Poste - Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children

C A N A D I A N C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E R I G H T S O F C H I L D R E N
Alliance of Home Schoolers estimates that there are
approximately 50,000 students being educated at home. 168
Parents can establish their own curriculum and choose
their own learning materials. To support home schooling,
British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon allow access to
educational facilities and learning materials. 169 In some
jurisdictions, children are required to register with a local
school; others require that approved texts be used.
Provincial monitoring of home schooling is mostly
carried out by local school boards but home schooling
has not generally been well defined or supported. 170
Regulations are now increasing due to the growing
popularity of this alternative to public schools.
Private Schools
Less than six percent of Canadian students are enrolled
in private schools. 171 Independent private schools exist
across the country and may operate in any province or
territory if they meet general standards for elementary
and secondary schools. Most private schools closely
follow the curriculum and diploma requirements of the
department or ministry of education. Alberta, British
Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan support
private education by providing some form of financial
assistance to these schools. 172
A private school may refuse to admit a pupil but legal
mechanisms exist to ensure that private schools are nondiscriminatory.
For example, the Human Rights Code of
Ontario protects against possible human rights violations
in private schools. However it should be noted that since
the Canadian Charter does not apply to private, nongovernmental
action, 173 it is likely that Charter guarantees
will not apply to the procedures and decisions of
independent school administrators. 174
Charter Schools
Canada has only nine charter schools, all of which are in
Alberta. 175 These schools:
• are sponsored by the Minister of Education;
• are located in large urban centres;
• have been in existence for one to three years;
• have small classes, and
• are experiencing a growth in enrollment. 176
92
According to University of Calgary research, parents see
positive results from their children’s charter schools, such
as improved academic performance and increased student
satisfaction with learning and personal confidence; 85
percent plan to keep their children in the charter school. 177
Charter schools are not accepted by all educators because
research has shown that these schools have:
• limited financial, moral or technical support;
• limited professional development for teachers; and
• adversarial relations with others in public system. 178
Charter schools by their very make-up do not promote
inclusiveness. Charter schools also have difficulties with
governance, due to parents’ lack of knowledge or expertise
and vaguely defined roles between administrators and board
members. 179 There is also a concern about undue criticism
of public schools in order to justify charter schools and their
separate public funding. Ontario’s Education Improvement
Commission rejected provincial funding of charter schools
in 1997, saying it “would undermine the strength of
Ontario’s public education system.” 180
Conclusion
Children’s right to education is assured in Canadian
legislation, which provides for primary and secondary
schooling and obliges all children to attend. Alternatives
to public schooling are also permissible. Education is a
provincial responsibilty and is administered by local school
boards. As such, there are variations in the provision of
education across the country.
The goals of education generally address the developmental
needs of children although special programming for
students is inconsistently available. Concerns have been
identified about national educational efforts such as: the
reduction in education spending and its adverse effect on
the availability of programs and services; the reduction of
the number of school boards and the impact this has had on
access to programs such as special education; the high
drop-out rate of Aboriginal children; the unclear status of
rights education and multicultural programming; and the
availability of instruction in both official languages “where
numbers warrant.”
A charter school is an independent public school. A Charter school must meet broad provincial guidelines but offers a
distinct program, either in its treatment of subject matter or alternative teaching methods. Charter school founders sign a
charter agreement with either a local school board or the minister of education in order to become autonomous
administrators of the school. In return, the government provides full funding for each student.