Overview	The "Role of Schools" Symposium was held on January 29th and 30th, 1992 at the Saskatoon Travelodge. The Symposium was organized and sponsored by the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association. Its purpose was:  To provide a forum for examining the expanding role of the school and to develop a forward looking and commonly supported understanding for the future role of the school.
Saskatchewan School Trustees Association President's Message
The Changing Context for Public Education
The Changing Role of Schools
The School Program
Meeting the Needs Of Youth
The School as a Community Facility
The Role Of School Staff
The Vision
Next Steps

The SSTA Research Centre grants permission to reproduce up to three copies of each report for personal use. Each copy must acknowledge the author and the SSTA Research Centre as the source. A complete and authorized copy of each report is available from the SSTA Research Centre.
The opinions and recommendations expressed in this report are those of the author and may not be in agreement with SSTA officers or trustees, but are offered as being worthy of consideration by those responsible for making decisions.

The "Role of Schools" Symposium was held on January 29th and 30th, 1992 at the Saskatoon Travelodge. The Symposium was organized and sponsored by the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association. Its purpose was:

To provide a forum for examining the expanding role of the school and to develop a forward looking and commonly supported understanding for the future role of the school.

Participants at the Symposium were welcomed by Ken Krawetz, President of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association. They listened to several presentations relating to various aspects of the role of the school and participated in small group discussions. A reporting back session allowed smallgroups and individuals to share their perceptions and ideas. Ken Krawetz closedthe Symposium by encouraging participants to continue to work together torespond to the important themes identified at the Symposium. The poem We Pray for Children was read to close the Symposium. This poem appears in Appendix D. The detailed program for the "Role of Schools" Symposium is presented in Appendix A.

A vision for the future role of schools emerged from this Symposium. The vision centered on an integrated model for delivering services to youth. Schools and all other agencies that serve youth would find new ways to work together. Greaterintegration makes good economic sense because it would allow agencies to do more with less. It also has the potential for improving the quality of servicebecause the system would be dealing with the whole child rather than withindividual aspects of the child.

The vision also included making the school the centre of community life – a place where a whole range of educational and community activities for people of all ages occur. Five suggested directions for the future role of schools emergedfrom the Symposium.

Symposium participants talked about how to achieve these goals. They agreed that everyone affected must be involved in the planning. This means discussions at the grassroots level as well as between government officials. They also agreed that action must begin immediately – that the time for talking is over and the time for doing has begun.

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Saskatchewans School Trustees Association President's Message

The Saskatchewan School Trustees Association was pleased to sponsor the "Role of Schools" Symposium and thus provide a forum to examine the changing role of schools.

The Saskatchewan School Trustees Association is organized to promote a climate in Saskatchewan supportive of excellence in education for all children, and to speak on behalf of Boards of Education in their pursuit of common educational objectives. In recent years, school boards have become increasinglyconcerned with pressures to expand the role of schools in areas such as life skills,health and welfare, and leisure and recreation.

Schools are over – burdened by this growing list of expectations and do not have the time, financial resources or professional expertise to do all of the things society expects of them. Saskatchewan Boards of Education are seeking a fundamental change in the ways in which we respond to the educational and lifemanagement needs of children in our society.

I believe that the "Role of Schools" Symposium was an important step toward this change.

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The Changing Context for Public Education

Participants at the "Role of Schools" Symposium viewed Saskatchewan 2000, a video presentation sponsored by the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association, which identifies 46 societal trends that may have implications for education in
the future. These Saskatchewan trends are:

1. Canada's Economy May Be Improving
2. Saskatchewan's Economy May By Improving
3. Government Spending Changing
4. Jobs in Service Sector Increasing
5. Majority of Jobs in Private Sector
6. Majority of New Jobs Will Require More than 12 Years of Education
7. New skills Needed
8. More Women in the Labour Force
9. Fewer, Bigger Farms
10. Low Farm Income
11. Majority of Farm Income From Off – Farm Sources
12. Value of Saskatchewan Farmland Declining
13. Treaty Land Entitlements Outstanding
14. Population Stays Stable
15. An Aging Population
16. Aboriginal Population Increasing
17. Number of School – Aged Children Decreasing in General Population
18. Number of School – Aged Children Increasing in Aboriginal Population
19. Immigration Increasing Slightly
20. Majority of Immigrants From Asia
21. Larger Centres Mostly Affected by Immigration
22. Where People Live is Changing
23. Better Educated Population
24. Too Much Tax
25. Canadians Pessimistic About Economy
26. Church Attendance Declining
27. Canadians Cynical About Politicians
28. More Direct Participation in Democracy
29. Divorce Rate Going Up
30. Marriage Rate Going Down
31. Age at First Marriage Increasing
32. Remarriages increasing
33. More Single – Parent Families
34. Lots of Teen – Age Mothers
35. More Families – Smaller Families
36. Number of One – Person Households Increasing
37. More Emphasis on Preventative Health Care
38. Services Less Available
39. More Two – Income Families
40. Rural Communities are Being Redefined
41. Social Problems a Continuing Concern
42. Increasing Globalization
43. Increased Concern About the Environment
44. Increasing Use of Technology
45. Decreased Agriculture Capacity
46. A Warmer Climate

What Are The Major Responsibilities and Problems Facing Schools in Saskatchewan?

