E D U C A T I O N   &   T R A I N I N G   P O L I C Y

AIMS has established itself as one of Canada’s leading centres for research on education policy. Our research on education policy is centred on two major themes: Increasing accountability in public educational institutions and providing information for parents and students about how well their schools are performing and identifying and researching policy options that expand educational choices and remove the barriers that trap students in failing institutions – parents and students deserve more than one educational choice.

The Institute’s research program in the education and training policy file has not only elevated the discourse in a number of areas, but our AIMS pioneering research on evaluating the quality of education has helped to introduce more accountability and transparency in the region’s elementary and secondary education systems. AIMS “School Report Cards” have been a focal point for our high-impact, policy-relevant research and commentary.

POLICY PAPERS & OP-ED COMMENTARIES

 

Missing in Action: School Storm Days, Student Absenteeism and the Workplace

Missing in Action: School Storm Days, Student Absenteeism and the Workplace by Dr. Paul Bennett makes several recommendations to better serve the education and parents of school-age children such as adapting instructional time as a protected a provincial education priority, along with ensuring students’ safety during severe winter weather. No ...
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/ / AIMS, Education, education reform, Policy Papers

Raising the bar and closing the gap: schools, income, and student success

Student performance can be highly varied in school systems and differences among children and teens from different classes or groups, marked by income, ethnic, or racial disparities, are commonly termed the ‘achievement gap.’ While the school board and schools have introduced programs to improve student performance, there are still hurdles ...
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/ / AIMS, business, Education, Nova Scotia, Policy Papers

An Untapped Potential for Educational Diversity

An Untapped Potential for Educational Diversity by Paige MacPherson is the latest study published by AIMS, demonstrating how a review of research on charter schools and the provincial education systems in Eastern Canada shows that such schools offer great potential to widen educational options to students of all income levels, and ...
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/ / AIMS, Education, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Policy Papers

Re-Engineering Education: Curing the Accountability and Democratic Deficit in Nova Scotia

Paul Bennett proposes a new approach to public education in the province to create a more effective, accountable, and responsive school system. His latest study from the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies suggests school-based management that would reduce governance to two levels: the department and the school. This would eliminate ...
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/ / AIMS, Education, Policy Papers, Reform, Video

Reinventing the Building of Schools

The Real Legacy of Public-Private-Partnership (P3) Schools in Nova Scotia Reinventing the Building of Schools revisits the history of public-private partnerships for school construction. Though the province's experience with P3's since the mid-1990s has been widely described as a failure, the paper contends that the record is far more favourable ...
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/ / Education, Policy Papers
MEDIA MENTIONS

 

What are the shortcomings of education faculties? AIMS Fellow Michael Zwaagstra weighs in

Hear AIMS Fellow Michael Zwaagstra on the Danielle Smith show discussing his recent AIMS op-ed, Education schools should follow the evidence and drop the fads, on the shortcomings of education ...
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Schools need to find a way to make up for lost time: Paul Bennett on CBC Moncton

Dr. Paul Bennett spoke with Jonna Brewer from CBC Moncton on why we need to do more to make up missed classroom time from storm days. Bennett discussed his report ...
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Province needs to tackle mounting snow days, (AIMS) education expert says

AIMS' latest study Missing in Action: School Storm Days, Student Absenteeism and the Workplace was referenced in a CBC New Brunswick article discussing the findings of AIMS author Dr. Paul ...
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Read: The case for a NB college of teachers

in the Telegraph Journal, education consultant and AIMS Senior Fellow Paul Bennet made the case for there to be a New brunswick College of teachers. Read on here ...
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