When+Kids+Come+First+(New+Brunswick)



** =**When Kids Come First- A challenge to all New Brunswickers to build Canada's best Education System**= // This document is a plan outlined by the government of New Brunswick to build their education system. This document responds to three key questions: // //  1. How do we make leaders out of our best, most innovative teachers? // //   2. How can we intervene more effectively, and earlier, with all learners? // //   3. How can we give every child a chance to find something he or she loves doing, and is good at? //
 * Summary

// The premier introduces this document as a five year plan to build a self-sufficient New Brunswick. //**

The Cornerstones of Change //These are the values and choices our plan embraces:// 1. Students must be at the centre of all decision-making in education. 2. Every child has strengths which can lead to success, and he or she deserves the right supports and opportunities to nurture those strengths. 3. Every community has a role to play in creating a culture of learning and mentoring for children. 4. Every child has an equal right to learn, and this requires parents of diverse backgrounds to be engaged partners in their child’s learning from the moment the child is born. 5. Every child that struggles in school deserves a sense of urgency from those charged with helping him or her overcome challenges. 6. Every child deserves a safe and supportive learning environment, and his or her opinions and experiences must be heard if we are to create that environment. 7. Teachers and principals are professionals who deserve the freedom and resources to innovate, and with freedom and resources comes the obligation to be accountable for engaging students, delivering results and leading change based upon evidence. 8. Bilingualism and linguistic duality are gifts our province must pass on to our children, and we must let our teaching be guided by evidence of children’s learning, not old debates. 9. Inclusive education is a core value of our system and must be advanced by policies and resources that treat each child as an individual and put his or her success and learning first. 10. Children learn best when they are inspired to learn; mastering skills by following their own intellectual curiosity to tackle new challenges and solve new problems.

Three Clear Goals 1. Every child will arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. 2. Every child will leave Grade 5 having mastered the tools to learn– reading, writing and numeracy. 3. Every child will graduate from high school having had the opportunity to discover his or her personal strengths and to find something he or she loves doing.

COMMITMENT #1: To Ensure School Readiness 10 - Early Learning: preparing for the arrival of a child at the door of a kindergarten. COMMITMENT #2: To Work Urgently on Literacy, Numeracy and Science 11 - An insistence on early achievement COMMITMENT #3: To Help Children Develop a Passion for Learning 12 - Diversity in learning - Quality learning starts with quality teaching - Engaging kids as active citizens - Rural schools - Modern School libraries - Strengths-based guidance and evaluation - Post-secondary participation and success COMMITMENT # 4: To Give Educators the Tools to Innovate and Lead 19 - Innovative teachers and school teams - Supporting innovation through technology - COMMITMENT #5: To Live Up to the Promise of Inclusion 21 - Responding to the MacKay report and creating an inclusive education system COMMITMENT #6: To Engage Communities and Partners in Improving Schools 23 - Community schools COMMITMENT #7: To Promote Cultural Identity and Linguistic Growth 24 - Learning a second language - A strong francophone identity - Improving education for First Nations students

COMMITMENT #8: To Create Healthy and Safe Schools 27 - Healthy students, healthy schools