Latest news with #parentengagement
National Post
26-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Tasha Kheiriddin: Province must step in to fix what ails the TDSB
Article content He also introduced Bill 33, the supporting children and students act, which would allow the government to take over boards for any reason that serves the public interest — a catch-all that could include governance issues like those at the TDSB. Article content If the province does step in, it must do more than make cosmetic changes. One goal should be to empower parents to participate directly in school-board decision-making. The current 'parent concern protocol' requires parents who have an issue with their school to go through four layers in sequence: the teacher, the principal, the superintendent and the trustee. This process means that problems often take far too long to resolve — or get blocked and never addressed. Article content Legislated channels for parent engagement already exist under the Education Act, by way of parent involvement committees. The minister must ensure that those channels can no longer be stymied by staff. They should be strengthened to ensure that parents have a real seat at the table, whether it is set by boards or by the government directly. Article content Article content This government, and this minister, have shown they are willing to act. The time has come to confront not just mismanagement, but the structural failings of our educational governance model. As the fight for Barrie Sketchley makes plain, people should come before process. It's time to give parents a voice in Ontario schools. Article content Article content
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Some parents 'undermining' school staff 'by excusing poor behaviour', report says
Some parents are "undermining" school staff" by excusing poor behaviour", a new report has found. The report, which was published by Estyn, the schools inspectorate for Wales, said engagement with parents was "key to sustaining positive behaviour". From the 24 secondary and all-age schools Estyn visited during the last year, nearly all of them noted a "degree of difficulty" in engaging with some parents. The Welsh government said it was "committed" to addressing "declining behaviour" in schools and colleges. In the inspectorate's national survey, many staff described a few parents as "unsupportive" and sometimes "undermining staff by excusing poor behaviour". The main issues identified by staff were low-level disruption, defiance and truancy, and poor behaviours outside of lessons included vaping, use of mobile phones and damage to school property. In March, a Senedd committee rejected calls for a mobile phone ban When presented with concerns about their child's behaviour, a few parents "displayed aggressive behaviour" towards school leaders and staff, the report said. One school leader said support from parents was "not as it was" and poor behaviour at home was "not being addressed". Another told the survey that parents' "reluctance to address challenging behaviour supports defiant attitudes". 'National campaign' Most school leaders who responded to Estyn's national survey said the "overall support" from the Welsh government and other agencies in dealing with challenging behaviour was "inadequate". They said schools were often having to use a "limited budget" to provide their own behavioural support provisions. Estyn has recommended "an update to national behaviour guidance" and has called on the Welsh government to launch a "national campaign on positive behaviour to support schools and pupils alike". Chief inspector Owen Evans said: "Our report shows that schools that prioritise well-being, establish high expectations, and build trusting relationships with families are more likely to succeed in creating safe and supportive learning environments." The Welsh Conservatives' shadow education secretary Natasha Asghar said the situation in Welsh schools was "deeply concerning with record levels of physical assaults on teachers". The Welsh government said it was "committed to ensuring everything possible is done to address declining behaviour in schools and colleges". "We welcome this important report from Estyn which both highlights the issues our secondary schools are facing and, importantly, the steps that can be taken to address them," a spokesperson added. "We will be discussing these points further at our behaviour summit later this month."
