Part One: ** FREE ** AIMS Event With Edmonton Superintendent of Schools
Edmonton proves that school choice and accountability works in the public schools:
Edmonton has revolutionized its public schools. Every school is now an education enterprise led by a strong CEO (principal) with the power to implement change and the capability to acquire the services and resources the students need, when they need them. Throughout North America, Edmonton is being held up as the example of what the public schools can and should be.
Angus McBeath, a native Maritimer, will recount how his adopted city found the formula to revive the spirit, energy, and commitment of people to public education. Edmonton has proven that choice, accountability and performance are not incompatible with the Canadian public school system, but key to its renewal and improvement..
Through the generous support of the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education AIMS is able to offer you an opportunity to hear and exchange ideas with Angus McBeath free of charge.
This will be an event of interest to anyone who has children in the system or is concerned about the quality of education our public system is offering
Please note, pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. We would appreciate the courtesy of notification if the registrant is unable to attend.
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Part Two: The White House comes to AIMS – David Frum on Canada-US relations
He has been called “one of the leading political commentators of his generation” by the Wall Street Journal. Canadian David Frum is considered one of North America’s top political and social observers. On June 12, Frum, former speechwriter and now advisor to US President George W. Bush captivated an AIMS audience with an illuminating discussion of US Canada relations entitled “Reaping What We Have Sown”.
Mr. Frum provides frank analysis and unique insight into the nature of affairs between the two countries on issues such as national security and intelligence cooperation, refugee policy and immigration, and diplomacy.
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Part Three: Shooting the Messenger: Why Educators Blame AIMS for Their Own Problems
The Atlantic Canadian education establishment was quick to vilify the AIMS report card on high schools calling it “a disservice” and “misleading”. What it did not do is back up argument with fact. In this commentary for Progress magazine, Jim Meek observes, instead of carping at critics, educators must take a closer look at the benefits of ranking our schools.
In this article, Mr. Meek points out Atlantic Canada’s public education system appears to need improvement, “In comparison with other regions of Canada, our four provinces appear to be locked in a race for last place. Rankings of 15-year-olds in Atlantic Canada showed students from our four fair provinces finished 7th, 8th, 9th and tenth in reading; 7th, 8th, 9th and tenth in mathematics; and 7th, 8th, 9th and tenth in science. That’s tenth out of ten provinces by the way. (We do earn an A+, however, for consistency.)”
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Part Four: Ingenuity, the genome and generics: Cheap pills now or new pills tomorrow?
Around the world, politicians are forcing drug companies to lower their prices. They deny the companies’ products access to hospital dispensaries, create buying cartels, and reduce patent protection or any one of a host of other manoeuvres.
We have frequently done this in Canada. The result, drug prices have been lowered for medical marvels already discovered. That is fine, but are we stalling discoveries? Is the cost of these policies needlessly prolonged suffering? In this column from the Halifax Chronicled Herald and Moncton Times and Transcript, AIMS President Dr. Brian Lee Crowley examines how human ingenuity in its destructive form threatens the flow of pharmaceutical innovation in Cheap Pills Now or New Pills Tomorrow?
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