The task force is hosting public consultations May 10 at Montague High School, May 11 at École-sur-Mer in Summerside, May 12 at Three Oaks High School in Summerside, May 17 at Westisle Composite High School in Elmsdale and May 19 at Charlottetown Rural High School in Charlottetown. The sessions will be held from 7 pm to 9 pm. The May 11 consultation at École-sur-Mer will be conducted in French. Other sessions will be conducted in English. Bilingual services will be available at all consultations.

The 13-member task force was established by Premier Binns in February 2005. Its mandate is to examine current educational research, consult with educators and the public and recommend strategies to improve student achievement. The task force will submit its report by September 30, 2005.

The public consultations will involve small and large group discussions based on four questions: What are we doing well in Prince Edward Island to prepare students to achieve? What can we do better? What are the barriers to improving student achievement? What do you think we should be doing to help students achieve? The consultations will be facilitated by J.P. Arsenault and Angie Cormier.

Task Force Chair Richard Kurial said he is hoping the sessions will be well attended. “Student achievement is influenced by many factors and many people including parents, educators and community members. It is important that we hear from everyone,” he said. “The input that we receive at the consultations will form the basis for many of recommendations. The discussions promise to be most interesting and we strongly encourage people to attend.”

The task force has prepared a background document on student achievement to help people to participate more fully in the consultations. The document defines student achievement and identifies the many factors which influence student achievement, including: curriculum, teacher qualifications, assessment, class size and composition, instructional time, parent involvement, early childhood experiences, socio-economic status, rural and urban schools, school size, school culture, student engagement and gender. The document is available on the task force website at www.upei.ca/studentachievement

People may also provide input to the task force through presentations and written submissions. Groups or individuals may schedule a presentation to the task force by calling Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts, UPEI, 902 566 0310.

Written submissions may be forwarded to Dr. Kurial at rkurial@upei.ca before June 15, 2005.

The task force includes a diverse group of knowledgeable educators and community members, including: Dr. Richard Kurial, chair, Zain Esseghaïer, Maurice Poirier, Dr. Alex (Sandy) MacDonald, Ken Gunn, Gary Doucette, B.J. Willis, Rob MacDonald, Beth Cullen, Kim Horrelt, Steve Loggie, Justin MacLeod and George Morrison; ex-officio: Shauna Sullivan Curley, Linda Lowther.