Education Minister announcing new parent advocacy groups

The province says it will be a "long journey" revamping the education system over the next several years.

Minister Cliff Cullen is announcing a Tuesday press conference that he is opening up discussions with educators and parents.

"Clearly, we as government, we are not going to do this alone. That is why we are reaching out to educators, parents, experts in their respective fields because we are in the process, quite frankly, of designing the roadmap. And we want to provide that roadmap to Manitobans this fall," Cullen says.

Along with the massive changes announced pertaining to school boards and parent councils weeks ago, Cullen says a Parent Engagement Task Force will be created, comprised of MLAs, parents, and school and community leaders. The Minister says 15 town halls are set to be led by this group to "shape School Community Councils and explore ways to improve parent engagement."

This task force's members will be announced in the next two weeks.

They will also be assigned to hold workshops, exploring parental involvement in schools. The minister did not say how much these events will cost.

Cullen is hoping to see changes starting by September, which he says will be critical for the education system.

New advisory groups include:

• the Minister’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Education
• the Task Force on Poverty and Education
• the Provincial Curriculum Advisory Panel
• the Funding Review Team
• the Student Advisory Council

Cullen is hopeful these will bring changes to student outcomes.

The minister is looking at:

• professional learning communities built around the Pillars of Student Success identified in the BEST strategy to get educators involved
• piloting School Community Councils in a small number of schools to explore best practices, and learn from parents and school staff about improving engagement
• continued meetings with external stakeholder groups
• the Minister’s Teacher Listening Tour to hear from teachers across the province

"The other thing we really want to strive for is providing better outcomes for Manitoba students. And when I say outcomes, I mean it is not just about marks in the classroom but it is about developing well-rounded students that have the capacity to get into the workforce or to get into the community after school."

Cullen says part of this initiative will be identifying what kind of impediments parents are facing when attempting to engage with the education system.