NovemberNEW: edition added! Three special sections from the Calgary Herald explore Educationfor our readers options and their children If you operate an independent school, charter school, alternative program, online education, home-schooling support service or any business that caters to educators, parents or students, you can’t afford to miss this unbeatable print and online advertising package. CalgaryHerald.com is the city’s most visited news and information website, and the Herald’s Neighbours publication is delivered to more than 300,000 single-family households. These are the readers you need to reach. Get the benefit of Thursday distribution within the Calgary Herald, PLUS tremendous extra delivery to non-subscribing households, PLUS run-of-site advertising on calgaryherald.com! across presentation the with re mine group to deter y advocacy of parents options. ur primar the rights of schooling ...is yo omotes a variety Alberta that pr en in in Alberta childr and Colleges of their Schools education Fax: 780.469.9880T5G-0E1 of Independent AB sociation 780.469.9868 Edmonton, As Phone: Avenue, 111 offi[email protected]_1_1 - CALCH0179 201, 11830 E-mail www.aisca.ca Website: Private Schools: ...is your primaryadvocacy group with representaion across Alberta that promotes the rights of parents to determine the education of their children in avariety of schooling options. Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta 24, 2011 Phone: 780.469.9868 Fax: 780.469.9880 AA683037 201, 11830 -111 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5G-0E1 AA683037 This award-winning special section will explain the Private ScFEBRUARY hools Website: www.aisca.ca E-mail offi[email protected] Options INDEPENDENT EDUCATION OPTIONS Education advantages independent schools can offer. Independent ACALGARYHERALD SPECIAL SECTION FEBRUARY 12, 2009 SECTION SPECIAL HERALD ACALGARY Studentsthriveinuniquesettings Independent educationisallaboutmaking We will explain the various philosophies behind inde- therightchoicesforyourchildren,parentssay By Rob Petkau of the King James Bible,” says ety of student needs is precisely McLean. the function of private institutions, he quality of her children’s Like many independent schools, says Duane Plantinga, executive education is moreimpor- Banburyoffers small classes, and director of the Association of Inde- pendent schools, and tell readers in more than 300,000 Ttant to Pamela McLean subscribes to aphilosophy that al- pendent Schools and Colleges in than the quality of her car. lows children to learn at their own Alberta (AISCA). And while most parents would pace. Rachel is currently taking a “They aredefinitely comple- say the same is true for them, combination of Grade 9and Grade mentarytothe public system. McLean says the evidence suggests 10 courses, while Anne’sstudies Some people look at independent otherwise. aresplit between Grade 11 and schools and say they’reprivate, so “The average person in North Grade 12. they serve aprivate good,” Planti- America spends moreinayear on This independent learning nga says. Calgary households how they can become involved in their car than they personally model, and the environment that “But the same accountability to spend on their child’seducation,” supports it, has helped the girls which public schools areheld now she says. flourish in non-academic areas as also applies to about 90 per cent of “Think about what it costs to well, says McLean. the independent schools. operate avehicle, versus what you “I needed Anne to be stimulated “It’sclear that independent pay in school fees, plus your in away that would draw her out schools serve the public good.” school allotment in your taxes. It’s socially,and Banburyhas done Parents choose independent independent education choices. apretty easy breakdown, and that’s that.” schools for avariety of reasons — something that speaks to our val- Providing arange of different some because their children have ues as asociety.” education programs to meet avari- special needs or areacademically Her daughters Anne, 16, and advanced and need morechal- Rachel, 13, areacademically lenge, others because they want gifted, and McLean believes an education linked to religion. ademy bberAc independent school can best “Sometimes, parents areseek- tesy We —cour meet their needs. She sends ing abetter environment —they trips. them to BanburyCrossroads ❝ change schools because they want immersion School —one of morethan 30 It’s clearthat to remove their children’sfrlanguageom cer- school independent educational institu- tain negativeoftheaspects. That’strue AND: Our November issue will preview the upcoming onone tions in the city. independentschoolsspringin acertain percentage of circum- “When Rachel started inalast 5stances,” Plantinga says. inCh Y, PAGE preschool at Banbury, because serveenthettimepublicSTORgood. “Also, though, thereare some ightsp ols.SEE she wanted to learn to read,ciliashe Wr tscho people with European roots who andCe enden scheduled one-on-oneDong readingyindep believe education should not be lessons,Emwithily (principallCalgarDiane delivered by either the state or the e’ ra Louie at seve t,Leanne