Paths to prosperity

We believe the current government has set the bar for success too low. Too many children are being left behind. Ontario's standardized test targets assume that 25 per cent of our children won't master the basic skills of reading, writing and math, and that 15 per cent of them won't graduate from high school. We don't believe a system that fails so many of our children can be called a success. These results appear even more glaring when one stops to consider that we're spending $8.5 billion more per year to educate 250,000 fewer students than we were only a decade ago. Test scores have stagnated or gone down in certain areas, and student clubs, sports and other activities are being cancelled across the province. It's time to raise expectations for everyone in the school system, and that includes students, teachers, principals, school boards and the government itself. We believe that teachers and principals can do better with more autonomy, clear goals, accountability and the right kind of support and leadership from government.