ASBA releases findings from Putting the Public Back in Public Education
Release date: May 12, 2009
The Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) today released a summary of the input gathered at a recent provincial conference focused on putting the public back into public education. Click here (PDF–152K) to view the report.
Participants at the ASBA conference said school boards can and should do more to engage and involve the public in school board planning and decision-making. Further they said that stakeholders have a responsibility to make this happen and that outreach must extend beyond parents with children in school.
The ASBA’s Putting the Public Back in Public Education summit was held March 13 and 14, 2009 in Edmonton. More than 300 members of the public and school board trustees participated. The summit culminated a series of activities that the ASBA launched last fall. Other elements included an opinion poll, nine focus groups, trustee development sessions about public engagement, an on-line survey and a review of best practices in public engagement.
“This is not the end of a process for school boards but rather the beginning of the next step,” said ASBA President Heather Welwood. “We’ve embedded the need for more public engagement in our association’s strategic plan and are working on a follow-up action plan.” She said the ASBA’s action plan will take the learnings of the past few months and turn them into practical guidance and supports for school boards.
For more information:
Suzanne Lundrigan, Director of Communications at 1.780.451.7122.
The Alberta School Boards Association serves and represents all public, separate and francophone school boards in Alberta.
