In this CBC Radio podcast, “the achievment gap” in education is discussed. The achievement gap is a phenomenon that determines success in education, exploring which demographics are more or less likely to succeed. Lower-income students, African Canadian students, Aboriginal students and students in rural areas are some of the groups that often fall behind in education success.
AIMS President and CEO Charles Cirtwill is interviewed. He discusses how the education debate, much like the healthcare debate, in Canada is automatically shut down when “choice” is brought into the discussion. We should be open to alternatives and the merits of a system that allows parents and students to choose and accomodates kids’ learning styles, instead of expecting kids’ learning styles to accomodate the system. Cirtwill sheds light on the uniquely Canadian concept of “universality” that suggests everyone needs the same thing, though the facts show this isn’t the case.
Click here to listen to the full podcast.