I don't think the existence of boutique programming per se is the problem.
But its important to say, you need to ask what you expect of a public education system in order to decide how to best deploy resources.
If you expect it to compete with or even replace private education, that would require a substantial investment and radical change.
To be clear, many public schools do successfully compete, but that has always been somewhat exceptional.
Forest Hill Collegiate or Leaside etc. have long been seen a great place to send your kid, and they might still be able to take Latin.
You won't find that class or host of other 'boutique' items in schools that have lower numbers of upper-middle class and rich folk.
Nothing new there.
What is new, perhaps, is that more 'middle class' parents have found themselves concerned/disappointed by the public school in their area and have
decided to push for perceived quality. French immersion has become the most obvious example.
Partially, its about raising your childs opportunity through access to a second language.
Partially, its about the self-selection (or parental selection) of students w/more academic ambition, which in turn may drive higher academic standards and more resources.
But the effect is problematic where it leaves behind a school that has fewer 'gifted' or even average students, which in turn lowers its EQAO scores, lessens its reputation and leaves it w/fewer
parents w/resources, meaning lower fundraising totals and typically less effective advocacy.
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Addressing all of that isn't easy.
But my instinct would be to look at 5 things.
1) Adopt greater fairness in fundraising, similar to Portland, OR where more affluent schools are required to turn over a portion of their fundraising to lesser funded schools.
2) Tackle French head-on as its the perceived differentiator today, by raising standards around French in every school and by considering that every school should come w/at least one 'specialty'.
3) Raise academic standards across the board.
4) Achieve the above by better invention w/students who are at risk of falling behind. I have many professional relationships w/teachers and have heard the following.
- take one week out of summer break to add a fall, 1-week break. partly this is just a catch-up, something else I'll note below.
-use the fall and spring week off to have a 2-3 day program in each for students who need help w/one subject or subject area.
-summer school needs a complete overhaul, the program is apparently quite general and doesn't focus enough on any one student's area of need
the program is also entirely voluntary, there is a strong feeling that it should be resources to support any student getting below 60% in a core subject area.
- consider dedicated after-school programming w/academic focus for students falling behind, 2 days per week.
5) Tackle the symbolic things that make one school appear less appealing than the next.
- All schools should have a/c (up to 1/2 don't) (which is also a limitation on summer school
- Schools all need 'curb appeal' (nice yard, good front entrance/landscaping)
- All schools need adequate access to technology in the classroom
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