Canadian/Ontario vs US Elementary Education

This was a well-researched (from a parent perspective) and thoughtful attempt to express some of the difference between the two systems. I sympathize with parents who have to make difficult choices about where to place their children when moving to a different country.
However, I must object to some of the terminology and generalizations made in the work.
Classifying any system as 'weaker' based only upon the curriculum expectations and a limited system perspective is misleading in the extreme. It is fair and relevant to say that the expectations in comparable grades are different, and it is also germaine to say that the expectations in Michigan schools are perhaps more advanced in terms of their scope and sequence. However, what the research is telling us (and has been trying to tell us for the last 10 years) is that truly effective education has little to do with information and more to do with critical literacy, numeracy, and thinking skills. In a Google world, information is at everyone's fingertips, but what makes the difference between those who thrive and succeed in this culture and those who struggle is the ability to apply, adapt, and extend information. In this respect, Education systems all over the world are dealing with a huge paradigm shift that began with the development of the computer - most have not yet caught up, and many systems and even individual schools have adopted strategies they hope will prepare their students for the future - though no one has yet hit upon 'the' answer. If you are interested in a quick primer in this area, I suggest a thought-provoking presentation you can see on YouTube called "Did You Know?". It was created by a Secondary teacher from Colorado.
Also, basing any decision about where to enroll based on EQAO scores is extremely problematic. Even the Ministry of Education would warn parents against ever doing that. Scores on the EQAO Literacy and Numeracy tests do not correlate in any meaningful way to the quality of a school. The most obvious example is the school that has a test only focus for the grade 3 and grade 6 years - they may do exceedingly well on the test, but what does that say about their programming? On the flip side, what about the school that is more concerned with offering innovative and/or alternative options for students? They might necessarily do poorly on the assessment. I speak in this area, with some considerable degree of knowledge. I taught at Winston Churchill P.S. in Kingston which ranks (for the last 5 years or so I think) at the very top (#1) in the province. Did this school represent the best learning environment I have ever been in? No, it didn't. It, like every other school I have been in, had both it's plusses (sp?) and minuses, and the EQAO test was just one small piece of the puzzle.
As for Special Education in general and Gifted programs specifically, once again you would have to do you homework before making generalizations about a particular school or region. In Kingston, the public board offers special acclerated classes (all day, five days a week) for students starting in grade 7, and in high school offers special 'focus programs' that allow students to do highly specialized work in an area (athletics, science, arts, etc.). This is the way the Limestone Board choses to spend their money. In my current Board, the emphasis is more on integrating the students at the other end of the spectrum, and so I would say our model for students with Learning Disabilities or Developmental Delays is much superior to the public Board. The point is though, that there is quite a bit of discretion on how the Board spends its dollars, and only by asking questions of senior staff/administration can you get an accurate picture of the kinds of supports on offer throughout a system.
The best way to select a school is to visit the school, or if that isn't possible, to talk to the staff and administration, and even Board level staff about their approach, their programming, and (because it also is important as one element in a process)their test scores.
If anyone has any questions about education in Ontario, I would be happy to address them as best I can. I certainly don't know everything, but I have worked in both the Public and Catholic systems, and I have a teaching and administrative perspective (in fact, I taught in one of the accelerated programs I referred to, as well as other positions - and no, in case you were wondering, was the accerlated program located at Winston Churchill)

Regards,

M. Sonnemann

sbg, Very informative research thanks to share it....

I really appreciate you, keep it up......

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Hi,
A well-detailed research. According to me US schools have good way of teaching and pass out students of US schools got admission in every university around the world. You have highlighted good points here and I really appreciate all the information you have shared here. Thanks for sharing, keep it up.

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I am a Canadian teacher trained and certified in New York State.  I completely disagree with your interpretation of the curriculum between Canada and the US.  It was during my training IN the US where I learned about throw-away knowledge, the detrimental effects of standardized testing and NCLB (No Child Left Behind).  If you review more recent peer-reviewed articles, you will learn that it isn't how much you teach but how well you teach it.  You touched on so many points such as the quantity of novels read, cursive writing, spelling and vocabulary, etc.  Research is showing that while still important to include, the focus should be on higher-order learning and critical thinking.  What you DO with that one novel is important not how many you review.  In fact, other types of texts are equally important to improving today's literacy.  The cannon is changing.  Have a look at the more affluent schools in the US, you will find they adhere to the same philosophy. 

