IV. Opportunities for Choice in Education

Parents have a wide range of options to choose from within the public education system: public schools, separate schools, francophone schools, charter schools — as well as alternative programs and virtual programs offered by school boards — and home education. They may also choose to send their children to private schools. The Alberta government supports choice in education to ensure student and community needs are met.

Public Education System

Public Schools

Public schools provide basic, universal education. They offer the Alberta Programs of Study as well as optional programs and courses that may vary from one school and school jurisdiction to another.

Separate Schools

Separate schools can be either Roman Catholic or Protestant. In Alberta, the majority of separate schools are Roman Catholic. The first responsibility of separate boards is to provide a basic education for Roman Catholic or Protestant students within their jurisdiction. Roman Catholic or Protestant students do not have to attend separate schools within their jurisdiction. However, Roman Catholic property owners who live in an area with a Roman Catholic separate school system must designate their education property taxes to that system (see section on Education Property Taxes). Separate schools are funded on the same basis as public schools.

Any student may enrol in a separate school if there is sufficient space and resources. Non-Catholic or non-Protestant parents may choose to send their child to a separate school because of the program it offers (for example, a bilingual program).

Francophone Schools

Under the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, parents whose first language is French have the constitutional right to have their child educated in French, where numbers warrant. They also have the right to govern these schools themselves. There are a number of francophone regional authorities operating schools in Alberta.

Charter Schools

Charter schools were established to encourage innovative approaches to improve student learning by offering unique or enhanced education programs, teaching methods or learning environments, not available in the regular system. These schools are established only when there is significant community support, and parents must be active partners in the school.

Charter schools follow the Alberta Programs of Study, and students are required to write provincial achievement tests and grade 12 diploma exams. They can not be affiliated with a religious faith or denomination except when the school is established by a separate school board. They may offer religious instruction as may any other public or separate school under the School Act. Charter schools are run on a non-profit basis and any student may enrol as long as space and resources are available.

Alternative Programs

School boards may establish alternative programs that emphasize a particular language, culture, religion or subject matter, or use a particular teaching philosophy. These are not special education programs or religious education programs offered by separate school boards.

There are many alternative school programs across the province, including the Nellie McClung Junior High for girls, Logos Christian School, Talmud Torah School, the Alberta High School for the Fine Arts, and the Mandarin Chinese bilingual program.

Home Education

Parents may choose to educate their children at home, entirely or in part, provided they meet the requirements of the School Act and the Home Education Regulation.

The provincial government gives boards and accredited private schools a per student grant for supervising home education students. Parents receive 50 per cent of this grant for the purchase of programs of study and instructional materials. Parents do not have to use the Alberta Programs of Study. They can choose the curriculum, resources and teaching methods consistent with their beliefs, but they must ensure their children are receiving an education that meets provincial standards.

Blended Programs

Through blended programs, parents may educate their children at home for part of the day and send them to school for the rest of their instruction. They may decide to teach the subjects they feel most capable of handling while the rest are taught by the school (at least 50 per cent of the student’s program in grades 1 to 9 and at least 20 per cent in grades 10 to 12 must be taught in school).

Virtual Programs

An education program may be delivered electronically to a student. Virtual programs must provide elementary and junior high students with 950 hours of instruction and senior high students with 1,000 hours. They can be delivered by Internet, fax or telephone conferencing.

Private Schools

Parents may choose to educate their children outside the public education system, and in doing so may be responsible for some or all of the costs. Private schools may charge tuition fees and other fees as required. Under current provincial legislation, money collected for education through property taxes must only be used to fund the public education system.

There are two kinds of private schools in the province: registered and accredited.

• Registered private schools do not have to offer the Alberta Programs of Study or employ teachers with teaching certificates. Students can not earn high school credits toward an Alberta graduation diploma. These schools are monitored but not funded by Alberta Learning.

• Accredited private schools follow the Alberta Programs of Study and employ teachers with Alberta teaching certificates. Students write provincial achievement tests and diploma exams, and may earn high school diplomas. Accredited schools are monitored by Alberta Learning and may receive some provincial general revenue funding for instruction if they are operated by a non-profit society or corporation. Private schools do not receive funding for transportation, administrative support, school operation or maintenance, or for school buildings. All accredited, non-profit private schools are eligible for the same level of funding as public schools for students identified as having severe disabilities.

Private schools set their own criteria for enrolment, often based on adherence to a particular religious faith or educational philosophy.

Special Education Private Schools

Parents of students identified as having special needs can choose to send their child to a designated special education private school. As of September 1999, these schools will receive funding equivalent to that provided to public schools for students with mild, moderate or severe disabilities.

Board Responsibilities and Parent Choice

Residency

Every student is the responsibility of a public or separate school board. Residency is based on geography and religion. Students are considered to be residents of the area in which their parent(s) or guardian(s) normally reside. A student can only claim one place of residency.

In an area where there is a Roman Catholic separate school board, children who have parents of the Roman Catholic faith are the responsibility of that school board. All other children are the responsibility of the local public school board. In cases of an interfaith marriage, when one of the parents is a Roman Catholic, the parents may choose either board and may make this choice on a yearly basis.

In St. Albert, where there is a Protestant separate school board, children who have parents of the Protestant faith are the responsibility of that board. All other children are the responsibility of the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division, the public board. In an interfaith marriage, when one of the parents is Protestant, the parents may choose either board and may make this choice on a yearly basis.

Each local board is responsible for providing an education for each student residing within its jurisdiction. Boards may establish attendance boundaries for each school. Schools are required to enrol students residing within their boundaries, if the school program is determined to be suitable for the student by the board. Resident students are given priority over non-resident students if there are insufficient resources and facilities to accommodate both.

Parents do not have to send their children to a school in their attendance area or board jurisdiction. They may enrol their children in any school that has the resources and facilities to accommodate them, but they may have to pay for transportation or arrange their own. Parents may choose to send their children to special programs offered by schools outside their immediate jurisdiction, for example, bilingual or immersion programs. (See School Bussing.)

Parents who wish to educate their children at home may enrol them with a school board or accredited private school willing to supervise a full or blended home education program. The supervising board may also provide a virtual program in which a child receives instruction electronically.

School Bussing

School boards are required to provide transportation for students who are enrolled in schools within their attendance area and who live more than 2.4 kilometres away. Many boards also provide bussing for special programs, such as language programs. Local boards may set fees to offset transportation costs.