• Most of the small groups mentioned Saskatchewan's economy. They indicated that the province's current financial difficulty means that less money will be available for education. Some viewed this prospect with alarm saying that public expectations for the school system continue to increase as resources decrease. Others felt that there may be positive outcomes from the current economic pressures. Organizations will be forced to find better and more efficient ways of doing things and groups will be forced to work together in order to achieve common objectives. Some groups mentioned that declining budgets will inevitably mean cuts in school staff and questioned how decisions about staff cuts should be made.

• There was much discussion about public expectations for the school. It was noted that expectations of the school have changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Where once schools were solely concerned with academics, their mandate today is much broader. Schools are becoming increasingly involved in meeting the non – academic needs of their students. Child feeding programs and programs to deal with drugs and alcohol, and to assist teen mothers are evidence of this. Even academic expectations have changed for the school. One group used driver education as an example of one new program and used the expression "add on, add on". Another group questioned whether the schools will be expected to implement Saskatchewan Health's wellness model of health. A couple of groups said that schools are expected to be all things to all people, but a third group questioned whether this is the current reality or just a presumption. They asked whether all sectors aren't feeling the same pressure.
• Several of the groups mentioned change and indicated that schools aren't keeping pace with change in the rest of society. Two of the groups said that Saskatchewan Education's Directions report has changed the focus of education from the acquisition of knowledge and skills to teaching children to think and reason, hut the structure of schools and the delivery of educational services has stayed the same for 30 or 40 years. It may be time to rethink the way that educational services are delivered. They also said that schools do not recognize the reality of today's family which often has two working parents or only one parent. They still assume that the family is as it was 30 or 40 years ago – with two parents and a stay – at – home mom.
• There were a variety of comments conceding the relationship between school and community, many of which focused on the delivery of educational programs. Several groups said that the days of separate organizations, with distinct mandates and separate spheres of responsibility are over. Today's system duplicates effort, is wasteful of resources and doesn't reach all children. We must move toward a new integrated model of service delivery in which schools, social services, the judicial system and other community organizations all work together to meet the needs of young people. The needs of the child must be met within the context of the family and the community.
• Some groups said that schools need to be more open to the community. There should be more parental involvement in the school and parents should have more input into school decision making. They also said that encouraging community use of the school facility would be desirable at both a philosophical and a practical level. At a philosophical level, it would help make the school the centre of community life. At a practical level it would be a way of consolidating resources in these days of declining budgets. Community organizations that cannot afford their own facility will increasingly be looking to the school for meeting and activity space.
• Most groups identified the need to consider Saskatchewan's Aboriginal population. They noted that the number of Aboriginal children is increasing all the time and that Aboriginal people are not well represented in the hierarchy of the educational system. There are few Aboriginal principals, directors of education, trustees or officials in educational organizations. Participants emphasized that Aboriginal people will want control over their own schools and questioned whether partnerships can be developed or whether separate groups will exist. They felt that a separate Aboriginal school system may not be desirable but that Aboriginal control is. Aboriginal people should be represented on Boards of Education, should have input to curriculum, etc. There was general consensus that Indian self – government will have tremendous implications for education in Saskatchewan. One group dealt with this topic at some length and said that withdrawal of the Aboriginal community from the educational system and complete autonomy would be a loss and a tragedy for the larger community. However, it may he an option in some specific situations.
• The situation in rural Saskatchewan was noted by several groups. Rural depopulation means fewer children attending school and a smaller tax base. The current economic crisis in agriculture means that many families are cash – poor or in danger of losing their land. The resulting psychological stress affects both parents and children alike.
• Equality of educational outcomes was mentioned frequently. It is no longer enough for the schools to ensure equality of opportunity, they must now ensure equality of outcomes. All students must achieve a certain level of learning. This may mean adjusting school programs significantly in order to meet the needs of groups such as Aboriginal children, teen moms, and children with learning disabilities who often do not experience equality of outcomes.
• A few groups mentioned technology and emphasized that technology opens up many possibilities for new ways of doing things. The feeling was that technology is not used as much as it might he for either administrative or instructional purposes.
• There were a number of comments relating to post-secondary education and to the world of work after high school A couple of groups noted that the marks required to enter university are constantly rising. One said that when students are unable to achieve the marks needed, they are branded with failure. Another said that universities need to change and be more responsive to the needs of the province. The current high rate of unemployment was noted and one group asked if there is any benefit to higher education if the student can't get a job after graduation. A need for alternative approaches to post – secondary education was mentioned. There should be structures that would allow young people to take some of their post – secondary education in their local communities.
• The changing family was noted by several groups. The current economic situation is affecting families in a number of ways. About 25% of children live in poverty and child hunger is common in both rural and urban areas. Family stress is often the result of poverty and worries about the family's economic future. Single parent families and two income families are today's reality. This situation is not likely to change in the future.
• Education of children with learning disabilities was mentioned as a responsibility facing most schools. Mainstreaming has become common and, while it has many benefits, it also has challenges. Topics discussed included designing appropriate programs for children, coping with the needs of those who are also physically disabled, the time and attention that these children require in the classroom, and the support services available to teachers.

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The Changing Role of Schools

Articulating the "Role of Schools" is a primary goal of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association. We are committed to:

• providing leadership in focusing public attention on the expanding role of schools.
• securing support and increased resources for school boards attempting to meet the needs of children.
• establishing mechanisms to ensure effective coordination of programs, services, and resources for Saskatchewan youth.

