Some Questions and Answers...

How did the project come about?

In the fall of 1992, The Maritime Provinces Education Foundation (MPEF) released a data sharing task group report, Background Report on Regional Data Sharing which recommended that work begin immediately on a set of commonly agreed upon performance indicators and that the indicators be published for the region. Shortly after the publication of the report Newfoundland expressed interest in participating in the initiative. Thus, the regional effort expanded from the three Maritime provinces to the four Atlantic provinces. Newfoundland became a full member of the organization in 1994 and the Maritime Provinces Education Foundation became the Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation.

What are education indicators?

An education indicator tells something about the performance or behaviour of an education system and can be used to inform educational decision-making. Like economic and health indicators, educational indicators focus on key aspects of their area. Consequently indicators reflect the health of the system as a whole, or some significant part or element of the system. Performance indicators, which are most useful in providing information on effectiveness and quality, include such things as the percentage participation in school and postsecondary institutions, student performance on standardized tests, the percentage of students completing various programs and courses, and the attitudes and values of students, parents, educators, and the public at large.

To be an indicator, an educational statistic must also have a reference point against which it can be judged. Usually the reference point is some agreed upon standard, a past value, or a comparison across schools, districts, regions, or nations. Obviously, indicators do not tell everything about education systems. Instead, like economic or health indicators, they provide a profile of current conditions and trends. Indicators also provide target areas for further research.

Why should we pay attention to indicators?

More and more, the public, who are essentially the owners of the education system in this Province are asking questions about the effectiveness of the system. They want to know whether students are meeting the expectations we, as a society, have for them.

A good system of performance indicators allows us to judge whether or not the system is effective, efficient, and accountable. It also allows us to identify our strengths and diagnose areas that should be targeted for improvement. Information of this type enables the Government departments of education, school boards, parents, and other interested parties to assess the extent to which the objectives and expectations we have for education are being met. In addition, it provides taxpayers with suitable evidence to judge whether they are receiving value for their investment in the education system.

Is this a new idea?

The indicator system approach is a relatively new way of focussing on information about education. In addition to our own system of indicators, a number of other provinces have developed or are in the process of developing indicator programs. These programs generally tend to reflect the goals of education in each province and measure the progress of education systems towards meeting these goals. In addition, the Canadian Education Statistics Council, a group formed by the Council of Ministers of Education and Statistics Canada will soon publish an indicators report with a national focus. Most indicator systems in this country are less than five years old.

How does this project fit with our own system of indicators?

Several models for indicator system design exist in the educational literature and development work has proceeded in this and other Departments of Education over the past several years. The Department has formed close links with other provinces in the area of indicator development and we are learning from one another. The Department believes strongly that there is little to be gained from "reinventing the wheel" entirely, particularly at the K-12 level. So, we are adapting and building upon our own work and the work of others already completed elsewhere. We believe it is important for our Province to be connected with the work that is proceeding regionally and in other provinces. Since we were one of the first provinces to develop educational indicators for publication, we believe we have a great deal to offer regional and national initiatives.

Where do we go from here?

Not all of the indicators described in the conceptual framework (attached) were able to be developed for this edition of Education Indicators in Atlantic Canada. Following the release of this report representatives from the four Atlantic provinces will work towards developing indicators in areas where there are gaps in information. The goal is to produce another edition of the report in two years. The research and data collection activities we undertake in our own provinces over the next two years will allow us to provide a more complete picture of education in Atlantic Canada in 1998. In the meantime we will release our own report on the Newfoundland K-12 education system, entitled Profile 96: Educational Indicators, later this fall.