Nova Scotia parents for public education

Raise the Banners: We're Welcoming Speakers and Registrants Tomorrow. Follow the Banners to researchED Atlantic Canada (Oct 24-25, 2025) at Saint Mary's University. The fog will clear and the sunwill shine. See you in Halifax

Getting Ready - to Welcome You! Excitement builds as researchED Atlantic Canada (Sat Oct 25/25) fast approaches. Our program says it all - six featured speakers, 20 in-depth sessions & a 28-page program. Ty #NicoleConrad for stepping up!

Conference Day at a Glance: Join Us for researchED Atlantic Canada (Oct 25/25) to take-in our star-studded cast of educators and researchers, headed by Amanda VanderHeyden, George Georgiou, Jamie Metsala, Leslie Laud, John Mighton and Kate Jones, but featuring 20 practical workshop sessions.

Big Reveal: A Sneak Peek at the researchED Atlantic Canada Conference Program (Sat Oct 25 at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS) What a Roster of Speakers and Inspiring Sessions for Educators, Researchers and Policy-Makers in K-12 Education. Style and Substance! It's One of a Kind here in Canada

Coming Soon: Ontario Literacy teachers Nellie Caruso and Leigh Fettes will be presenting at researchED Atlantic Canada (Oct 25/25) on "Unlocking Word Power" Join Us to see these teachers in action in Halifax! #NSed #ONTed #literacy #SoRNS

Speaker Spotlight: Literacy instructor Melinda Cameron will be presenting at researchED Atlantic Canada (Oct 25/25) on "Building Automaticity for Struggling Readers." Join Us to see what Halifax Learning is doing to change the trajectory for kids

Restricting Cellphones in School: What is Needed to Make Nova Scotia's Ban Stick? My latest commentary in today's Halifax Chronicle Herald. For background, see my MLI report, Weapons of Mass Distraction (MLI, July 2024) saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...

Remembering IN SCHOOL: Ken Dryden’s best-selling books are classics. Back in 1995, In School: Our Kids, Our Teachers, Our Classrooms, was a perfect example. His keen observational skills yielded deep insights into the human side of daily life in education #KenDryden #cdned #onted

Back to School News: researchED Atlantic Canada is now on the Horizon! Join Us to Learn What Works in Mathematics and Literacy. Our trio of stars Amanda VanDerHeyden, GeorgeGeorgiou, and LeslieLaud will be joined by 20 more presenters, incl John Mighton, JamieMetsala, Kim Lockhart and many others

Back to School News: researchED Atlantic Canada is now on the Horizon! Join Us on Oct 25/25 for "What Works in Mathematics and Literacy" Our trio of stars Amanda VanderHeyden, George Georgiou, & Leslie Laud will be joined by 20 more presenters, incl John Mighton,Jamie Metsala, and Kim Lockhart

Children and Playgrounds: Cape Breton professor Tom Urbaniak shares what he's learned introducing his son Oliver to local playgrounds. Absolutely delightful. A unique look at our public spaces. Ty Tom for adding to our knowlege of #Playgroundology www.saltwire.com/cape-breton/...

The Onslaught of AI: Is AI Eating Away at Brain Power? My latest Commentary for The National Post in Chronicle Herald, Aug 2/25. Ty to Barbara Oakley, Natalie Wexler, Carl Hendrick and Nidhi Sachdeva, all key suppoorters of @researchedcanada.bsky.social saltwire.pressreader.com/the-chronicl...

Generative AI and Learning: Why ChatGPT and comparable tools are leading us astray. Where's the room for original thought and ideas? My latest at The National Post tackles the proliferation of AI in and outside classrooms nationalpost.com/opinion/paul...

Call for Submissions: researchED Atlantic Canada (Sat Oct 25/25) on "Better Together: What Works in Mathematics and Literacy" is on the horizon and we are looking for presenters to complete the #rEDATCan25 program. Submit using this link: forms.gle/S4YgGYk9oS7g...

Announcement: researchED Atlantic Canada (Sat. Oct 25, 2025), "Better Together," will feature three outstanding speakers, Amanda VanderHeyden, George Georgiou, and Leslie Laud, supported by an amazing cast of presenters. Tickets now LIVE! www.eventbrite.ca/e/researched...

