Conference 2000 - Workshops - Canada - Peter Murphy - Scottish Parent Councils Association

Many societal forces are going to result in Canadian schools becoming more self-managing institutions in the near future. Provincial governments, as well as business people, parents, educators and members of the public seem to welcome the emergence of this new form of governance because these individuals perceive that school-based management will generate many benefits. Quite naturally, other people are less welcoming of this reform. In fact, some of them are concerned and critical of a greater decentralisation of school governance.

Government officials, politicians and educational administrators who support cost-effective strategies that they have a responsibility to provide children attending provincial schools with the highest quality of education which conditions permit. Most parents, as well as virtually all children, have no significant input as to the type and quality of education provided by schools.

Special needs children are less fortunate than most of their peers because they usually cannot regain ‘lost ground’ in schooling later in their lives. If these children are to be provided with opportunities which will enable them to develop their potentialities, appropriate learning experiences and support programmes must be offered by schools. For these young people, individualised instruction is not a philosophical ideal or a political ploy but an essential condition for them to learn, to find productive employment and to experience an enjoyable life. Over the past 30 years, advocates for special needs children have enjoyed some success.

As resources for provincial schools decline, as demands for accountability intensify and as school-based management becomes more a reality, special needs children, such as those with autism, may find themselves receiving a ‘second class’ education. For equal educational opportunities to be a fact rather than fiction, parents of special needs children must become more involved in school affairs and school governance.

In this presentation emerging conditions in society will be discussed, the concept of a school-based management, using the scholarly work of Caldwell and Spinks (1986), Holt and Murphy (1993) and Murphy (1997) will be examined, the findings of a study involving the parents of children with autism will be reported, and suggestions for enabling the parents of special needs children to become more involved in their children’s schooling will be proposed. Delegates will be invited to share and to comment on initiatives, introduced or proposed in their countries, to facilitate and to encourage the participation of parents of special needs children in school affairs and school governance.

Parental Participation in School Affairs and School Governance: Implications for Professional Educators

Abstract

To satisfy public demands for a greater accountability, to reduce costs, to encourage schools to become more cost-effective and to satisfy the desire of some people to become involved in public affairs, most provincial governments in Canada have supported a greater decentralisation of school governance. Through appropriate legislation and public policies, the majority of Canadian schools are now required to establish Parent Advisory Councils (PAC’s) consisting of parents, teachers and school-based administrators.

This new governance structure when viewed from economic, political and consumer perspective appears to generate numerous benefits. The ‘users’, the parents of the children served by a school, and the ‘providers’, the teachers and administrators in a school, are offered opportunities to establish and to maintain more effective working relationships. Some critics of this new form of governance maintain that by schools becoming more autonomous a greater competition among schools will occur which will increase the gap between ‘have’ schools and ‘have not’ schools. If this situation arises, then equal educational opportunity, which has characterised Canadian provincial schools will be gradually eroded. Consequently, the decentralisation of school governance possesses the potentiality for creating a state of affairs that may threaten the rights of certain children and create an environment conducive to nurturing social injustice.

What outcomes will be forthcoming as a consequence of this new form of school governance is presently unknown. However, the success of this far-reaching reform will be influenced to a significant extent by the principals, teachers and teachers-in-training who will be expected to put theory into practice. In this presentation the turbulent social milieu, characterising Canadian society will be discussed. The nature of school-based management examined and the implications a decentralisation of school governance may have for principals, teachers and teachers-in-training commented upon. At the conclusion of this discussion, delegates will be invited to share their thoughts on the implications for professional educators of parents becoming more involved in school decision-making activities.

Parents from Ethnic Minorities Need to
Become Involved in their Children's Schooling

Abstract

For many people our modern world is confusing. Advances in technology are providing them with products that perform services which frequently amaze them. Values, morals and patterns of social behaviour are similarly undergoing significant change. Co-operation, communication and consideration must be assigned a high priority by Canadians if, irrespective of their social status, ethnic origins and religious beliefs, they are to live in harmony in this continuous changing society. Provincial schools will undoubtedly play an important role in establishing this future ‘brave new world’.

If provincial schools are to be proactive, there is need for greater and more intimate social interactions among parents and educators regarding the social, cultural and intellectual development of children. Many parents possess a limited knowledge of what is happening in provincial schools, irrespective of their ethnic origins, social status and educational background. Many provincial schools have established Parent Advisory Councils (PAC’s) to improve relations between schools and local communities. Also, as schools become more autonomous, parents are obviously going to become more involved in shaping the learning environment available to children.

Over the past three decades the ethnic composition of Canada’s population has changed. Traditionally immigrants came to Canada from Europe, the USA and Australia. Now the majority of immigrants come from Asia, Latin America, Central America and Africa. If provincial schools are to serve adequately their local communities, the need of the children of these new Canadians, as well as the children of the dominant ethnic groups need to be addressed. Also, parents from these ethnic minorities must become advocates for their children within the school system.

In this presentation, the emerging Canadian society will be examined, the evolving composition of the nation will be discussed, the basic components of school-based management will be noted and how parents from ethnic minorities might become more involved in their children’s schooling will be explored. Delegates will be invited to comment upon the evolving ethnic composition of their nations, to discuss how parents from ethnic minorities are involved in school affairs and to describe future initiatives for increasing these parents involvement in their children’s schooling.

Presenter - Peter James Murphy, Ph.D. University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Back to 2000 Workshop Index