rural Schools
Rural schools represent 25 per cent of all Ontario schools and serve
approximately 15 per cent - or 300,000 students.
The McGuinty government recognizes that the one-size-fits-all funding
formula of the previous government unfairly penalized rural and small schools
by expecting them to operate on the same platform as their urban counterparts.
Since taking office, this government has been building a fair and effective
Rural Funding Formula that will ensure success for rural students.
Over $400 million in new annual operating funding has been provided for
rural students by the Ministry of Education since 2002-03, including
$200 million to specifically meet the unique challenges of rural schools. This
is in addition to the pre-existing $209 million in dedicated funding for rural
and remote schools, representing an increase of over 97 per cent (or double
the investment) compared to 2002-03.(1)
Since 2002-03, rural students have received 47 per cent more support than
if they were being funded based on population alone.
The McGuinty government has also provided rural schools with a further
$230 million in one-time grants for major repairs, energy retrofits, library
books and transition programs for declining enrolment.
Key Aspects of the New Rural Funding Formula
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Recognition
Under the previous government, fewer than half of all rural schools
received any support. Now, all rural schools are recognized and qualify for
extra support. The new funding formula recognizes an expanded list of rural
schools, from 638 to 1,139 schools, broadening the definition of "rural" and
better meeting the needs of students across the province. Statistics Canada
census data and postal code information is being used to ensure that rural
schools are properly identified so that they can be funded fairly.
Value to the Local Community and Economy
A new school valuation policy ensures that the value of schools to its
community and local economy is taken into account for funding and closures
decisions. Under this new policy, the public is provided with information and
consulted far in advance of any potential school closing.
OPERATING FUNDS
Full Cost of Direction, Administration and Maintenance
The Good Schools Open grant ensures that every board can afford to pay
the fixed costs to operate a school by way of principals, secretaries,
supplies and caretakers - regardless of its size. A $51-million grant is
allocated annually, including $20 million announced earlier this year.
Fairer Transportation
Over 60 per cent of rural students are transported daily. Significant
improvements have been made to a new funding formula with a disproportionate
benefit to rural students. For rural students, $21 million is allocated
annually.
Rural and Remote Improvement
Funding of $50 million is allocated annually for distant and remote
school staffing.
Fairness in New Initiatives
The following programs have all been delivered to schools with
disproportionate benefit for rural schools, recognizing rural needs:
- Primary class size teachers
- Specialist teachers
- Student success teachers
- Special education resources
- Real salary benchmarks and real cost increases
- Daily physical activity
- Anti-bullying programs.
This funding accounts for $48 million annually.
Community Hubs (per school proxy)
Funding to ensure community organizations can access school gyms,
classrooms and grounds at nominal cost accounts for a $4-million annual
investment for rural schools.
CAPITAL FUNDS
Cost of New Schools
Adjustments have been made to the funding formula to recognize the higher
costs of building new additions and schools in rural and remote areas. Over
$2 million is allocated annually to leverage $30-million worth of repairs,
renewal and new school additions.
Major Repairs
The Good Places to Learn program recognizes, for the first time, the
significant renewal needs of Ontario's schools. This has given many rural
schools first access to new roofs, boilers, windows and other enhancements
through $170 million in funding.
Energy Retrofits
Grants amounting to $6.3 million were provided to help rural schools
become more energy efficient.
ONE-TIME FUNDS
School Libraries
For the first time, funding was provided directly to school libraries to
replenish their resources. Funding of $4 million was allocated on a per-school
basis to ensure that small schools received the same amount as their large
counterparts.
Declining Enrolment
Assistance of over $17 million has been provided for boards with
declining enrolment to cushion the impact through transition programs.
--------------------------
(1) Depending on board and school size, rural schools also benefit from
portions of additional maintenance and staffing funds totalling
$425 million that is not allocated on a per-student basis
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
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SUCCESS FOR ONTARIO'S RURAL STUDENTS
Strong Rural Schools at the Heart of Strong Rural Communities
The McGuinty government is committed to supporting thriving rural
communities across Ontario. Local mayors and reeves clearly expressed that
viable economic development is strongly linked to the availability of quality
local education. Parents and students have expressed strongly how great
education can be in rural schools of a variety of sizes, if resources are
available.
