Are we just maybe doing something right

 Today I want to share with you some information that was in the Fall newsletter from the Canadian School Board Association.
The OECD ( Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ) has just published " Education at a Glance"  having completed a study involving 43 countries http://www.oecd.org/education/

Here are some interesting findings

1. Canada is one of the most educated countries. : the rate of college/university attainment in Canada has risen by 11% since 2000 and at 51%, is significantly higher than other OECD countries ( the average being 32%)

2. Education is insurance against unemployment : the chances of being unemployed are cut in half with a secondary or post secondary education.

3. Public funding of education in Canada is not as high as in other countries : Public funding of education accounted for 76% of total funding for all levels of education in Canada , compared to the international average in OECD countries of 84% .

4. Canada exceeds the international average of OECD countries when it comes to instruction time in the classroom :
- in 2011 the total amount of instruction time at the primary education in Canada was 799 hours compared to the OECD country average of 790 hours
- in 2011 the total amount of instruction time at the the lower secondary level in Canada was 743 hours , compared to the OECD country average of 709 hours
- in 2011 the total amount of instruction time at the upper secondary level in Canada was 747 hours compared to the OECD country average of 664 hours

The PISA study of 2010 published that Canada's students rank the best in the world in reading, mathematics, and science . While the list of what we want and need to accomplish in our schools is still long and will continue to demand our full commitment ,
  I ask you .... are school boards effective ?