List of articles with links to the original concerning the Elementary Alternative Program Review

We hope trustees get the point The Ottawa Citizen January 23, 2010
It was evident that the spin from the school board was wearing thin, questions toughened. Some trustees seemed to have a revelation, suddenly seeing that alternative schools and non-alternative school practices really were different. Alternative schools representatives had been saying that for some time: the whole was indeed greater than the sum of its parts. Some trustees were having trouble swallowing just a few of these parts. ...more

Committee delays decision on future of alternative schools By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen January 21, 2010
A review, delivered to the education committee Tuesday night, advised "consolidating" Manor Park Public School, which also has a regular English and French immersion stream, for September 2011, and allowing the other five alternative schools -- Churchill, Grant, Lady Evelyn, Riverview and the intermediate program at Summit -- to retain their alternative designations only until boundary or accommodation reviews have been completed. There are about 1,200 students in Ottawa's alternative schools. So far, trustees have only made a decision on one of the four recommendations in the review, to increase parental involvement in all schools. The major decision, on the future of the alternative schools, remains on the table. ...more

I hope trustees' delay signals alternative schools here to stay The Ottawa Citizen January 21, 2010
While I am encouraged by Tuesday's delay in the education committee decision on cancelling alternative schools programs, I am hopeful that the trustees of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are going to gather more information and they will see the necessity of keeping these programs intact in our education system. ...more

School board delays decision on alternative schools By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen January 20, 2010
The board’s education committee debate lasted late into Tuesday night, then trustees voted to allow for another night of discussion. A date for the second night has not been set, and the committee's decision will have to be approved by the full board. A decision to allow the "alternative" designation to lapse would mean the end of a 27-year era for Ottawa education. ...more

Parents defend right to alternative schools Dispute piecemeal acceptance of methods across the board By Joanne Laucius, Citizen Special January 18, 2010
Now, as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board ponders taking away the "alternative" designation from Ottawa's alternative schools, parents are preparing to make their last stand Tuesday night in front of a board education committee. The question is whether alternative schools are different enough to warrant a special designation. ...more

Eliminates choice The Ottawa Citizen January 18, 2010
What is clear about the OCDSB's review of the alternative program, (and the new cross-boundary transfer policy) is that the board appears to want to eliminate program choice by striving to make every school the same. Is it because in their view all children learn in the same way and require the same education? ...more

Shutting down alternative model makes no sense Re: 6 special Ottawa schools on block, Jan. 12. The Ottawa Citizen January 18, 2010
Alternative schools attract teachers and families who are passionately dedicated to developing positive new approaches to education in an environment where differences and innovation are especially valued. This has so far helped to develop positive practices like non-competitive learning, mixed-age groupings and increased family involvement in the classroom, all of which the OCDSB is integrating into regular school programming. ...more

6 special Ottawa schools on block Alternative schools should be closed, board review finds By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen January 12, 2010
The review, to be delivered to the board’s education committee, advises “consolidating” Manor Park Public School, which also has a regular English and French immersion stream, for September 2011, and allowing the other five alternative schools — Churchill, Grant, Lady Evelyn, Riverview and the intermediate program at Summit — to retain their alternative designations only until boundary or accommodation reviews have been completed. “They don’t say ‘shut down.’ But they will be shut down. Not with a bang, but a whimper,” said Richard Deadman, the chairman of the Alternative School Advisory Committee and the parent of four children who are or have been students in alternative schools. ...more

Parents more actively engaged in alternative schools By Judi Pearl, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 30, 2009
I'm the concerned parent of a child in Grade 1 at Lady Evelyn Alternative School. I was dismayed that the board is considering shutting down this exceptional program. ...more

Alternative schooling motivates children from within By Jenepher Lennox Terrion, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 28, 2009
The review is supposed to enable a decision regarding the future of the alternative program, but its approach is inadequate in measuring its power in building learning communities that produce engaged students of the highest quality. I urge the OCDSB to conduct meaningful qualitative and quantitative evaluation research that accurately assesses the impact of alternative education. ...more

Tough alternatives for schools By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 19, 2009
As enrolment declines, parents seeking unique learning environments for their children face fewer options, and that's causing arguments, Joanne Laucius reports. ...more

Ways of learning The Ottawa CitizenNovember 12, 2009
At a time when educators are struggling to get more boys engaged in school, Ottawa's alternative schools appear to have an edge.
The schools, which reject standardized testing and competition and often include multiple grades in one class, have long appealed to children who do not thrive in traditional classrooms. Although not designed with this in mind, many parents see alternative schools as particularly conducive to helping boys learn. ...more

Troops rally to save threatened schools Delegations to defend 3 slated to close; 6 alternative facilities brace for scrutiny By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 10, 2009
There are about 1,200 students in Ottawa's six alternative schools, an enrolment that has been declining at about the same rate as the rest of the Ottawa school system. Deadman is concerned about the parameters of the review, which is to look at the effectiveness of the program, as well as determine whether to continue to offer it. "It's possible there's an agenda at play, and they're just going through the motions," he said. "We felt for a number of years that the program hasn't been supported. Every time we want to do something innovative, we get shut down." ...more