Some examples of the pressure working to extend the traditional concept of "school" are:

1. The school curriculum: life – skills, health – sex – AIDS education, heritage languages, English as a second language, driver training, technical – vocation training, extra – curricular activities.
2. Meeting the needs and characteristics of school students: nutrition programs, mainstreaming of special education students, supervision and child care, health and welfare services for children with emotional problems or abuse in the home, dispensing medication, responsibilities under The Young Offender Act, counseling.
3. Use of the school facility: day care for mothers of school age, day care for others, adult education, recreation use, community access to library resources.
4. The school staff: professional development, preparation time, counseling services and support, use of support staff.

*    Report of the students at risk task force. (1989). Edmonton: Alberta School Trustees' Association.

Saskatchewan Boards of Education are seeking a fundamental change in the ways in which we respond to the educational and life management needs of children in our society. Schools alone cannot meet the complex needs of their students. Changes in our society and the resulting expectations of schools have created an onerous burden upon schools and require a clarification of the mission of schools. Schools do not have the time, financial resources, or professional expertise to do all of the things society expects of them.

The challenge is not to persuade or motivate school boards to do more for children. It is rather to define the challenges more sharply and concretely, mobilize resources, and forge alliances to meet them. Changes to legislation and policy are necessary along with interagency collaboration to enable students to achieve. How can we integrate the role of the school and other community services to serve children and their families holistically, meet their diverse needs, and create a climate in which all students can learn?

This Symposium is a stimulus to the process, a point of departure rather than a place of landing. It is designed to open and focus a dialogue to which others will bring experience, insight, and expertise before a course of action is decided upon.

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The School Program

Education is the key agency to deal with the needs of children and youth. Our clients are presently required to be in our organizations for a large part of each day and year. Therefore, we have a responsibility to meet their needs.

I deal with a lot of student referrals. A typical student who is referred to me might be having difficulties with academic work, speech and behaviour. Poor nutrition may also be a problem. This student's teacher is asking questions suchas, "Are there family problems that may be causing the erratic behaviour? Why is this student doing so poorly with school work? Ability tests show that this student could do much better. Why the difficulties with communication and theproblems getting along with peers and teachers?"

From the description, you can see that I need to access a whole range of different services to develop a program for this individual, that the teacher can deliver in the classroom. Unfortunately, I often have to wait a long time for services from other agencies and sometimes those services aren't available at all.

In order to meet the needs of our young people and respond to the constant change that is typical of our society, I suggest a blending of policies, structures, programs and practices among educational agencies and all the other agenciesthat work with children. Presently, we are single issue organizations. One dealswith the cognitive, one with the family, another with the social/emotional, etc. But that's not the way people are – we're dealing with whole people whose needsand service requirements cannot be fragmented.

Compartmentalized, bureaucratic structures are an affront and an injustice to our learners. Our challenge is not simply to divide up the responsibilities but to reconceptualize the role of the learning organization in today's society. A newarrangement must be designed to shift the concern of each agency away from itself to the needs of our learners.

I'm suggesting that we consider the concept of a learning organization. I see learning organizations being established in zones around the province with satellite learning organizations in areas where there are reasonable numbers of students. The learning organizations would offer services needed at the grassroots level. The expectation would be that everyone in the learning
organization, including the adults, are continuous learners. There would be holistic, integrated delivery of services. The criteria for holistic, integrated services are:

• comprehensive
• human-centered
• preventative
• flexible

The program for clients would focus on core areas:

• communication – listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing with a focus on development of interpersonal skills
• mathematical and scientific learning – real – life math and science concepts that will be useful in everyday situations
• physical learning – fitness and wellness
• aesthetic learning – another way of learning
• life – skills learning – including parenting, financial planning and family life education
• you and the world – helping learners see themselves in relation to the world population
• supports for learning – including resource room, day care for teenage moms and food for hungry children.

In a learning organization, ongoing training and retraining of service providers would be expected and provided. Appropriate training would better equip service providers to meet the needs of their clients and renew them as individuals and as professionals.

The key learnings of the learning organization are illustrated in the diagram below:

All of us here today work with children and adolescents either directly or indirectly. I suggest that the best way we can serve these young people is to work more closely together and to break down the barriers that sometimes prevent us from working togetheras effectively as we might. We need to organize our resources to deal with people as they are rather than as we wish they were. The required changes need to be viewed as challenges and opportunities rather than as obstacles.
 

Issue: What should the school program include?

Children's academic development cannot be addressed until their more basic needs are met. A growing number of at – risk children within our schools require support services

• Schools are required to offer more than the required areas of study. For example, driver training is not a required area of study but The Education Act requires schools to offer the program
• Other agencies develop resource units for schools with the expectation that schools be required to use the materials (i.e., drug and alcohol abuse, uranium/coal energy)
• As new issues develop, there is a general expectation that schools add courses and serve in a prevention role (i.e., AIDS education, wellness)
• The increasing multicultural diversity in our society places great pressure on schools to provide specialized programs like English as a second language and race relations
• There is increasing pressure to move beyond the approved program of studies. Global education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and life – skills are being integrated into existing curricula with pressure groups calling for their recognition as required areas of study
• Some schools sports programs benefit just a few students and may be in competition with other community – financed activities
• Indian and Metis perspectives and content should be integrated into the school program to foster multiple perspectives and reduce dropout rates,
• While there are increasing demands on schools to address the needs of our society, schools must be a community for learning. No other institution has the responsibility for advancing the academic development of children. Schools may share other responsibilities but decisions should be based on the extent to which the academic focus is supported.

