Patricia Prowse and Russ Mirasty are nearing the end of an important phase in the Student First project that encourages communication among advisers, administrators, students and families in the education process.
Prowse, a former superintendent within the Saskatoon Public School system has provided strategic methods to deliver First Nations and Metis educational curriculums in the past and is working with Mirasty, a retired RCMP officer and administrator who brings another unique perspective to the process.
Prowse spoke with the Mercury on April 22, regarding the process and the ongoing analysis that is being conducted.
The two were appointed by the provincial government to lead a consultation process to obtain feedback from students, teachers, parents and the broader education sector on how to improve the Saskatchewan education system by putting the student first.
"We've been travelling around engaged in a number of face-to-face meetings that began in December last year, and we talk about all the education elements," Prowse said, adding that she expected the adventure to be a career highlight for her once it concludes.
These personal contacts will continue into May, and in the meantime, Mirasty and Prowse are meeting regularly with education officials, including Education Minister Don Morgan.
"So the input happens on a regular basis, as we go along and the new education sector plan gets firmed," Prowse.
She said they ask the pertinent questions such as what the participants feel needs to be changed within the provincial system and where they feel they have found success as well as where the failures or glitches appear.
"What are exemplary practices? That's what we are searching out, and we're finding four themes emerging such as relationships, learning engagement, learning environments and shared responsibilities," Prowse said.
The former superintendent said they would be able to pull a full report together by the end of May following more than 1,000 personal encounters as well as online communications that were to end today (April 30).
"There are some barriers out there, especially with early learning so we're looking at how the work can be done to get the student out there first, and we feel that once our work is done there will be ongoing commitment to keep the process going. It should continue to evolve as there will be different iterations of the plan. This is a new approach, but it's a supportive approach to visit with a wide number of communities," Prowse said.
She said they deliberately set out to speak with diverse groups in a widening circle as part of their mandate.
"We are seeing how students and teachers are getting to know one another, we see barriers and why students leave the system early and how they can be brought back in through sharing responsibilities as one example," Prowse said.
