The new learning guide education Opportunities Alternatives and Enhancements for Maritime Communities


APPENDIX B PUBLIC EDUCATION STRUCTURES IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES



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APPENDIX B
PUBLIC EDUCATION STRUCTURES IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES

New Brunswick

Department of Education


The provincial government appoints the Minister of Education for New Brunswick. The Minister is fully responsible for managing and directing all aspects of the Department of Education. The Department develops and establishes curriculum, sets evaluation standards, forms a link to school principals and oversees education administration and financing for the eighteen provincial Francophone and Anglophone districts. The Minister is directly aided by two appointed Deputy Ministers and their secretaries (one Francophone and one Anglophone) and an Executive Assistant.

There are five main branches within the New Brunswick Department of Education. They include Anglophone Educational Services, Francophone Educational Services (Services éducatifs francophones), New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), Post-Secondary Education, and Administration and Finance. Divisions for Communications, and Policy and Planning are independent. They are responsible to the ministerial appointments and provide services to the five other branches.





Educational Services Divisions
Francophone and Anglophone Educational Services are two separate sectors that form parallel branches in the New Brunswick Department of Education. For both branches, directors are appointed to manage divisions for Curriculum Development and Evaluation and superintendents are appointed to work directly with school principals.

There are three superintendents in the Francophone Education Services branch who manage school principals in six Francophone districts. There are five superintendents in the Anglophone Education Services branch who manage school principals in twelve Anglophone districts.



Divisions of the NBCC
The NBCC branch is composed of five divisions: College Admission, Anglophone Educational Services, Francophone Educational Services (Services éucatifs fancophones), International Development and Colleges/College of Craft and Design.



Post-Secondary Education Divisions
The Post-Secondary Education branch is composed of three divisions: Post-Secondary Affairs, NB Tele Education, and Learner Financial Assistance and Literacy. The Learner Financial Assistance and Literacy division oversees Literacy, the Private Occupational Training Act and Student Financial Services.

Administration and Finance Divisions
The Administration and Finance branch has five divisions: Finance and Services, Educational Facilities, Human Resources, Pupil Transportation, and Information Systems. A director is appointed to manage each division of the Administration and Finance branch. The Administration and Finance branch coordinates directly with district parent advisory council representatives on the Anglophone and Francophone provincial school boards.

District Administration


The administrative structure of the public education system in New Brunswick includes the Minister of Education and the Administration and Finance branch of the New Brunswick Department of Education. It also includes the two provincial school boards, district parent advisory councils, and school parent advisory committees. Parent advisory councils and committees are mandatory in New Brunswick.

In 1996, New Brunswick adopted a new education system whereby regional school boards were abolished and replaced by two province wide School Boards (1 Anglophone and 1 Francophone) and District Parent Advisory Councils. At the school level, parents are elected to provide input and direction through a school parent advisory committee. The school parent advisory committee advises its principal only on local education issues and appoints one or two parents to represent their school on their district parent advisory council. There are eighteen of these councils in New Brunswick.

The two provincial School Boards in New Brunswick are comprised of representatives elected from each of the District Parent Advisory Councils; twelve to twenty-four members on the Anglophone Board and six to twelve members on the Francophone Board. The school boards are decision-making bodies that approve and direct the activities of the district administration.


ADULT EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING



Adult Education is an essential component of the concept of New Learning. Provincial governments have the responsibility to meet the needs of adult learners and the three Maritime Departments of Education offer a variety of programs for adults wishing to upgrade their knowledge and skills. It is beyond the scope of the New Learning Guide to present information on all of these programs. Rather, the Guide outlines some important initiatives taken in adult education in each of the three Maritime provinces.





Education Act and Mandate


The Education Act for New Brunswick is listed under Chapter E-1.12. The Mission Statement for public education as listed in the 1997-98 Department of Education Annual Report is, "To have each student develop the attributes needed to be a lifelong learner, to achieve personal fulfilment and to contribute to a productive, just and democratic society."

Collective Agreements


The Human Resources division of the Administration and Finance branch provides support services to districts for collective agreement interpretation. The New Brunswick Department of Education has separate collective agreements with:

  • the teachers:

  • additional school staff (e.g. clerical staff, librarians, and training assistants)

  • custodians and bus drivers; and

  • instructional staff at the community college level.

These collective agreements last from 3 to 4.5 years.

Public Education Overview and Learning Requirements


In New Brunswick free education programs and services, offered in both French and English, are provided from kindergarten (which is non-compulsory) to grade twelve. Children must attend school from age seven to their sixteenth birthday. The school year extends from early September to mid-June and includes 195 school days for teachers and 187 school days for students (Monday through Friday) with a total of 1440 minutes of instruction each week.

The Anglophone grading system is divided into three stages of schooling. Elementary School: Grades Primary-5; Middle School: Grades 6-8; and High School: Grades 9-12. High school is divided into two further stages: Foundation includes Grades 9 and 10, and Senior High includes Grades 11 and 12.

The Francophone grading system is divided into two stages of schooling. Primary School (Grades Primary to 8) and Secondary School (Grades 9 to 12).

There are no specified program goals for the stages of education in New Brunswick.

In grades nine and ten, English and Mathematics are taught year round. Other courses may have two semesters or be blocked over a period of time. Students may make up to two challenges for credit and may take one independent study course in grades eleven and twelve.

In addition to required courses, students must pass a Middle Language Arts Assessment and a Computer Literacy Skills Check-list prior to graduation. The pass-mark for all courses in New Brunswick is 50%.


Funding


The New Brunswick public education system is fully funded by general revenues of the province. The Legislative Assembly determines, by vote, financial resources for school operations. Budget allocations for schools are determined by district. The Administration and Finance branch of the New Brunswick Department of Education distributes all funding for the provincial public education system. The Finance and Services division provides leadership in both official languages in financial policy development, budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting to school districts, school boards and the Department. In New Brunswick, the 1999-2000 annual budget was increased to approximately $760,000,000 in order to include additional support for improvements in post-secondary education; early childhood development; and discipline in schools through initiatives including student debt assistance, reduced class size, and positive learning environments.


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