The Last Stand for School Libraries: Disappearance of school libraries in Canada is latest sign of thtreat to book culture in rural and remote communities. My latest in the Education Beat series for Telegraph-Journal, Times & Transcript, and Daily Gleaner tj.news/new-brunswic...

"Research Says" Strikes Again! New Brunswick EduMin Claire Johnson is the latest to use "research says" as a cover for "bad ideas." Giving Fridays off, 2 days a month, won't improve student results, curb absenteeism Ty to @rastokke.bsky.social @researchedcanada.bsky.social tj.news/new-brunswic...

“Generative AI is—without much acknowledgement—making all forms of student assessment, other than teacher-supervised term tests and examinations, virtually obsolete…Stick with exams, for now, until we have curbed the deleterious effects of the bots.” thehub.ca/2025/06/20/p...

Conference Lessons Learned: What dis researchED Toronto 2025 Accomplish? Looking beyond the Buzz - to see if it generated the momentum to effect change in pedagogical research, teaching, learning and policy reform. An invitation to join the discussion. educhatter.wordpress.com/2025/06/18/c...

All Smiles: Our researchED Canada team welcomes UCL Institute of Education's Dylan Wiliam to our researchED Toronto Conference, June 7, 2025, at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Proud to share in the achievement with close colleagues Dr Jim Christopher, Jennifer Van Dommelen and Nidhi Sachdeva

AI in Education Alert: Generative AI is dulling students' critical-thinking capacities. New research from Michael Gerlich in Societies (2025) adds to evidence of its debilitating effects on writing and academic integrity www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Retain and Restore Exams: Why and How Exams become the only truly reliable form of summative assessment. #AI has rendered most of the others obsolete Ty Daisy Christodoulou for the initial insight tj.news/new-brunswic...

Should Schools Restore Final Exams? @educhatter.bsky.social To restore grade integrity · Develop and expand teacher training · Keep teacher supervised handwritten exams · Eliminate non-examined written assessments · Improve university admissions processes educhatter.wordpress.com/2025/06/03/a...

The New 3 Rs - Reading, Writing and Robots? My latest Education Beat column for the Telegraph-Journal Provincial looks at the "seepage of AI" into the 'black box' of the classroom. A look at New Brunswick's McKenna Institute and the "AI Framework for Education." Support local journalism!

Excitement Builds! Look What's Coming to Toronto? Our National Conference for researchED Canada (June 6-7/25) at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Our keynotes Dylan Wiliam and Jamie Metsala will be supported by a stellar cast of presenters from Canada, the U.S., the U.K.,& Chile.

Historical Collaboration! My Public Talk on "Righting Historical Injustice" on Sunday June 1 at Old York Tower ( 3-5 pm) has generated two different posters. Thank you Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Canadian Institute for Historical Education, and Friends of Egerton Ryerson for spreading the word

Banning Smartphones: Will School Bans Stick? My CSSE/CASEA 25 research paper addresses the critical policy issue. "We're banning the wrong things; it's social media addiction that's the real problem. Today on CTVAtlantic News at 5 across the region. www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/nov...

Pests in Schools: What Surprises Lurk Under the Carpet? My latest Commentary on pest infestations in the schools of Maritime Canada. Mice are common, rats rare, but bats, a new phenomenon. New at Educhatter Blog. educhatter.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/p...

Combating Weapons of Mass Distraction: Our upcoming researchED Toronto conterence (June 6-7, 2025) @researchedcanada.bsky.social has it covered! What works -- and doesn't - in reclaming the minds of the smartphone generation Just one of 28 practical sessions!

What's New? Our MLI Public Talk and Policy Forum on "Righting Historic Injustice" is on Sunday June 1 at Old York Tower, Toronto, 3-5 pm. Join me and an outstanding panel of historians, Patrice Dutil, Lynn McDonald, and Donald B. Smith. Our moderator: Christopher Dummitt. Stay tuned!

Speakers at a Glance: Join Us at researchED Canada Toronto (June 6-7/25) for a ringside seat and stimulating presentations from thirty national and international speakers. Check-out our inspirational message and introductory slide show. See you in June in TO! app.7taps.com/e0jePfnaeET0

Counting the Days - until my researchED Canada Toronto (June 6-7, 2025) Session- "Weapons of Mass Distraction: Will Cellphone Bans Stick?" Scan the patch for your tickets. See you there!