Canada has it right.  My professors in the US were very impressed with the application of new schools of thought on education in Ontario schools.

My original article is not a theoretical analysis of teaching theories but a PRACTICAL analysis intended for American Ex-Pats who might have children in Ontario Public schools for their elementary years.  Despite the assertions by the Canadian teacher from Welland ONTARIO(TeacherfromUS) , since the article was posted 2 years ago, I have seen numerous examples of ex-pats who spent 2-3 years in the Ontario Public system, then returned to their American systems only to find their children significantly behind their American peers.  In addition, a prominent Toronto Educational psychologist, who does extensive work on Ex-Pat education issues for major corporations, confirmed my analysis of the curricular differences. 

The biggest issue facing American Ex-Pats in Canada is the 1-2 year delay in the Ontario curriculum in teaching fundamental math functions, reading comprehension, writing structures, vocabulary and spelling.  This 1-2 year delay in the early Ontario curriculum creates an on-going delay thru elementary school.  (A note on this: From our Private School experience, academically minded Ontario Private schools produce excellent results.)

Despite the Canadian teacher's perspective,  there is no doubt that, if during a 3 year period, your child completed 1 novel/lit study per year and their peers completed 3 per year,  your child would be behind.  Of course, the quality of any curricular implementation is required but I am certain my children Grade 4-8 can complete 3-4 per year without sacrificing quality, as I have seen it done both in Canada and the US, with great application of critical thinking and superb inter/cross- curricular execution.

As for the teachers assertions on teaching theory, I feel that the application of new schools of thoughts in our Ontario public school district (such as no penalties for late work, banning/discouraging spelling/vocabulary tests for elementary children, lack of memorization of math facts) leave children with fundamental weaknesses as they move on thru elementary school.  This is especially detrimental when they are encountering advanced and higher level thinking work, but not having mastered the basics. 

Finally, as with most US ex-pats in Canada,  I have personal experience with some of  the more affluent and high performing schools in the US (Wyoming, OH; Ridgewood, NJ and Wilmette, IL) and I am confidant my analysis is even moré pertinent for those residents. 

My intention is that US ex-pats in Canada understand the impact of their educational choices in Canada in order to ensure their children are ready for their return to the US.  My article is intended to provide those Ex-pats with a framework for an analysis to help them make the decision which will most benefit their child.

SBG, a very good comparison, I've been looking for some sort of comparison and this is the longest one I've found to date (if anyone else has seen any studies, please chime in).
One thing that shocked me recently was that my children have not been learning cursive writing.  I approached the school and have been told point blank that Cursive Writing is not mandated as part of the curriculum in Ontario, so they don't teach it.  In the mean time, they are spending inordinate amounts of time in school assemblies on topics such as bullying and drug abuse - just last week, my wife was helping at the school, and they had a guest speaker come in and spend hours teaching a gym full of kids about electricity conservation (something that could have been done in 20 minutes to a half hour).  Now, they've decided to bring in consultants to take 70-80 minutes of class time per week for the next 3 months to teach conflict resolution skills - the argument is that the role-play exercises count as dramatic arts and therefore it falls under the curriculum.  In another situation, my eldest son had a field trip to see Star Trek a few years ago and was told that they count it under the Science curriculum.  More and more, my wife and I are saying no to the field trips and "special programs" and demanding that our children spend those times working on core skills development. 

To be fair, this problem (I see it as a problem) is likely more widespread than just Ontario schools; but, is it Canada, North America or are other countries also reducing the emphasis on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic in favour of more esoteric activities and involving outside resources to fill the hours in the day for the children?

An interesting book has recently been published by Michael Zwaagstra (a Canadian author) titled.. What's Wrong with our Schools and How to Fix Them.  I feel this book is an excellent perspective on the some of the PC teaching theories and their negative impacts on our children.  It also addresses some of the concerns I addressed in my original article and follow-up comments.  Read it and share it with educators and the staff.

Very detailed research from sbg that truly reflects reality. We went through a very similar experience and moved from Buffalo to Hamilton. Our experience with the school system (academically) is at best disappointing.
I agree with the Canadian teacher that the focus should be on critical thinking and creative skills but that appears to be also one of the major deficits of the Ontario school system and not only the lag in the curriculum. Our son learned in Williamsville school system (Buffalo) in grade one and two how to conduct research on the internet (under supervision) and finish and come up with answers and complete projects. None of this is emphasized or even addressed in his current school. The lack of non-core teachers is also a major drawback. His experience in arts and music is not in any way as challenging, motivating or rewarding as his previous US school.
Though most theories suggest that we have to move away from spoon feeding information to students, we can not ignore that we still have to provide them with a minimum platform or baseline where than build upon. An area that Ontario public schools, from our experience, falls behind in.
It's been one year and we are seriously considering moving him to a private school.