Direction #1: The School Program Should Focus on an Integrated Approach to Core Learnings

Participants emphasized an integrated and thematic approach to learning as opposed to a focus on individual subjects. It was mentioned several times that because society is changing so rapidly, nobody really knows what the future willhold. Knowledge that is useful today may be irrelevant tomorrow. The best solution is to emphasize the process of learning and skills that have applicabilityin a wide range of areas rather than mastery of content. It was noted that withCORE Curriculum and the Common Essential Learnings, Saskatchewan'scurriculum is moving closer to this type of model. There was agreement thatCORE Curriculum and the Common Essential Learnings must remain at the centre of Saskatchewan's educational program. Some concern was expressed about the expanding demands that are being placed on the curriculum. Oneparticipant asked, "If schools are expected to teach about drug addiction, AIDS,business, etc., are they being asked to do too much?"

The importance of providing students with a well rounded education was stressed. Students' programs should prepare them for whatever the future may hold. The expectations of the school by business, universities and technicalschools were mentioned frequently within this context. One individual asked,"What if we told business, universities and technical schools that we will no
longer teach to their requirements? What if we said to them, we will provide you with people who are skilled in the Common Essential Learnings, comfortable with technology, etc. – you must teach them the specific skills of your area?"Generally, questions were asked about the extent to which the expectations ofother organizations should influence the school program.

Direction #2: Schools Should Serve as Community Learning Organizations

Learning is a lifelong process. Today, individuals can expect to change careers three or four times during their lifetimes. They may need retraining with each career change. The pace of technological and sociological change is so rapid thatconstant learning has become a routine part of life. In addition, learning isincreasingly seen as a community process rather than as something which occursonly in the school. Many organizations and individuals in the community cancontribute to students' learning.

Participants emphasized that schools can facilitate both lifelong learning and community involvement in education by functioning as community learning organizations. Their progrom might include both preschool and adult education as well as the kindergarten to grade 12 program. There might be a holisticapproach to services for children and adolescents in which the school, the healthcare system, social service agencies, etc. work together to equip youth for health, happiness and learning, now and in the future.

Because every community is different, the program in every community learning organization would also be different. Although there would be some constants – CORE Curriculum, the Common Essential Learnings and interagency cooperation – many aspects of the program would be determined locally and would reflect community needs and priorities.

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Meeting the Needs of Youth

School might be considered an "open" system. Children enter this open system (input), are educated (throughput) and leave (output). The environment provides input resources and external feedback to the school. Internal feedback is alsoreceived from the school staff. Staff members feel that students with needs goright though the school system without benefit. Such students look to the streetand other agencies to have some of their primary needs met (e.g., clothing, food).I believe that natural entropic forces and dramatically increased environmental demands have brought this open system close to a danger point. The oil light isflickering in the educational system. One of the reasons for this is the overloadof expectations and lack of appropriate resources that our schools are experiencing. Teachers are overwhelmed by a multiplicity of expectations and the increasingly unfulfilled social and emotional needs of children.

The present demands on the system are illustrated in the diagram below.

Ten ways that we can begin to restore equilibrium to the system are:

1. Become child advocates. My commitment to child advocacy comes from the Christian beliefs that underlie the Catholic school system. In our view the child is sacred. Developing a sense of community, empowering families and developing covenants between family, school and community are important components of child advocacy. Initiatives such as Head Start programs, day care for teen moms and computerized tracking of students who move frequently are other aspects. Ensuring that all children receiveequal benefit from their education as well as providing them with equal

access and equal opportunity is yet another dimension of child advocacy. I think that we will soon be seeing enforcement of this dimension in the courts.
2. Love the whole child. Children are very complex. They can't be divided into pieces and all those pieces won't make a whole.
3. Pay greater attention to the needs of Aboriginal people. If we don't respond to Aboriginal people in terms of equity and equality of outcomes of education, they are going to start going their own way.
4. Ensure that employment equity permeates all government services. Aboriginal people, disabled people and women want to work. Children from these disadvantaged groups need to have some vision of where they fit into

society. If a child is disabled or of Aboriginal ancestry and she doesn't see anybody like her working in her area of interest, what does that tell her about where she fits?
5. Promote greater integration between agencies. In order to survive, agencies are going to have to break down barriers, to focus on the client and put clients' needs first.
6. Limit certification to a specific time period. The model for certification of nurses is one that we might profitably examine.
7. Use paraprofessionals effectively. This is one way to use public resources effectively and to highlight and support the essential role of the professional teacher.
8. Redefine the relationship between the school and the community. We shouldn't be just schools; we should be community centres. Because everycommunity and every school is different, each pair will need to define its

own relationship in support of children and their families.
9. Value our children more. We've undervalued our children. We can learn a lot from the way that Aboriginal people have historically treated their children. Children are not seen as incomplete adults, but rather as capable individuals who are able to do a great deal. Most children have many more talents thanwe acknowledge.
10. Promote the concept of lifelong learning. This concept would change the focus of the school to include people of all ages as well as children. We'd draw a circle that keeps everyone in, instead of a circle that keeps many people out. God gave each community the talents it needs. We don't have to go lookingfor them – they're there. What we've got to do is find ways of identifyingthose talents, affirming them and helping them develop, so that they can servethe community with love.

