Strengthening education together

RECOMMENDATION: Move to address the emerging critical concern of chronic absenteeism and reinforce a culture of learning by working with school districts and stakeholders to draft a provincial action plan on school attendance.

• A standard protocol for handling chronic absenteeism has been created and will be piloted in eight schools beginning in January (K-8 schools) and February (high schools)

RECOMMENDATION: Develop a new classroom composition model and a reasonable timeline to implement an improved inclusive and equitable system.

• A policy & structure review was completed to highlight barriers within the system and ensure the needs of the child are addressed.
• Nine schools have been established as research sites to explore innovative approaches to classroom composition challenges.

RECOMMENDATION: Leverage technology to enhance learning and personalization

• Recommendations for the use of generative AI in schools have been published. Thanks to a number of technology initiatives, students enrolled in four online high school courses now have access to easy-to-understand summaries of content, created with AI, to enhance accessibility.
• A Technology Plan was created in December 2024 to integrate technology for personalized solutions, and to promote digitally literate learners and educators.
• Beginning in January, 19 schools are now piloting an extracurricular e-sports league to help develop students’ skills and confidence.

RECOMMENDATION: Place a focus on middle school learners aged 11-14, by working to identify actions and programs to improve academic engagement, achievement, and well-being..

• A middle school philosophy has been developed in collaboration with middle school educators and leaders, which is being piloted in selected schools beginning in January.

RECOMMENDATION: Establish a clear plan (benchmarks/goals) for strengthening French language learning in New Brunswick’s anglophone K-12 system, including expanding course options and opportunities for high school students, and exploring options for students to enter French immersion with greater flexibility based on readiness

• Testing of oral competency evaluation tool (for program entry) and oral proficiency assessment tool (for classroom teacher use).
• Work is underway to modernize Policy 309.

RECOMMENDATION: Encourage movement and getting outside, including embedding 30 minutes of physical education for K-8 daily in addition to outdoor education opportunities

• A survey revealed that 76.5 per cent of K-8 anglophone schools are not meeting 30 minutes of daily physical education time for their students. A communication plan will be implemented in 2025 for teachers, school staff, and administrators to raise awareness about the importance of quality physical education and outdoor learning.

RECOMMENDATION: Have the Centre of Excellence for Language Learning develop a communication and support plan to help families and communities assist children in their success in French immersion.

• The Centre of Excellence for Language Learning resources are available to students, educators, and the public. Planning for a promotional campaign is now underway, targeting educators, families, and partners.

RECOMMENDATION: Improve retention and recruitment of qualified teachers and specialized health service professionals in education.

• Partnered with Apply to Education, a recruitment tool, to make it easier for job seekers to access education job fairs, both online and in person. Anyone looking to work in the education field in New Brunswick can learn more here.
•  Established a dedicated recruitment team focused on attracting teachers and health professionals.
• Participated (along with childcare centres) in the Journées Mobilité Canada event organized by the Canadian Embassy in France from June 15 to 20, 2024, in Belgium, France and Tunisia. Twenty-four teachers who trained abroad have been connected with the NB Teacher Certification Office to begin obtaining their Interim Teaching Certificates.
• A marketing campaign ran from Aug. 7 to Sept. 2 to encourage the province's education graduates to return to the classroom. This campaign generated over 650,000 impressions on social media.
• GNB’s recruitment team took part in international recruitment missions and attended a national recruitment event in Toronto.
• A Retention & Recruitment Strategic Plan will be released 2025.
• A full-time position has been funded at the NBTA to improve teacher retention strategies.
• A working group has met to look at how more flexibility can be provided in the school calendar to allow for more planning time.
• A draft flexible school calendar proposal document has been submitted for consideration. Potential pilot schools will be identified in the coming months.
• Data continues to be shared on the number of floating supply teachers hired in targeted schools to help fill classroom vacancies. 

RECOMMENDATION: Support educational assistants in receiving dedicated training, professional learning, and opportunities to further collaborate with teachers.

• A Roles & Responsibilities document for Educational Assistants has been created.

RECOMMENDATION: Ensure teachers who work with early readers have specific training designed to maximize the development and outcomes of these students.

• Work on this recommendation will begin in April 2025.

RECOMMENDATION: Develop and implement equitable access to professional learning for educators in resources, strategies, and interventions to best support each learner in English Prime and French language classrooms.

• An outline for a beginning teacher mentorship process has been submitted for review

RECOMMENDATION: Create, with partners where appropriate, a detailed scope and implementation plan as well as an accountability framework for each of the recommendations included in this document no later than March 31, 2024.

• The implementation plan and accountability framework can be found here.