The role of the school in a rural community is even larger than providing
essential education. The heart of the community is often the local school -
the place where people get together to take courses, take part in community
activities and stay active and involved. Rural schools help shape community
identity, contribute to a high quality of life and are key to the retention
and attraction of young families to offset recent declines in population.
In recent years, the challenges that arose from declining populations in
some parts of rural Ontario were made more difficult by the previous
government's insensitive policies and a one-size-fits-all education funding
formula.
The Rural Student Success Strategy
Ontario's Student Success Strategy, recently announced by Premier Dalton
McGuinty, presented a goal to ensure that all high school students are able to
reach their potential. The strategy includes a graduation target of 85 per
cent of high school students by 2010 (up from 68 per cent when the government
took office) and 71 per cent in 2004-05.
The Rural Student Success Program is a customization of the overall high
school strategy for rural students, including a $10-million lighthouse
program, a new 'rural experience' emphasis in the curriculum and new e-
learning pilot projects. The government will ensure that boards and schools
can lead the development of programs, better retain their rural students and
offset the challenges of small school sizes and declining enrolment.
There are 144 rural high schools serving over 75,000 students, with an
average size of 525 students. Seventy of these high schools have enrolment of
less than 500.
Rural Lighthouse Programs
The Rural Lighthouse Program will provide 25-50 rural high schools with
$100,000 to $200,000 of additional annual funding for a two-year period. The
program will increase the viability of rural high schools and, in turn, be
shared with other schools to promote best practices across the province.
Criteria include:
- Must retain students in rural high schools, increase graduation rates
and encourage a greater number of students to pursue post secondary
education
- Eligible for any rural high school or high school serving a largely
rural area
- Must operate for a minimum of two years
- Up to one half of funds can be used to support existing programs not
already directly funded by the ministry.
Higher consideration will be given to schools which are clearly under-
funded when all aspects of funding are taken into account, and programs that
service elementary feeder schools.
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Research shows that small high schools can offer important advantages
for student success, including improved student achievement,
better attendance, higher graduation rates and
better learning environments.
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Promoting Rural Experience
The Rural Student Success Program will also adapt the high school
curriculum to emphasize a 'rural experience' and provide more options to rural
students including:
New Farming and Rural Major
- A new farming and rural 'major' as part of the recently announced
Specialist High Skills major in the Ontario Secondary School
Diploma (OSSD).
- Students will have the option to bundle 6-12 farming and related
courses to receive the specialist designation on their diploma.
- While maintaining the same academic core, the Specialist allows
students to bundle 6-12 of their 30 credits in a way that will be
recognized by future education programs or workplaces.
New Rural- and Agricultural-related Co-operative Courses
- New co-op courses will be developed and others expanded to encourage
farm-based co-operative education experiences. Students will be able
to count up to two co-op courses for compulsory credit.
Dual Credits
- Students will be able to obtain credit for college, university or
apprenticeship learning while completing their high school diploma.
External Programs
- Programs like 4H will be eligible to count for credit as part of a
new program that will allow students to recognize up to two credits
obtained through ministry-recognized external programs and
credentials.
Provincial E-learning Platform and Pilot Project
E-learning has proven to be a useful tool to support basic skills in
literacy and numeracy, enriching teaching and learning in the classroom,
providing equitable access to learning opportunities for rural and isolated
students and supporting learning for students with special needs.
In Ontario, small rural and isolated secondary schools have difficulty
providing the range of courses necessary for student graduation and
postsecondary destinations.
The government is investing $3.5 million in the new e-learning platform
and pilot project which will provide students at rural schools with a range of
courses - previously unavailable - that they need for graduation and post-
secondary destinations. In addition, these schools will have the flexibility
in course delivery to meet the needs of students at risk of leaving school
before graduation.
Online courses are scheduled to be available to boards for February 2006.
The e-learning pilot project supports the government's priorities for
Learning to 18, improved achievement in literacy and numeracy and better
access to educational programs for students in rural areas.
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
-30-
For further information: Amanda Alvaro, Minister's Office, (416) 325-2632, (416) 509-5696 (cell); Wilma Davis, Communications Branch, (416) 325-6730; Public Inquiries: (416) 325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514, TTY: 1-800-263-2892
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