A national report card for 2012.
Paul W. Bennett
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Paul W. Bennett, Hons. BA (York), B.Ed.(Toronto), MA (York), Ed.D. (OISE/Toronto), is the Founding Director of Schoolhouse Consulting, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a writer and regular commentator on critical issues in Canadian education. He also teaches the philosophy, history, and politics of education at Saint Mary's University and provides regular commentaries for The Chronicle Herald, Halifax All News Radio 95.7, and CBC Radio Nova Scotia.
Dr. Bennett is a widely recognized leader in Canadian education. From 1997 until 2009, he served as Headmaster of two of Canada’s leading independent coeducational day schools, Halifax Grammar School and Lower Canada College. For over 30 years, Paul taught history and social sciences in six different secondary schools, public as well as private, in three provinces: Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. He is the author of three nationally recognized Canadian History textbooks, including Canada: A North American Nation (1988 and 1995), and has twice been a top-ten finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Canadian History.
Dr. Bennett has long been a champion of educational reform. While serving as a Public School Trustee with the York Region Board of Education (1988-1997), Paul founded the Ontario School Board Reform Network (1990) and was a co-founder of the Coalition for Education Reform, an umbrella group promoting higher standards and greater accountability in Ontario public education. He has always been a strong public advocate in defence of Canadian history in our schools, serving in 2008-09 on the National Advisory Committee for the Dominion Institute’s Canadian History Report Card project. In March 2011, Paul was co-founder of Students First Nova Scotia and in May 2012 he was instrumental in the establishment of the Nova Scotia Small School Initiative.
His most recent books are The Grammar School: Striving for Excellence in a Public School World (2009), and Vanishing Schools, Threatened Communities: The Contested Schoolhouse in Maritime Canada, 1850-2010 (2011)
Dr. Bennett is a widely recognized leader in Canadian education. From 1997 until 2009, he served as Headmaster of two of Canada’s leading independent coeducational day schools, Halifax Grammar School and Lower Canada College. For over 30 years, Paul taught history and social sciences in six different secondary schools, public as well as private, in three provinces: Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. He is the author of three nationally recognized Canadian History textbooks, including Canada: A North American Nation (1988 and 1995), and has twice been a top-ten finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Canadian History.
Dr. Bennett has long been a champion of educational reform. While serving as a Public School Trustee with the York Region Board of Education (1988-1997), Paul founded the Ontario School Board Reform Network (1990) and was a co-founder of the Coalition for Education Reform, an umbrella group promoting higher standards and greater accountability in Ontario public education. He has always been a strong public advocate in defence of Canadian history in our schools, serving in 2008-09 on the National Advisory Committee for the Dominion Institute’s Canadian History Report Card project. In March 2011, Paul was co-founder of Students First Nova Scotia and in May 2012 he was instrumental in the establishment of the Nova Scotia Small School Initiative.
His most recent books are The Grammar School: Striving for Excellence in a Public School World (2009), and Vanishing Schools, Threatened Communities: The Contested Schoolhouse in Maritime Canada, 1850-2010 (2011)
Scares, Misadventures, and Reversals in Canadian K-12 Education
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
No Quick Fixes for Cyberbullying
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Everyone agrees online harassment is a problem, but there’s no consensus on what to do about it.
An F in Report-Card Reform
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
The movement in Canadian public education away from report cards with letter grades is bad for students and parents alike.
Has the Feminization of Education Gone Too Far?
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
With boys lagging behind girls in Canadian schools, it’s time to address an “elephant in the classroom.”
Wi-Fi Complaints Give School System a Headache
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Parental concerns over the dangers of wireless internet in schools are causing a ruckus despite lack of scientific evidence.
Should Schools Friend Facebook?
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Is social networking a costly distraction for young students or a powerful, underexploited educational tool?
School Boards Under Fire
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
The school board system of governance is threatened with extinction. Without it, where’s the public accountability in education?
The Ken Fells Takedown Video
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Footage of the principal-student altercation had widespread impact and raised questions about school security.
The Good Ship Ontario Education
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
A recent report would have us believe the system is charting a smooth course. So why are parents deserting it?
Early Sex Ed: Arousing Debate
By Paul W. Bennett,
Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Education, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS.
Examining the “sex-ed crisis,” it becomes clearer why McGuinty decided to shelve the proposed curriculum.
