Teacher Education Changes Target Quality and Demands

The Department of Education plans changes to the teacher education system to ensure continued instructional quality and address labour market demands.

Education Minister Karen Casey outlined the changes in her response to the Report of the Review of Teacher Education in Nova Scotia today, May 1.

"A high-quality education system is absolutely dependent on well-educated and well-prepared teachers," Ms. Casey said.

"This process will result in enhancements to every facet of a teacher's education, from the policy level to classroom training."

Ms. Casey appointed the panel in June 2007 to determine if current practices meet the needs of school boards, present and prospective teachers, and school communities. It issued a report in January with 19 recommendations.

The Department of Education plans to implement the following recommendations to ensure the quality of future teachers:

• Establish a Minister's Advisory Council on Teacher Education to advise on issues and to recommend policy and program directions.

• Direct the new council to examine the balance between the theoretical and applied aspects of a teacher's education.

• Establish a task force to improve the practice-teaching component of a teacher's education.

• Support development of an orientation, mentoring and professional development program for new teachers.

• Legislation that requires universities offering a Bachelor of Education program alone or with a partner to meet labour market demand, to receive approval from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission and to receive ministerial approval.

The review panel also noted that there is an oversupply of teachers in the system. However, the department recognizes there is significant demand for a bachelor of education degree, and that there are shortages of teachers in some rural areas and in particular subject areas, such as math and French.

In recognition of that, the Department of Education supports:

• A bachelor of education degree program at Cape Breton University beginning in 2009-10, but only if certain conditions are met, including approval of the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Council and a focus on areas of labour market need. Maximum enrolment would be 40.

• A partnership between Saint Mary's University and Mount Saint Vincent University to offer a five-year, integrated bachelor of arts/bachelor of education program that focuses on areas of labour market need. Maximum enrolment would be 20.

• A continuation of Acadia University's integrated bachelor of science/bachelor of education program.

• Clear communication to future students about labour market realities.

"Qualified students who wish to obtain their bachelor of education degree at home will now have more options on both the location and duration of their studies," Ms. Casey said.

The Report of the Review of Teacher Education in Nova Scotia was prepared after weeks of extensive consultations with educators, parents, students, school board members, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, university and government officials. Ms. Casey also asked for public comment on the report before formulating her response.

Panel members were Daniel O'Brien, former president and vice-chancellor of St. Thomas University in Fredericton; Myra Freeman, a retired teacher and former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, and Bill Whelan, a former superintendent of education at four Atlantic Canadian school boards.