About the Project
Setting the Direction is an important project to create a new framework to ensure Alberta students with special education needs get the supports they need to be successful.
Phase 1 of the project in November and December 2008, featured province-wide consultations on the vision and principles that should govern Alberta’s special education programming and delivery. We conducted public forums in 10 Alberta communities and heard from individuals and groups through online and paper submissions.
Phase 1 consultation involved input from approximately 3,500 Albertans who represent the views of parents and guardians, teachers, school administrators, school authority staff, school board trustees, teacher assistants, community support organizations and health care professionals.
Phase 2 of Setting the Direction, featured province-wide consultations to affirm the vision and principles that should govern Alberta’s special education programming and delivery and provided an overview of five building blocks that could herald positive and important change (high expectations for all students, using strengths and abilities to drive programming, building capacity for staff and the learning team, collaborating for learner success and accessing learning resources and technologies for the 21st Century)
Phase 2 consultation involved input from approximately 6,000 Albertans who represent the views of parents and guardians, elders, teachers, school administrators, school authority staff, school board trustees, post-secondary representatives, students, teacher assistants, community support organizations and health care professionals.
Involvement by First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) people in both the on-line and the community consultation process was limited; therefore the Setting the Direction Steering Committee and the Project Team consulted with FNMI staff within various Ministries on the location and format of the dialogue, and five additional FNMI-specific community sessions were held across Alberta including: Lethbridge, Calgary, St. Paul, Edmonton, and High Prairie.
On June 8 and 9, approximately 850 Albertans participated in the Setting the Direction Minister’s Forum. This Forum marked the third consultation of Setting the Direction and was an opportunity for all Albertans to discuss the proposed framework presented to government by the Setting the Direction Steering Committee.
In addition, 288 individuals joined the webcast from 78 unique sites. Visitors from as far away as Australia and California listened into the sessions and contributed to the question and answer portions of the Forum.
Highlights of the Forum included an inspiring and emotional presentation from Martin Brokenleg, a context setting presentation from Dianne McConnell and a youth panel that included a question and answer period. In addition, delegates spent a number of hours in smaller group sessions discussing the proposed Framework and what it means to them.
Government will use the next few months to consider the recommendations proposed by the Setting the Direction Steering Committee. This process involves many steps and will culminate in a review of the proposed framework recommendations by Cabinet and caucus. Once policy decisions have been made, the government will provide a response to the recommendations and develop a comprehensive implementation plan that will be shared publicly.
