K-12 Education Reform in Alberta /

Given the gap between spending and performance, the reforms outlined in this paper for both the government and independent education sectors offer the opportunity to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of Alberta’s schools. [...] The comparatively low level of independent school enrolment in Alberta is likely a result of a combination of factors, including the provision of Catholic education and other religiously focused education within the government school system, the presence of charter schools, and a comparatively high level of home schooling.10 In 2014/15, 1.4% of Alberta students were educated at home, which was the [...] It Is also worth noting that the standard itself is only set at 42.0%, down from the previous standard of 44.0%.22 Figure 7b shows the results for the other end of the performance spectrum: the share of students writing the exam that achieved a “standard of excellence”. [...] Of these, 39 (plus the District of Columbia) allow public schools to convert to charter schools.44 The exact process varies by state; however, the support of the majority of parents and teachers of the school is frequently required. [...] The Education Act states that schools are to register a student that lives outside of the attendance area of the school, or the attendance area of the school board, as long as “in the opinion of the board asked to enrol the stu- dent, there are sufficient resources and facilities available to accommodate the student.”45 However, students who reside within the attendance area must always be given p