Pests in Schools: Mice, rats and bats swept under the carpet. My latest investigative report for the T-J on one Canadian school provincial system. Hushing it up doesn't work, so let's monitor rodent sightings, report on inspections, and disclose remedial actions. tj.news/new-brunswic...

The School in Netflix's Adolesence: How Realistic are the School Scenes? My latest at Educhatter Blog delves into the gritty realities of school life in contemporary Britain and elsewhere. Now posted for online discussion. educhatter.wordpress.com/2025/04/18/t...

🍁🎊🙌ResearchED Toronto 2025🇨🇦🥳🪅 Full Speaker List - now available @bg987.bsky.social @rastokke.bsky.social @johnmighton.bsky.social @numcog.bsky.social @jim-hewitt.bsky.social @educhatter.bsky.social @steplab.bsky.social @mrzachg.bsky.social @dylanwiliam.bsky.social app.7taps.com/e0jePfnaeET0

The Big Reveal: THE FULL CAST of researchED Toronto (June 6-7, 2025) appears in this Slide Show produced by Nidhi Sachdeva utilizing the amazing 7taps app. Thirty speakers - two keynotes, and 28 workshop session speakers. Spread the word. See you in TO! app.7taps.com/e0jePfnaeET0

Top Education Blog in Canada, 2025: The Gold Medal from Feedspot goes to #EduchatterBlog, once again, in 2025, edging out (2) Higher Education Associates and (3)The Canadian Homeschooler. It's a three-peat, following the No. 1 Reanking in 2018 and 2022. bloggers.feedspot.com/canada_educa...

Ghost Schools: The sad saga of Halifax's abandoned urban schools. Cast aside as orphans and left derelict, two Halifax North End schools provide lessons for the school district, city, community groups, and the province. www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...

Empty Desks: Beware of 'quick fixes' for rampant student absenteeism. My latest #EducationBeat column in TJ Provincial (April 5/25) examines how missing school became normalized and why lopping-off Fridays may make it worse.

What about Writing? Looks like researchED Canada is filling another hole in the existing Canadian K-12 curriculum. Dr. Leslie Laud, founder of Think SRSD, will be speaking @researchedcanada.bsky.social Toronto (June 6-7/25). The Stellar Cast just got even better! #cdned #ONTed #writingrevolution

Edu-Snippets on the Road: Our own Dr. Nidhi Sachdeva will be representing us at researchED NYC 25 and speaking on "little bites = BIG GAINS" Well worth attending to see Nidhi in full flight in aclassroom. Teaching matters and that's our mission!

Why Are We Smiling? Author of the best-seller, Just Teach Them, Dr. Zach Groshell, will be lighting up the stage at researchED Canada Toronto (June 6-7/25). What works in the classroom? Join us to find out from actual teachers. Scan the patch for tickets @steplab.bsky.social

What Works in Teaching Math? Dr Marcy Stein, world renowned expert on Direct Instruction Mathematics will be at researchED Canada Toronto (june 6-7/25) to take us "Beyond the Checklist" Scan the patch for your tickets.

BIg Announcement: Leading assessment researcher Dylan Wiliam will be speaking LIVE at researchED Toronto (June 6-7, 2025). Famous for "Inside the Black Box (1998)," his "Embedding Formative Assessment" is the go-to guide in the field. See you there!

Are You a Math Teacher? Latest news - California Middle School Math teacher Barry Garelick will be presenting along with JUMP Math founder John Mighton. Traditional Math never goes out of fashion. Why? Getting the right answers still matters.

Why Are We Smiling? Ontario literacy teacher Kim Lockhart will be joining the Stellar Cast at researchED Canada Toronto (June 6-7/25). This is why researchED was founded - to showcase classroom teachers modeling best evidence-based teaching practices. Scan for tickets!

Are young Canadians less attached to their national identity? 🇨🇦 In this piece, @educhatter.bsky.social argues that school curricula play a role—he calls for a stronger focus on historical consciousness and collective memory. Read here 👇

A Peculiar Attraction: Why are Younger Canadians More Susceptible to the Lure of Donald Trump's 51st State Imperialism? My latest from @irpp.org demonstrates that our history curriculum is partly reponsible for such misguided dalliances. policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

What's New? UK's StepLab will be partnering with researchED Canada Toronto (June 6-7/25) to bring Rachel Ball, co-author of "The Scaffolding Effect" to Canada. That's the latest - stay tuned for more. Book a spot today! www.eventbrite.ca/e/researched...