Education and Child Care
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2011EDUC0020-000305
March 28, 2011 Ministry of Education
Education Week: It's not about us, it's about you!
VICTORIA - Take a look in the mirror because this year Education Week is all about you. The annual celebration of learning, which starts today and runs all week, is about all the work being done by families, educators and communities to personalize learning and allow every student to own their learning and follow their passions.
Students spend about 14 per cent of their time in school - making you, as parents, critically important partners with teachers, supporting and nurturing your child's love of learning both in and outside of the classroom. British Columbia is a diverse province, with many families, cultures and languages. What brings us together is the value we all place on education. For a video of parents talking about their experiences at Holly Elementary in Surrey, check out:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/news/av/video/2011/holly-elementary/
Quotes:
Minister of Education George Abbott -
"Over the last year, all of our education partners have been working to explore how we can take our good education system and make it brilliant. Families talking about the importance of education, communities exploring locally based solutions to improve education and include First Nations culture, and teachers talking about innovations to better guide and support learning. You are all making a difference to the future of education."
Sasha Dyer, parent at Holly Elementary, Surrey -
"The teachers seem like they really care about your kids, like their education actually matters to them and it means a lot to me as a parent because you feel like this is a partnership and it's not just a one-sided relationship."
Quick Facts:
* The nature of family life in British Columbia has changed a great deal in the last 50 years.
* In more than two-thirds of families headed by a couple, both parents now work. In families with children under three, both parents work in more than 75 per cent of these families.
* Our families have grown smaller in B.C. Almost half of B.C. families now have only two members.
* In 2006, Aboriginal people accounted for almost five per cent of the population of B.C. and 28 per cent of the Aboriginal population was under 15.
* In the past 50 years, British Columbia's population has grown from 1.6 million people to 4.5 million. Immigration accounts for 70 per cent of our population growth.
* Thousands of B.C. children are navigating dual cultures and languages in addition to the learning and development all children experience.
* Our belief in the importance of education has grown: In 1961, only 68 per cent of B.C. youth aged 15-19 attended school. By 2006, only 12 per cent of those aged 25-64 had less than a high school education.
Learn More:
On Education Week:
Video on Education Week
On Personalized Learning:
Premier's Technology Council Report
BC School Superintendents' Association Conference on Personalized Learning
Examples of Personalized Learning:
Resources for parents:
http://www.learnnowbc.ca/LearningResources.aspx
Contact:
Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963
Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect
