Phase II
Message from the Minister
As Setting the Direction for Special Education in Alberta enters the second phase of consultation, I am delighted to see the remarkable energy and interest that Albertans are bringing to this important project.
During Phase 1 consultations, approximately 3,500 Albertans offered their insights and aspirations for a new direction for special education in Alberta. Contributions were clear, consistent and direct, and a common passion for every student's success was clear in the input of students, parents, teachers and school board trustees. All spoke of systemic change where all students are provided with the supports, programs and services they need to be successful. Input set a positive tone that enabled the Steering Committee, Stakeholder Working Group and Project Team to think creatively and constructively develop desired outcomes and options for meeting those outcomes.
Phase 2 will provide Albertans with an opportunity to consider how we can better offer inclusive education in Alberta while supporting an increasingly diverse student population. During this phase, you will clearly identify what the preferred future looks like. This is a time for you to roll up your sleeves, put on your thinking cap, and offer your best thoughts. I hope you will be one of the participants in this process, contributing as an individual or as a member of a group representing a particular interest or segment of Alberta’s students.
I am looking forward to the completion of Phase 2 and to the opportunity to meet many of you during Phase 3 in June.
Dave Hancock, QC
Minister, Alberta Education
P.S. As Phase 2 of Setting the Direction gets underway, phase one of Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans will begin. Inspiring Education is an opportunity to provoke discussion and raise appreciation for education, develop an understanding of what it will mean to be an educated Albertan 20 years from now, and establish a policy framework setting out long-term goals for education in Alberta. Setting the Direction and Inspiring Education are complementary projects seeking to develop as many points of view as possible and improve education in Alberta through public participation.
I want to assure you that your contributions to Setting the Direction will not be lost. Outcomes from Setting the Direction will be integrated into Inspiring Education as part of this broad discussion about the future of education in Alberta.
