CAPSC Calgary

VOTE for EDUCATION

Do the learning aspirations of 'special-needs' students matter to the CBE? Are the unique life experiences and learning challenges of English as a Second Language (ESL) students important to Board Trustees? These and other vitally important questions and issues were raised at a Board Trustee candidates forum this past weekend. The event, entitled Vote for Education, was organized by the Coalition for Equal Access to Education and the Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary; both community-based not-for-profits engaged with immigrant families and their children. The Centre for Newcomers located in the NE community of Marlborough Park was the venue for the forum.

The overarching theme of the event was to explore with Board of Trustee hopefuls what their vision, strategies, solutions and ideas are regarding the myriad issues facing Calgary's burgeoning immigration/ESL population.

Twenty School Board Trustee candidates were in attendance (17 Public; 3 Separate). The event moderator posed this question to them all; 'what was their vision regarding achieving cultural competency within Calgary schools and how to achieve the best possible english learning outcomes for ESL learners'?

Each Trustee candidate was given a short period of time to outline who they were and to address the posed question. In engaging with the theme of the event the candidates expressed that the current ESL learning system within the CBE was failing to meet many of the needs of it's ESL students. Many pointed to the lack of training for ESL teachers and the absence of appropriate texts; a need for the development of best ESL teaching practices across the school Division (including personalized learning plans for each ESL student) and that more research was required to get to the heart of what ESL learners and their families need to succeed. There was a recognition that the CBE had made great strides in the recent past in improving it's ESL programming and resourcing but that more was required. A common theme from the candidates was that celebrating diversity within the school system was a good thing and that efforts to integrate and celebrate Calgary's ethno- cultural learners and their families should be a priority for the CBE. All of the candidates expressed the view that above all else Board Trustees were advocates for their constituents; they all indicated that they would be strong voices at the discussion table with the Provincial and Federal governments over appropriate funding and resourcing of Calgary ESL learners.

The event organizers pre-selected several ESL students (current and past) to talk about their experiences with the 'ESL system'. All of these young people provided poignant stories of their challenges and successes here in Calgary; they then posed a question that concerned them for the Board candidates to comment on.

Their questions touched on key issues for ESL learners in our Calgary schools: why is there such of lack of sports teams in our schools? is the quality of ESL instruction where it needs to be to genuinely connect with and teach English to ESL students? how can the CBE better connect schools with the families of ESL learners such that the parents of these students are more directly involved in their children's education? will the CBE expand the number of ESL programs, schools ad teachers to accommodate the steadily increasing number of immigrant families and their ESL children? why is the government grant per ESL pupil so low ($500 per student was the figure provided at the forum) and what accountability measures are in place to monitor how these monies are spent by schools? and why does the current system cut-off funding for ESL learners once they reach the age of 19 (regardless of the age that student entered into the CBE)?

The event organizers provided each attending trustee candidate a series of questions prior to the forum touching on issues relating to ESL learners. The candidates answers to these questions are being gathered and collated and will be distributed as soon as possible. CAPSC will make this information available to the public as soon as we receive it.

Submitted by guest contributor Norm Kelly