Frontier Centre in the Media

The End of Detention – January 8, 2013
Disciplinary business has changed dramatically at the St. John's, N.L., independent K-12 school since September, when Greg O'Leary became principal and joined with other teachers in a new "relational culture" at the school that feeds into a new curricular approach - one that aims to make students more accountable for their actions and helps them think about how their behaviour affects themselves and others.

Zero Logic Behind Controversial Policy – September 11, 2012
In advance of Lynden Dorval's final hearing the Edmonton Public Schools chief superintendent Monday, audio of a staff meeting held by principal Ron Bradley was released, defending his teachers, the no-zero policy at his school, and blasting the media for their coverage of the controversy.

Ross Sheppard Principal Lashes Out at Media, says He did Nothing Wrong Bringing in 'No Zeros' Policy – September 6, 2012
In face of massive parental discontent with "No Zeros" policy, a defiant Ron Bradley blames media, saying it "deteriorated to the quality of pulp fiction."

'No-Zero' Education Policies Hurt Kids – August 28, 2012
Many school boards and bureaucrats have decided that it's best to never give a 'zero' grade -regardless of whether kids even hands in assignments.

Students Don't Know how Good They have it – April 18, 2012
What is it about Quebec university students that, from one cohort to the next, they don't know how good they have it? Nearly 175,000 students are currently boycotting classes, for which they pay only about 10 per cent of the cost, in protest against the Charest government's intention to increase undergraduate tuition fees for Quebec students by $325 a year over the next five years.

Quebec Students Must Pay Their Share – April 13, 2012
With cries of bloquons la hausse, a small army of Quebec students has taken to the streets in recent months to protest tuition increases. Jean Charest's government has announced it will raise tuition fees in the province by $325 per year for five years, to a total of $3,793 per year in 20162017. The change will take Quebec from having the lowest tuition rate in the country to - still having the lowest tuition rate in the country.

Sinclair is Wrong -- It Wasn't Genocide – February 29, 2012
Rodney Clifton responds to an article in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Freedom Shouldn't Come with Caveats, but it Does – November 23, 2011
In Saturday’s National Post, my esteemed colleague, George Jonas, made the compelling case for why university attendees should not be compelled to join student unions. He would, of course, dispute the use of the word case, because the idea that people should not be forced to join involuntary organizations would seem to be self-evident in a free society.

Freedom of Association Shouldn’t Come with Caveats – November 21, 2011
A press release by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy caught my eye this week. The respected western Canadian think-tank was offering its clients “the case for ending compulsory membership in student unions in Canada’s universities and colleges.”

No to Mandatory Student Unions – November 19, 2011
A new study released today by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy (FCPP), a think tank based in the Prairie provinces, criticizes student unions in general and especially the practice of “mandatory student unionism.”

How Do We Assess Kids Without Tests? – November 15, 2011
Alberta has the most comprehensive standardized testing in Canada. Our students also consistently outperform pupils in other provinces on international achievement tests. Yet Alberta Premier Alison Redford wants to ditch provincial achievement tests (PATs) for Grade 3 and 6 students.

Deliver Us From the Universities – November 3, 2011
Are Canadian universities a threat to free speech? If you ask me, yes, and if you ask civil rights lawyer John Carpay, he'll go even further. Carpay has ranked universities so that you can see which one is a bigger threat than the other.

Man Battles School Division to Have Boy Held Back a Grade – October 28, 2011
A Manitoba man believes a boy is behind in school because of a no-fail policy. But, some experts said failing a student can have drastic consequences.

New Math is Failing our Students – September 30, 2011
Parents taking a gander at their kid’s math textbook and wondering what the heck they’re looking at may want to check out a recent study from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, based in Winnipeg.

Canadian Schools' Math Skills Don't Add Up – September 23, 2011
Canada's public schools are doing a poor job of teaching basic math skills and shortchanging a generation of children, says a study by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

School Survey Highlights Lack of Teachers in North – May 13, 2011
In March, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) partnered with the Winnipeg –based Frontier Centre for Public Policy (FCPP) to grade Manitoba and Saskatchewan high schools in several areas, ranging from student attendance to teacher certification.

Exam Can't Hurt Schools – March 16, 2011
The governing NDP sees no value in comparing the performance of high schools because no member of the public, teachers or school has ever asked for such a report. The problem we have with that pat answer is it ignores the fact it costs the NDP nothing to provide that information and they can only benefit from its analysis.

Campbell Ranked Regina's Top High School, Only Mid-Pack in Saskatchewan – March 15, 2011
Regina's high schools ranked mid-pack and lower based on a new marking system that evaluates how such institutions in Saskatchewan are performing.

Unneeded Secrecy ; How Does Your Kids' School Rate? – March 15, 2011
Education Minister Nancy Allan refused to provide basic data to the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, which recently completed a report card on high schools in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. While Saskatchewan was perfectly happy to hand over data on school performance, including average marks for schools, Manitoba was only willing to share a small amount of information.

NDP Rapped For Hiding Exam Data – March 15, 2011
A Winnipeg-based think tank says the Manitoba government is doing its citizens a disservice by refusing to publicly release exam results and other academic data.