riSwiatek),ence and by Christmas that church, and they choose indepen- omlef expe Calgary/Western Canada Independent School Fair. ,fr year,she was reading psalms out dent schools for that reason.” her ts learning t rams ystuden tofthe The vast majority of Alberta’sin- og Academ lispar ❞ pr bber trave dependentenschools areaccredited ed We tional ecializ Interna erand funded by the provincialspgov- ernmentsiz—althougheandthey get diffndclassabout 45 per cent fewer dollars per beyo student than public schools do, els thatgo Plantinga says. fe riences They make up the difference — expe and then some in many cases, just offer because their programs areoften ols its DonMolyneaux !) t says. of moreextensive than what the ‘I scho Riyaz strengths uni- of public system offers —with VictoriaBernier,aGrade 4studentatGreen Learning Academy, wasbored with her classes NEW philosophy,” a lot effective ( endent also has a very strong until mom Anne-Marie movedher to the southeast Calgaryindependentschool.Seestory,page 2. “WIC — it’s very tuition fees and fundraising. Publication dates: on has Indep draw and it the Asmall number of schools re- own to offers a prep school, It also is ject public money entirely. ture—independent schools are Division. (See storyonpage 2). Centre, to name afew —launch- Alber- versity program. which Rob Petkau like program, “They don’twant to be inter- run by organizations usually “Since 1998, about 6,000 stu- ing anew institution is getting By Virani like at co-curricular Azmina they Placementfuture.” school fered with by the government, so formed under the Societies Act dents have shifted from indepen- tougher,hesays. and But more. Advanced the iyaz schools. schools for an independent they take no government fund- and have their own boards, rather dent schools to the public system. I “The sheer cost of leasing or public private is good option to utilizing ta’s of its system a child than Riyaz ing,” Plantinga says. than answering to the one of the think most of the schools involved building aschool, or even to find two pro- Sending expensive while least education It’s more So, — a public system. clearly system. About 600 Alberta students at- public or separate jurisdictions. would agree it was driven by finan- space in Calgary, is apretty major R Alberta vibrant is professionals “The and graduates,” analyst tend these purely private schools, “Thereare no for-profit schools cial concerns,” Plantinga says. challenge —especially when strong talented the mainstreamare both lab a very bright, to make out of around 15,000 independent in Alberta,” he notes. Overall, it seems the number of you’renot getting any government many and Azminaand a computerhas had Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 duced the independent family school students overall. But the line has, in the last independent schools and their stu- money the first year. says. to and pharmacist — the it Riyaz drawn choices. day, Plantinga admits that the line decade or so, become even more dents is fairly stable. “Private schools arechallenged we were an interest educa- respectively fund its of the 1_1 had to end 748_ H033 “But we the culture that divides independent schools blurry. Across the province, a “There’sbeen growth in some in the area of teacher salaries — CALC first, as system, sacrifices it? At to the system a Montessori-basedpublic it worth down we’re from the rest of the education sys- number of private schools joined areas, and afew new schools here most of them function at 15 to 20 to pursue in the “Is boils A CALGARY HERALD NEIGHBOURS SPECIAL SECTION THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010 desire that time well-devel- and background made tem is getting fuzzier. forces with public jurisdictions in and there, so people in Calgary per cent less than the public and at wasn’t Our parents came tion, stream from. and Alberta introduced charter asortofpublic-private hybrid might view it as, ‘Private schools schools. By and large, it’sfar more Montessori sacrifices to schools in the 1990s to address model. aretaking over.’ Isee it moreasa difficult to establish aschool now 24, 2011 the huge families MARCH of his America specific educational niches, and Prince of Peace Lutheran School plateau effect,” he says. than it would have been 10 or 15 , oped.” part as immigrantNorth THURSDAY spent and in Calgaryispartofthe Rocky View While ahandful of new Riyaz in England, Europe primarily public and Catholic school dis- years ago.” a East Africa, tricts also offer arange of alterna- school district. And several other schools have opened in Calgary Calgaryhas moreindependent Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 childhoodattended from education he He ose of the DonMolyneaux tive programs. CalgaryChristian schools aretech- in recent years —Khalsa School schools than Edmonton —37 where school. er cho because says. believ ❝PamelarentsMcLean and Dean Ellardwith childrheen Annethings,Rachel and What sets an independent nically alternative programs of the Calgary, Tanbridge Academy and AISCA members compared with Montessoristrong Pa ols system,” key s a James.The girls arschoestudents at BanburyCofrothessroads School.