News release

School Advisory Councils Consultation Report Released

Education (July 1999 - March 2013)

Nova Scotia's school advisory councils are already playing an active role in improving their schools, and the volunteer members say their councils could be even more effective with a little help.

That's the finding of a report that was prepared after a provincewide consultation process held in the spring of 2003 on the role of the councils. The Report on the School Advisory Councils Consultation was released today, Dec. 11.

"The dedication and strong level of commitment held by school advisory council members toward school improvement was illustrated repeatedly throughout the consultation process," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "The report will be very valuable in helping us further develop and clarify the meaningful role school advisory councils play in the education of our children."

The advisory councils are volunteer organizations that were established in Nova Scotia under the Education Act of 1996.

During consultations in the fall of 2002 on the Learning for Life plan to improve the quality of education in Nova Scotia, some concerns were raised about the effectiveness of school advisory councils.

The Minister of Education at the time made a commitment to undertake a review of the roles and responsibilities of the advisory councils to ensure that they have a meaningful voice in support of quality education in Nova Scotia.

In the spring of 2003, the discussion paper Parents and Their Children's Education: Defining Meaningful Roles for School Advisory Councils was distributed to all school advisory councils, school boards and partner organizations. Ten focus groups were also held to further explore ways to improve effectiveness of school advisory councils.

Among the findings in the report:

  • Council members feel they have a significant role to play in the life of their schools and children's education, such as participating in school improvement planning, advising on school programs and policies, and creating a successful learning environment for students;
  • Many advisory council members indicated the need for training and resources, and more opportunities to network with other councils within a school board in order to enable them to more effectively carry out their responsibilities;
  • Clarification is needed in some areas related to councils' roles and responsibilities, such as their role in school improvement planning.

Overall the consultations found the establishment of school advisory councils is viewed as a very positive step to providing enhanced parental and community involvement in schools.

"I was very happy to see the focus groups and survey," said Paul Calder, a member of the Amherst Regional High School Advisory Council during the consultation process. "It told me that the Department of Education is taking the school advisory councils seriously."

Council members strongly believe they have a valuable role to play in creating an environment where students can succeed. That view is supported by the Department of Education and by school boards.

The minister and Department of Education staff will review the findings of the report on school advisory councils and will prepare a response to be released in early 2004.