Internationalization: It can save northern elementary and high schools too!

The following is a commentary by Limestone Partners Andrew Ault, MBA, MSc [C] and Jib Turner. They argue that northern school boards should look at internationalization as a key determinant to navigate government cuts and save northern, smaller schools.

School closures in small towns throughout the province have certainly received a lot of deserved attention recently by media, politicians and government. This disruption has caused concern by parents and community members who cite losing the only schools in their communities, and with that their community spirit, as significant as a result to these closures. While we understand well the impact thereof to small town and rural Ontario, said disproportionate impacts, we must also understand that northern cities are not immune from this loss either; see for instance, Near North District School Board’s recent decision to close Widdifield high school in North Bay. While the Government claims these closures are made solely for cost purposes, parents and community members are still against the notion proposing solutions in the form of an increase to public education funding or school board amalgamation. While these may would work in the short-term, there remains a lack of innovative thinking on how these schools cannot just be saved, but rather sustained.

Destination Education proposes an interesting mechanism to do just that, through attracting international students with an interdisciplinary education and innovative educational delivery.

What is going on here?

In general, there are three concerns  expressed, including those suggesting long bus times for students to transport them to nearby cities or larger towns would deter students from participating in extracurriculars, that community spirit would suffer from less, or no schools in their communities and others proposing larger school sizes would result in reduced educational quality. These concerns have since resulted in two solutions being proposed; to either amalgamate boards or modify the funding formula. Amalgamations between public and Catholic boards are argued to result in one school with full capacity instead of two separate schools both at half-capacity. Others suggest it is unfair for the Catholic board, in principle, to exist; calling for its demise. While there are arguments on both sides of the latter, and whilst the first may happen, the more realistic solution to preserve schools in small towns is clearly that to which modifies the funding formula. This has been changed as recently as 2015.

As Minister Hunter explains, two-thirds of the formula is based on funding on a per-pupil basis while the other third covers “top up” funding for under-capacity schools that meet specific requirements, called “grants for student needs.” (GSNs) It is the requirements for this that have changed, which impact boards’ abilities to sustain their mantra of schools.

Under former legislation, elementary schools were awarded GSNs if they were in 20 kilometers from the next nearest elementary school; and high schools being 40 kilometers away from the next nearest high school. Now, the distance has decreased to just 10 kilometers and 20 kilometers respectively, but now concern both kinds of schools. For example, an elementary school 20 kilometers away from another elementary school would have been ‘topped up’ but now, since if it is just down the street from a high school, would no longer be. This would shrink the budget significantly for several boards, like Near North, and cause subsequent school closures. This funding equation has since been placed under review by the Government and pending closures are now delayed.

Why does it matter?

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As seen in the map of school closures in Northern Ontario, framing the issue in the context of small towns, as often done, is not the full story. While the People for Education advocacy group would suggest 17 of 121 schools being closed are in Northern Ontario, the vast majority of these for either new builds or consolidation of elementary and secondary schools, such as in Atikokan and Blind River. In fact, there are only three which would see schools close completely in communities and be bussed to neighboring ones; Bruce Mines, Hanmer and Webbwood. In all of these cases, while initially proposed to have been much longer, are to communities within ten minutes driving time, based on Google Maps data. Further, these schools also had very low numbers, with Webbwood’s being well under half-capacity at a mere 50 students, not beat by much in Bruce Mines with 61 at time of closing.  Nonetheless, population projections and restraints of the funding formula do call for much greater disruption in the coming months. With declining and aging populations, northern Ontario communities will soon face disruption in their education paradigms; and it is clear communities have to change much more than a funding formula.

Problems in rural schools run deeper than just feasibility. Declining natural populations (NP = Births – Deaths) rests at the core of the real problem, for its current levels are far different from when most of the infrastructure was built fifty years ago. Projections call for continuing trends of the communities becoming “fewer and older” in people, as Dr. Moazzami suggests, along with other places of rural Canada. For schools in small towns to be sustainable, the attraction of new students is the clear method to reverse this trend for population stability is not insight. Having a good education system is key attraction of new residents to various communities in northern Ontario. What we need is an innovative model to draw students to the north, increase their prospects at post-secondary and even completion.

What can be done?

Just three years ago, the innovative idea ofDestination Education’ was introduced. The original concept was to be concentrated towards sustainability of high schools and post-secondary institutions in North Bay. Its plan was to lure international students to improve the financial sustainability of schools, and encourage further education among local students by offering five university-transferrable credits in grade twelve, that achieving B grades therein would also grant them admission to Nipissing University or Canadore College. Though it did not receive as much political support as it needed. However, this model would yield many significant and positive implications for many smaller and rural communities; and should be revisited.

Efforts could be made to keep students in local communities. Further, it would have fit within the Northern Newcomer Strategy, which aims to attract 150,000 people to Northern Ontario by 2050 which in turn would also make these communities competitive in the global economy.  

Perhaps more important than student numbers, is that rural and northern schools in Northern Ontario are disproportionately in the bottom-tier of school rankings, as ranked by Fraser. Lower educational attainment in northern areas by parents creates an unequal amount of students who would be first-generation for university and college and thus have less confidence and direction; alongside lower rates of high school completion and graduation as documented by Dr. Committo.  There are also further divisions between different municipalities in their educational attainment, as shown by a map from the NorthbyNumbers.ca website, of those 15 and over with a post-secondary degree or diploma, as a percentage, in 2010. Adding the incentive of five university or college level courses in high school, are sure to increase completion rates, confidence in post-secondary and attendance to those institutions. This would thereby also offset the results of declining enrolment at several Northern Universities. Lakehead’s MBA program, for instance enrolls 81 per cent of its students from international places. This can clearly be transplanted to post-secondary as well.

The competitive advantages could also translate to elementary schools for a whole education ecosystem using the Destination Education concept. Involved communities make a difference, too. High school courses can be offered in elementary schools, and IB programs can be implemented in rural schools giving them a competitive edge, in part because of the community-based learning and interdisciplinary scope of the program that screams success. In many ways, smaller communities offer a much more conducive atmosphere for community-based learning and involvement. A range of exchange opportunities could be presented for exchange students to be preferred be settled in rural schools. And moreover, there could be enhanced value-added learning offered as a competitive advantage. These schools can also take a much more personal and holistic bringing to students seeking value-added supports, which draws students to our universities. Thus, it would be something that would truly advance peoples, communities and regions of Northern Ontario, forward.

Altogether, bringing Destination Education to fruition may sustain small-town schools. Combined with improvements to technology, this model is feasible in several towns and should gain the support it needs to move forward. As North Bay is a student-centered town with 20% of the population in post-secondary and was the originator of this idea, it would make a great place to pilot this project.