The Fraser Institute was, metaphorically speaking, sent to the principal’s office after SD 19 Chairman Bill MacFarlane scanned their annual report ranking 294 elementary and secondary schools across BC, including our city’s Columbia Park, Begbie View and Revelstoke Secondary .
“Comparative ranking of schools is wrong as done by the Fraser Institute,” Bill MacFarlane, chairman of Revelstoke’s School District 19, told The Current on Friday, August 19.
‘This ranking of schools does not recognize the uniqueness of the make up of each public school in BC. An excellent way to see how our schools are doing here in Revelstoke is to take a look at each school’s annual report presented to the Board by each school’s principal this past Spring. These reports are compelling and an accurate reflection of how each of our schools is meeting its objectives. It is clear that these reports show how the whole community should be proud of the schools in Revelstoke.”
Every year, the Fraser Institute ranks schools in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The rankings are based on seven academic indicators using student results from annual province-wide exams, grade-to-grade transition rates and graduation rates.
“Whether they are choosing a school or already have children enrolled, our rankings are the go-to source for parents who want to find out how a school is doing over time or when compared to other schools,” Peter Cowley, director of School Performance Studies at the Fraser Institute said in a statement released on Thursday morning, August 18
In this year’s report, 28 schools experienced declines in performance since the school year 2010/2011, while 21 schools improved their performances.
“No one has a monopoly on improvement. Public schools everywhere are showing improvement and that’s good news,” Cowley said.
“For the schools with declining performance, turning that trend around should be a top priority for the teachers and parents of these schools.”
Detailed results of all 294 schools can be found at www.compareschoolrankings.org. Visitors to the site can quickly and easily see how a school is doing over the past five years and compare results among schools.
Students return to school on Tuesday, September 6. For more information about that please click here to visit the School District 19 website.
