“Today, because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented, and problems that we don’t yet know will arise.”
– Andreas Schliecher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD

As we head into 2019, People for Education will be focusing on the future of public education – both the challenges it faces and the opportunities it offers. Our goal, as always, is to activate system change by providing evidence, building links between education and other sectors, and sparking public dialogue.  And we’re already getting to work:

• Our research team is busy crunching the numbers from the Annual Ontario School Survey. Over 1200 principals from across the province completed the survey this year, and we will be releasing the results in June.
• We will be releasing a new report in early February, looking at the staffing, programs, and pathways available to support students in preparing for their future. Christine Schandl, our research manager, will be providing an overview of the key findings from this report at the Cannexus19 Career Development Conference on January 28.
• Over the next year, we will be working in collaboration with Maytree on the Right to Education Working Table. The working table includes representatives from UNICEF, Equitas, Ontario’s Education Equity Secretariat, the Toronto District School Board, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. We are undertaking research and outreach to identify the key components of a right to education, and to shift the narrative to focus on students’ rights to an education that includes all of the components vital for long-term success
• Mark your calendars for Telling Tales Out of School, People for Education’s annual fundraising gala. The event will take place on May 23, 2019, and this year’s host will be the hilarious Elvira Kurt. Join us for an evening to honour the promise of public education through song, stories, and dance – with performances by students from our publicly funded schools intertwined with those of celebrated Canadian artists and performers. This is the only event where you have the opportunity to see some of Canada’s greatest entertainers AND catch a rising star or two!

We will be charting our path forward under the leadership of our newly elected board chair, Scott Nowlan, president of Saunus Network Inc. and a parent of three children in the public school system. Scott has been an incredible champion for People for Education since he joined the board in 2015, and we look forward to working with him in his new role. Scott will be building on the amazing work of Claire Angus, our previous chair, who will be taking on the role of treasurer this year. With Scott’s leadership, and the commitment of our dedicated board members, staff, volunteers, and supporters, we are looking forward to another productive and exciting year!