• Directions (1984) recommended "That steps be taken to improve delivery of support services to students and ensure that such services are coordinated at the local level." Improvements in local coordination, program effectiveness,and interagency working relations have been limited. Initiatives in this areahave been based on individual personalities, not policy,
• "Improve the delivery of support services to students and ensure that such services are coordinated at the local level."
• School boards are required to provide an appropriate learning environment for students with mild to severe disabilities. To a large extent, support for special programs and mainstreaming of special needs students now falls under the school board budget,
• Given their centrality to community life, schools are frequently looked upon to address children's problems but schools currently lack the human and financial resources to tackle the challanges posed by children whose academic development is impaired by the economic, emotional, and educational deprivation of their out – of – school lives,
• Boards of Education designate staff to ensure noon – hour supervision. There is increasing interest in the provision of before – school and after – school child care,
• Attempts to establish programs for teenage mothers trying to raise a baby while completing high school are frustrated by government restrictions,
• There are indications that child hunger is increasing. While admirable efforts are being made by some school boards, teachers, and other agencies to assist hungry children, schools currently lack the human and financial resources to meet this growing need,
• All students require access to general guidance services that school staff may be able to provide. School resources are burdened in attempting to provide specialized counseling services with professional counselors for students and their families,
• Parents with disabilities require special services and support to function in society. Should school boards provide equipment and services so that special needs parents can interact with schools?
• Greater cooperation among all organizations involved in service delivery to Saskatchewan children is essential as schools are forced to deal with an increasing variety of student needs.

There was a strong feeling among those attending the "Role of the Schools" Symposium that youth services should be delivered through an integrated agency and community – based approach.

All of the groups discussed the potential for and/or the need for restructuring the way that services are provided to youth. There was general consensus that presently each organization works within its own framework and that services arefragmented as a result.

One group asked the question, "What drives programs – children's needs or organizational structures?" Several other groups addressed this same topic but said most definitely that the place to start was with the needs of children not withthe structures of organizations. We have to look at the needs of the child and gear the system around those needs. We can't define the role of the school on the basis of what will be funded and what won't be. The most important thing is toidentify the nerds of children and then design programs to meet those needs. An integrated model of service delivery was perceived to have many advantages. Oneof the most significant was that it might give teachers more time to teach becausethere would be other professionals available to deal with children's non – academic needs.

It was emphasized that no single model of service delivery would be appropriate for all school divisions. A school division's location, the nature of the student body and the type of resources available locally would all influence the deliveryof services. For example, in small communities everyone knows everyone else, so the system create will be different than in an urban area where people in the same neighborhood often don't know each other. The needs of children and familiesdiffer too. Some parents want to be very involved in their children's education,while others do not.

Therefore, the integrated model used for delivery of services to youth might take different forms in different communities. Aspects of integration that some communities might choose to include in their plans include:

• use of school facilities by a variety of community agencies and service providers,
• a team approach to particular situations. The team would be composed of representatives of various service providing organizations,
• pooling of funds (to a greater or lesser extent) available to the school and other service providing agencies,
• an umbrella management board made up of representatives from all service providing agencies,
• greater communication among all service providing agencies. Formal structures might be set up to facilitate communication.

Differences between rural and urban schools and communities were noted by some individuals at the symposium. In any type of restructuring, rural schools and schools divisions would have a much smaller pool of resources to draw uponthan large urban school divisions. Whether this would make restructuring easieror more difficult was not determined.

The observations of one group about restructuring summarized comments made throughout this session very well. They said that any restructuring that occurs must be based on the premise that everyone is equal. The principles of multiculturalism, gender equity and justice must be part of any effort at reorganization. Key directions during restructuring are:

• share territory,
• teamwork with training for team members,
• multi – issue approach not single – issue approach,
• client – focused,
• holistic approach to needs of youth,
• coordination of services in order to look for efficiencies,
• everybody a teacher, everybody a learner,
• empower the family, the caregiver and the child,
• ensure that budget cuts aren't always in this area,
• locally developed models and pilot projects useful.

Implementation of an integrated model of service delivery to youth was discussed briefly. It was noted that the Family Foundation, because it is already a multidisciplinary integrated agency, might play a role in implementation. This organization already deals with the whole family.

It was also noted that implementing integrated delivery of programs and services might require action at the political and legislative level as well as the good will of the organizations involved. The mandates of most service organizations are currently described in legislation; changing the mandates significantly might mean that changes in legislation are needed.

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The School as a Community Facility

The school as a community facility – the topic is a tough one. Usually we think of bricks, boards, blueprints, concrete, stone, pipes, urinals and other cold substances. Despite the structural beauty of a facility, its warmth, importance andusefulness is only derived from the human endeavors that occur within and around it.

What about these structures? Have we learned to use them to the greatest benefit of the humans they are meant to serve? Will we have to rethink our approaches to these buildings in which we deliver education? Some experts tell us that we havea new civilization that is going to challenge all our old assumptions about what we do with school facilities, within the context of the community. To meet the forthcoming changes, some in educational circles have asked for action. Andwhen they get it they just don't recognize the future significance of the action,and that it is but a sign of things to come. Some ways that schools have becomemore involved in the life of the community include:

• Before and after – school sports for youth have flourished,
• Drama presentations have given the Christmas concerts a little competition,
• Social events such as dances and carnivals have sprouted
• Facility use by the community has developed some patterns. The gym is used the most. Then the resource centre – not to read books but for meetings. Art and science rooms are used too – not to study science but to do crafts. In many schools the multipurpose room is used 75% of the timefrom September to June. So let's not say that schools are    under – utilized. Parts of it are utilized very well.

In the future, communities will demand that school facilities be oases of safety and survival for their children.

• Hungry children will be fed. This has begun in urban schools. All provinces have feeding programs in urban schools. In Saskatoon, from August to December 1991, 5,382 breakfasts, 11,942 lunches and 30,000 snacks were served in 16 schools.
• Children of teen moms will receive infant care.
• Daycare will be offered to other community children.
• Those inadequately dressed for the weather will be clothed.
• Health needs will be met, especially preventative care in the areas of nutrition, drugs and alcohol, AIDS, family life.
• The needs of Aboriginal children will be addressed.
• Social/psychological needs will be addressed as well as those with profoundly challenging needs.