First off, sbg times have changed and people have realized that learning needs to constantly change as well. When it comes to math, these antiquated notions of teaching kids how to multiply and divide are near useless as kids just memorize facts that are readily available (calculators on everything). Instead they have to learn to be comfortable with numbers so they understand them. From there math branches out and children learn how to multiply and divide in their own way. We are just getting past the notions that math has to be done in specific ways and are encouraging our kids to be more creative and versatile with their learning. Find the best methods. We don't care if a child can memorize things they can easily look up. It is a different approach to learning. Being a math guy, I was one of the teachers in the Toronto system who pushed to have these concepts adopted. I have had much success with kids who hated math using this different approach.
As for language, we don't want machines. We want children who are critical thinkers and who can construct an argument and clearly and coherently advance their point. Sorry to say, but a lot of American schools are all about the show and the funding. I constantly discuss and compare the systems with my sister-in-law who is an Ohio teacher. Where my niece attends in Ottawa Hills the schools are advanced and the learning is great. Outside of that, not so good. Conclusion: Different areas have different a quality of learning.
If you choose your school well, your child will be challenged. Just look and see what the challenge is and try to understand the approach. Looking at 2 curriculums and saying one school system is weaker is ridiculous. To be quite honest, Canadians had long viewed American schools as weak, underfunded and unorganized. We have since realized that schools vary and it is not ok to make such general statements. Even with a uniform curriculum there are so many other factors that make a difference.
Mike

Once again, I remind posters and readers that my analysis was not for Canadians and Canadian educators but for US ex-pats who are debating if the Canadian public school system will prepare their child for the next US grade upon return (this is typically the benchmark for US companies considering if they will support Canadian Private education).

As for TWL's analysis, I never debated wheteher there are multiple ways to teach a subject, and AMerican schools represent a fantastic spectrum of teaching methodologies and of course develop amazing critical thinkers.  Yet for US ex-pats in Canada, an evaluation of IF AND WHEN information is learned, is extremely important 

I think the un-supported, subjective and negative comments about US schools are not necessary.  And I understand what Canadians have said about US schools.  HOwever, a large sample of Americans who have spent time in Canadian public schools,  and return to US schools have agreed with my analysiss (as well as  a Toronot education and testing psychlogist).   Which is why US ex-pats needed the information I provided.

Sbg, I didn't mean to say that I felt American schools were negative in any way. My comment was that there previously was that sentiment amongst some people in Canada (which was wrong) until people came to their senses that education is different all over and you can't take a few bad examples and label a system. There are some really amazing things and highly advanced techniques coming from US schools. Amongst educators we share all over the world these days and rely heavily on each other to share good strategies and new learning no matter what country. So I apologize that my comments were not conveyed well and misunderstood as a slight against American schools. I just meant to say that we at one time made that mistake.
As for what I said about learning, the curriculum is a guide and is meant for a very large and diverse board. It is made up of attainable minimum standards, but any good teacher goes beyond and sets high goals for their children. If you feel that your child needs to learn more then you need to express your wishes. Parents have a lot of power when it comes to schooling.
Finally, understanding is much more important than knowing facts.
And you did slam Canadian education... 'This essay details what we have learned about the Ontario Public School system and how it is different and weaker than the US/Michigan system.' We are proud people too and don't like to be put down.

Hi SBG,

Can you please tell me which school in Michigan you were attending. Were they teaching IB standard in that school in Michigan? Thanks

Sim

Hi Buddy, You have highlighted good points here and I really appreciate all the information you have shared here. Thanks for sharing, keep it up.

Any updates on this topic lately? 

We are considering a move from Arlington, VA to Ottawa, Ontario and my boys had ADHD (would be entering grades SK and 2).  After visiting the public schools in the Ottawa area, the school staff indicated that my boys would get less support and services in Ottawa compared with their current IEPs in Virginia.  They currently get speech, OT, and in class support for attention and the older child for reading support too.  I'd love to get some real world feedback from anyone that has been in a similar situation.