For immediate release

Sept. 28, 2004
 
National study focuses on the realities of teaching in Francophone minority schools outside Quebec
 
(CTF News Service - Ottawa) A national study released today by the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) paints for the first time a national picture of the challenges specific to teaching in French-language minority schools in Canada.
 
"The realities of living, learning and teaching in minority communities differ substantially from those who live in majority settings" says CTF President Terry Price. "Francophone minority schools have a dual mission -- they must provide all the basic educational experiences and they are expected to be the mainspring of survival and development of the Francophone communities.
 
"Although these teachers feel strongly committed to inspiring their students with the love of learning in French and a sense of belonging to the Francophonie, they also feel resources and support are sorely lacking as this dual mission translates into a number of challenges in the classroom.
 
"Maintaining the students' motivation and academic success in the French language is an extremely complex task given the overwhelming predominance of English and the lack of the proper educational tools and training."
 
The CTF President highlights the pressing need for pedagogical and technological resources geared to meet students' needs in a minority setting. Currently, such materials are limited and do not reflect the students' socio-cultural context. The report also identified other challenges with respect to the diversity and number of teaching assignments, the insufficient number of qualified specialists and supply teachers, and the lack of professional development opportunities.
 
The CTF research and findings make a strong case for a number of recommendations and courses of action to provincial/territorial governments, school boards, French-language faculties of education in Canada and other key players in the Francophone community.
 
CTF proposes a multi-faceted action plan that includes:

• Integrating compulsory courses on the pedagogy of teaching in minority settings in French-language   teacher training programs;

• Increasing in-service training opportunities through collaborative channels that allow school boards to
  pool their resources;

• Developing a national portal of teaching resources by subject and level;

• Implementing equitable funding formulas that take into account the specific needs of Francophone
  schools.

"The findings of this research resonate strongly and are extremely timely given the theme of this year's World Teachers' Day -- a week from today, on Oct. 5 - Quality Teachers for Quality Education, and the need to recruit and maintain qualified teachers," concludes Ms. Price.

Thanks to financial support from Canadian Heritage, CTF conducted the research with the collaboration and expertise of the University of Ottawa's Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Citizenship and Minorities and of the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities. The CTF research initiated in 2003 was three-fold and included a literature review, a national teacher survey involving 670 teachers, and a consultation forum involving key education partners in the delivery of French-as-a-first language education.
 
Key findings and the full report are available online at www.ctf-fce.ca.
 
CTF is the national voice of over 200,000 teachers across Canada, many of whom are teachers in Francophone minority settings in every province and territory.