Do we have to change some of our thinking? The answer is yes. The dilemma is how will school boards and communities deal with these changes during tough economic times? We all know that there won't be any more money. So there's no point in
asking for more money. Think about the options that exist right now. Some of these include:

• Third wave schools will become adult learning and re – education centers.
• Schools will become success centres rather than screening centres. Although the retention rate has gone up dramatically since 1961, it's still not high enough. Students who dropped out in the 60's had a place to go. They could get jobs and be trained by industry. Today industry isn't prepared to do thatanymore, so education is needed for a good job.
• Schools will provide learning experiences as varied as university classes, parenting and computer training and will do so 12 months a year, 20 hours a day.
• Our own year of discernment study indicates that parents want to learn from the teachers. This creates an issue because many see the role of the school facility as distinct from the role of the teachers in it.
• Schools will become meeting places where all are greeted with TAWOW – a Cree word used to describe an intense human feeling that can only be described in English as "There is room in here."
• Many in the community will view the school facility as the church of the 3rd Wave World. This will be true particularly for the disenfranchised. The rapid urbanization that has taken place has resulted in the development of malls. They are replacing churches as meeting places but their values aremainly consumerism and materialism. I'm sure schools with TAWOW can often more and can be better supporters of home values.
• The communities will use schools as facilities in which they can talk and be listened to – they will become centers of grassroots democracy. Will school board trustees and teachers have to deal with the 3rd Wave alone? No. Just as schools will become community facilities, so must the community become the schoolyard. Approaches like Partnerships in Education are attempts to move schools along the path to success centers by pooling existing school and community resources, because schools can't do it all.

Issue: What is the desired role of the school facility?

• The legislation restricts the use of the school and its resources as a community facility but empowers boards of education to deal with requests on a case by case basis (i.e., heritage languages). Increases in adult education and recreation programs have increased demands for the facility,
• Ontario is using school space for day care and Head Start programs,
• In urban areas school boards are required to purchase land in developing communities in anticipation of receiving government authorization to construct a school. This process of ensuring land for schools is extremely costly in terms of investment and lost interest,
• Provincial recognition for school construction grants may fall short of expenditures in building facilities suitable for offering required programs and utilization by the community,
• The increasing sophistication and specialization of the school facility has coincided with reduced use as a community multipurpose facility. Other facilities duplicate libraries, classrooms, and gymnasiums to serve community needs after 3:30.

The opinion of those attending the "Role of Schools" Symposium was that schools should be utilized as community facilities.

Of equal importance, they should be places with TAWOW – places where everyone feels a sense of belonging and a sense of participation. A variety of programs including day care, preschool, adult education, and community recreation programs might be held in the school.

There was general consensus that this is desirable from both an economic and a philosophical perspective. In these days of declining resources, sharing facilities makes good economic sense. From a philosophical perspective, viewing theschool as a community facility is a way of integrating the school into the life of the community. However, it was noted that making the school the hub of community will be easier in some communities than in others. In urban areasthere are more potential hubs than in rural areas.

If the school is to be a community facility, educators and community members need to find ways to make everyone feel that it is "our school". It may also be necessary to find ways to overcome barriers to collaborative usage. For example,the territorialism felt by various agencies and individuals needs to be reduced.Several groups mentioned Saskatchewan's community schools and said that thecommunity school model is a step in the right direction.

There were some cautions around this concept of the school as a community facility as well It was noted that when two or more organizations are using the same space, there is a strong need to respect materials and the way in whichothers have left the space. Sharing space requires clear expectations and clearunderstanding by all parties concerned. Management of the facility is also important. There must be strong management that fairly represents the interestsof all groups using the facility. This may mean a new role for boards of educationand principals. A concern was expressed by one group that sharing of facilities
could detract from the spirit of the school because the school might not be available to students for after school activities.

Some groups suggested the way that school facilities are designed might need to be examined if they are to truly become community facilities. Different architectural models might be more appropriate for such a facility and might bemore inviting to the public than the designs which are presently typical of schools.

Several groups commented on the extent to which school facilities are presently used, but there was little consensus. Some groups said that they are not used enough and one said they should be open 12 hours a day for a whole range ofschool and community programs. Others said that schools are presently used tonear maximum capacity.

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The Role of the School Staff

The changes that are occurring all around us impact on the school and they're challenging to each of us whether we're in the educational field or otherwise. I think that the people who represent other organizations probably feel those same
challenges. Many people have made an attempt to predict what all of those societal trends mean for schools and classrooms. Here's a description of the classroom of the future by Heather – Jane Robertson of the Canadian Teachers'Federation.

A classroom with refugee and immigrant children whose first language is not the language of instruction. One out of five
students are living in poverty. There are children with various social, emotional aad physical needs contributed to by the
issues facing families. There are also children in wheelchairsand stretchers requizing medication and toileting. Still more
difficult, there will be aggressive and behaviourly impairedstudents.

Lockhart in the book School Teaching in Canada tries to describe what is currently happening with teacher's work. He says:

The core of teachers' work is teaching. Teachers are generally responsible for teaching all subjects in primary schools withspecializations in middle and senior years. The specializationand work assignment, however, is often incongruent with thekind of training and experience they bring. A large amount of time is devoted to behavioral conditioning and attitude socialization. They handle all conflicts that arise between students and teachers, parents and teachers, and at the
periphery they do extra – cumcular, quasi – administrativetasks, and public relations and social agency duties. Successfulteachers arc required to be both privately successful andpublicly adroit.

