Foreword vii Acknowledgments xi About the Sponsoring Organizations xiii About the Authors xv Online Documents and Videos xix Chapter 1 Education in Canada 1 Overview of Canada 1 Governance of School Systems 5 Organization of the System 6 Primary and Elementary Education (Grades K-8) 6 Secondary Education (Grades 9-12) 7 Separate and Private Schools 7 Educational Funding 7 Student Expenditure 8 Working Conditions 9 Teacher Pay 9 Teaching Time 9 Aboriginal Education 10 Conclusion 11 Chapter 2 Teacher Policies and Practices in Alberta 13 Geography 14 Demographics 14 Inequity for Racial (Visible Minorities) and Aboriginal Populations 16 Students in Alberta 17 Student Population and Demographics 17 ESL and FNMI Students 19 Social Welfare 19 Student Learning in Alberta 20 Governance, Sociopolitical, and Historical Context in Alberta 20 Alberta Education (Ministry of Education) 22 The Alberta Teachers' Association 22 Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education 23 Funding for Education 23 Curriculum and Curricular Decision Making 27 Focus on the Whole Child 28 Student Assessment 28 Educational Equity Concerns 30 Teachers in Alberta 31 Teacher Compensation 32 The Work of Alberta's Teachers 35 Teacher Attrition and Retention 39 Teacher Preparation 41 Funding 42 Teacher Preparation Programs 43 Teacher Certifi cation 50 Teacher Induction 52 Professional Learning/School Improvement 54 School Improvement 61 Change in Institutional Resources 62 Change in Teaching Approaches and Strategies 62 Alteration of Pedagogical Assumptions or Theories Related to Innovation 63 Teacher Evaluation/Supervision/Teacher Growth 65 Conclusion 66 Appendix 2-A Teaching Quality Standards 70 Appendix 2-B Vignettes of Teacher Preparation Programs 75 Ambrose University 75 Canadian University College 76 Concordia University College of Alberta 77 The King's University 79 University of Alberta 80 The University of Calgary 83 The University of Lethbridge 85 Chapter 3 Teacher Policies and Practices in Ontario 87 System Improvement and Ontario's Theory of Action 88 Ontario's Theory of Action for Educational Improvement 90 Overview: Ontario Education System 91 Length of School Year, Instructional Time, and Organization of the School Day 93 Governance at the Provincial and Local Level 94 The Ontario Ministry of Education 95 Provincial Curriculum and Assessment 97 District School Boards 98 School Councils 99 Teachers' Federations 100 The Ontario College of Teachers 101 Principals' Associations 102 Partnership Working among Provincial and Local Organizations 102 Improving the Ontario Education System: Provincial Goals and Results 108 Focus on Priority Goals 109 Looking to the Future: A Renewed Vision for Achieving Excellence 115 Supporting Teachers and Teaching Quality 118 Initial Teacher Education 121 Recruitment 137 Induction: The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) 155 Continuing Professional Learning 160 Evaluation and Performance Management 182 Teachers' Career Development 185 Leadership Development for Administrators 188 Leadership Recruitment and Succession Planning 190 Preparation and Professional Development of Administrators 192 Conclusion 197 Appendix: Methodology 203 References 205.