And how has the educational system responded? Sometimes, and including the discussions at this Symposium thus far, there's a sense that the educational system has its head in the sand. I think that's incorrect. I think that theeducational system has been working very hard to consider the realities that arefacing us socially, economically and politically. The educational system and theindividuals within it have taken the best from the research about teaching andlearning and effective schools and have tried to integrate it into a vision for schools. We most definitely haven't had our head buried.

I think the current challenge facing us is the many constraints that influence change. We still operate in those independent silos that we heard described in several of the presentations today and so ignore the time that's necessary to make changes. We know how difficult it is to change personally and so when you'retrying to change a system, it's even more difficult. I also think that structuralchanges will have to take place in terms of how authority is shared. So we have a lot to do.

I would also like to talk about the concepts of public education. Educational historians remind us that the nature of public education invites, from time to time, a debate about the role of schools and of teachers. We also know that intough economic times, the basis of authority of schools and of teachers becomesvulnerable to attack from all sides. So the perennial question arises, "What is theprimary role of the school?"

I want to share with you part of an address given by Malcolm Ross, then Vice – president of the University of Toronto in 1979. He addressed the role of schools in a changing society and suggested that the purpose of schools has not and should not change. He argued that schools have three functions:

• to help us understand and appreciate ourselves and our development as human beings,
• to nourish individuals' capacity to be creative and critical thinkers,
• to encourage and develop traits that are compatible with work and existence.

Have we taken on too much? Perhaps yes and perhaps no. Change in some aspects of the teacher's work is inevitable. I think that despite the conversations I've heard today about providing a supportive structure for the education system,teachers will continue to have to deal with children with many needs. Children'sneeds aren't going to diminish. As well, we have to be sensitive to the radicalchanges that are taking place all around us – to the changing family and toexpressed calls for equality. We need to be sensitive to the way that technology has transformed our world, to competing ideological interests and to the culturaldiversity of our nation and our planet. At the same time, however, we can relieveteachers of some non – educational tasks like attending to the physical needs ofchildren (diapering and dispensing medication) and secretarial tasks.

As educators it is important that we continue to value education for its own sake, but also for the benefit of the students who come to us and for the purpose of creating a better society. We must equip the younger generation with the powerto act and change themselves.

I think also that we need to ask whether principals and teachers must assume responsibility for each function of the school, if schools are, in fact, community centers. Are others better suited to some of these responsibilities? Take the extra– curricular program as an example. Are schools and teachers largely responsiblefor it or is it a community responsibility?

In closing, I want to refer again to Lockhart's School Teaching in Canada. Lockhart argues for the trust and judgment and competence and integrity of those responsible for service delivery. He warns that if this doesn't come aboutthe whole public educational enterprise will be diminished. Those who providethe service will leave, or the results of tough economic times will be reactionaryones. If we are to accomplish the changes we desire within the public educationsystem, human nature suggests that a collective sense of pride is necessary. Teachers continue to ask for support (real and moral) to fulfill what they and
society see as their primary task – teaching.

The challenge facing education is to ensure long – term commitment from those who provide education. We must make the teacher's role an honourable one and one that is respected within our communities and our society.
 

Issue: What is the desired role of school staff?

• School boards employ significant numbers of non – teaching staff. These support staff are involved in a variety of childcare, counseling, and community work areas,
• If school boards must employ a wider variety of professional and support staff, the role and responsibilities of all school staff require clarification,
• The pupil – teacher ratio has declined, at major expense to school boards, as the role of schools has expanded into non – traditional areas,
• School Systems are in competition with other government departments in hiring professional consultants (i.e., speech – language pathologists),
• Teaching requires specialization and professional expertise, yet teachers are being asked to assume a growing list of "other" responsibilities. Teachers are employed to engage students in relevant learning,
• As other agencies reduce direct services, teachers are expected to assume new responsibilities (i.e., screening for disease prevention, tragic events counseling, educating the public). These expectations add to already tight schedules and the increasing need for professional development. Teachers are frequently unaware of what other agencies are doing,
• School staff are uncomfortable with expectations despite immunity from liability during school hours when involved in an activity approved by the board (i.e., dispensing medication),
• Information regarding individual pupils is frequently not well communicated with school staff (i.e., who has custody of children, conditions of young offenders' probation, etc.),
• The role of school administrators is moving beyond instructional leadership as they assume responsibility for many adults and programs within their buildings.

Direction #5: Communities Should Employ a Variety of Professional and Support Staff to Work in Schools

Participants at the "Role of Schools" Symposium agreed that communities should employ a variety of professional and support staff to work in schools.

They said that teachers are increasingly called upon to do more and more including many non – teaching activities but that the teacher's central role must remain her relationship to the child in her classroom. Indeed, one group said thatthe definition of public education is "meeting the needs of kids".

There was agreement that teachers can't handle everything or be all things to all people. In the words of one group "It's not fair to expect teachers to do everything". There is a need to involve others – individuals as well as agencies.
Parents have an important role to play in the educational program. The groups expressed varying opinions about teachers' and principals' willingness to show authority and responsibility with others. A couple said that most teacherswelcome the involvement of the community because it helps create a deeper,richer education program and because it allows more of children's needs to bemet. However, another group said that teachers and principals differ in theirwillingness to involve parents and the community. Some are very willing and very open but some see the school as a closed shop and reject any community
participation. One group that discussed this issue in some depth said that the school and teachers must take a leadership role in initiating involvement of parents and community members. Community members will be hesitant to approach the school if they fear that their efforts to become involved will berejected. Another group said that even under the best of circumstances some
people will be intimidated by the system. There should be a mechanism that allows these people to have input.

One group said that when seeking new collaborative school structures it is important to focus on school staffs, not on individuals. Focusing on staffs builds a team committed to new ways of interacting with the community. This approachalso ensures that individuals aren't blamed. Another group said that teachers learn little about working with other agencies and with communities during their preservice education. They suggested that this might be a productive addition tothe teacher preservice or inservice education program.

Several groups used the phrase "free up teachers to teach". One group said 'liberate teachers to do what they do best". They indicated that anything that can be done toward this end would be very useful.

Paraprofessionals and volunteers were mentioned several times. Some groups saw them as a way of freeing up teachers to teach, but one group worried that there was a danger of their replacing professional teachers. However, it is noted that as
partnerships are forged between professional teachers and paraprofessionals, fears will be allayed. Participants indicated that the use of volunteers and paraprofessionals requires preparation both in terms of contract negotiations andin terms of individuals' attitudes.

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The Vision

*    From Directions.  (1984).  Regina: Minister's Advisory Committee, Curriculum and Instruction Review, Saskatchewan Education.

In order to achieve this goal, schools would have to become the focus of community life – places where all feel a sense of belonging and of participation. In the school there would be holistic delivery of services by a team of educators,counselors, social workers, early childhood workers and nutritionists.

Symposium participants identified five directions for future action that would aid in achieving this vision. They suggested that:

Direction #1

• The school program should focus on an integrated approach to core learnings.  Core learnings might include:

• communication – listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing with a focus on development of interpersonal skills,
• mathematical and scientific learning – real – life math and science concepts that will be useful in everyday situations,
• physical learning – fitness and wellness,
• aesthetic learning – another way of learning,
• life – skills learning – including parenting, financial planning and family life education,
• you and the world – helping learners see themselves in relation to the world population,
• supports for learning – including resource room, day care for teenage moms and food for hungry children.

• Schools should function as community learning organizations:
• which offer a range of educational and community programs including preschool and adult education,
• which offer services to youth in a holistic manner by cooperating with other community agencies,
• which use the resources of the community and are responsive to the needs of the community.

• Youth services should be delivered though an integrated agency and community – based approach. There was strong consensus that the services to young people provided by government departments and agencies could be improved by effective coordination and by reallocation of financial and human resources.

• Schools should be utilized as community facilities. The school building might be used for a whole range from educational and community programs in addition to the kindergarten to grade 12 program.

• Communities should employ a variety of professional and support staff to work in schools.

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Next Steps

• Continuing Dialogue,
• Leadership,
• Support for Directions,
• Advocacy,
• Implementation,
• Immediacy.

Dialogue

There was agreement that the "Role of Schools" Symposium was a good starting point for articulating the future role of schools but that more planning is necessary. It is important to continue dialogue. The individuals and groups involved in an ongoing conversation about change should be expanded beyond those attending the Symposium. Parents, students, churches and especially Aboriginal organizations should be involved. It was suggested that in any formal planning sessions,representation of Aboriginal people should be proportional to their numbers in thegeneral population. There was a concern that mechanisms be established to involvethe poor and others whose voices are sometimes not heard. Local involvement was also felt to be important. Everyone affected should be involved in some way in discussions about changes to service delivery. This means discussions and meetingsat the grassroots level. It was emphasized repeatedly that a sense of ownership by allthe stakeholder groups and individuals is essential if the plan is to succeed. The process should have the additional benefit of empowering parents and communities.
 

Leadership

A question asked frequently at the Symposium was, "Who will be responsible for developing a plan for new models of service deliveries" The majority of participants felt that an interagency committee should be established, but it was also suggestedthat the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association should develop a plan to take to the larger community for discussion.
 

Support for Directions

It was emphasized that the plan developed should affirm support for Saskatchewan's Goals of Education and for Directions. The change process began with Directions. With CORE Curriculum and the Common Essential Learnings, the educational system has taken major steps toward becoming morechild – centered and toward preparing children for a world in which the onlycertainty is change. This process should continue.
 

Advocacy

The need to take action at a political level was mentioned. Because the mandates of most government departments are defined by legislation as well as by custom, there will almost certainly need to he changes in legislation if an integratedmodel of service delivery is to be achieved. Some restructuring of governmentdepartments would naturally follow. Participants were not specific about the typeof restructuring needed, although a couple did mention that the Family Foundation might play a coordinating role. Specific strategies that might be usedto influence government were mentioned by several groups. Those included lobbying and presentation of submissions and briefs from a committee representing the groups in attendance at the Symposium. It was noted that gettingkey Cabinet Ministers on – side would be the quickest way to effect change.
 

Implementation

There was considerable discussion about the components of a plan that might be used to implement the vision identified at the "Role of Schools" Symposium. Although there were some minor differences, most participants felt that the planshould contain the following components. The order of the components issomewhat variable. They might occur in a different order than listed below orseveral might be taking place at one time.

• Symposium discussion paper,
• Development of model(s),
• Second meeting,
• Advocacy and consultation,
• Pilot project(s),
• Implementation.

Immediacy

A sense of urgency permeated the discussion at the Symposium. Many individuals mentioned that time is short and that planning should begin immediately. Several said that political action should also begin immediately and continue throughoutthe planning process.

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