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Curriculum Council
What is the Curriculum Council?
The Curriculum Council is a group of knowledgeable, committed community leaders and education experts who were first brought together in March 2007 to advise the Minister of Education. They provide strategic policy advice on the elementary and secondary school curriculum.
The council reviews a wide range of topics at the request of the minister and may be supported by a working group of experts on selected topics.
What topic is the council currently reviewing?
In the 2011-2012 school year, the Curriculum Council will be considering the integration of equity and inclusive education principles and bullying prevention across the curriculum.
What has the council previously reviewed?
The first topic reviewed by the council was environmental education.
The topic that was most recently reviewed was financial literacy. A Working Group on Financial Literacy was formed to provide a report to the Curriculum Council in 2010. Based on the report, and other information, the council provided advice to the minister about financial literacy in the existing Grades 4 to 12 curriculum.
- What is the current status of financial literacy?
- On November 9, 2010, the government announced that it is moving forward to better integrate financial literacy into the Ontario curriculum starting in fall 2011.
- The advice from the Curriculum Council and the recommendations from the Working Group on Financial literacy in the report A Sound Investment: financial literacy in Ontario schools (PDF, 752 KB) has informed the implementation planning for financial literacy.
- Beginning in this school year, elementary and secondary students will learn more about how to make informed financial decisions. In the classroom, students will learn about saving, spending and investing money, and they will develop the critical skills needed in today's complex financial world.
- Who were the co-chairs of the Working Group on Financial Literacy?
The Ministry of Education formed a Working Group on Financial Literacy, co-chaired by Leeanna Pendergast, then MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga, and Tom Hamza, President of the Investor Education Fund.
- What did the working group's research include?
The working group reviewed inter-jurisdictional research on financial literacy, conducted consultations with stakeholders, gathered information and engaged in relevant discussions. They also conducted an online survey on the ministry website. The Working Group on Financial Literacy would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for its participation in this important process.
- Will you include new curriculum expectations at the elementary and secondary level?
No — we are looking at a seamless integration of financial literacy within the existing Grades 4 to 12 curriculum — not the creation of additional courses or curriculum expectations.
Who are the members of the council?
Ruth Baumann is the council's chairperson. She is a respected educator who has been deeply involved in the K-12 Ontario education system for more than 30 years.
The membership of the council is updated as required.
Current members of the Curriculum Council:
| Member |
Title / Current Position |
Ruth Baumann
(Chair) |
Partner, Directions-Evidence and Policy Research Group; Director, Alterna Savings Credit Union; Former Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Teachers' Federation |
Chantal Bertrand |
Coordinator (Eastern Ontario Education and Training Center) (Hawkesbury Campus) |
Vicki Bismilla |
Vice-President Academic and Chief Learning Officer
Centennial College, Toronto |
Madeleine L. Champagne |
Director-General, Lavigne-Champagne International |
Serge Demers |
Director, École des sciences de l'éducation, Laurentian University |
Martha Dutrizac |
Director of Education, Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
Member: English Catholic Council Ontario Directors of Education (ECCODE) |
Mark Evans |
Associate Dean, Teacher Education,
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education |
Frances Garofalo |
Doctoral Candidate, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Former Superintendent of Curriculum and School Effectiveness, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board |
Kathy Gould Lundy |
Co-ordinator of Destination Arts,
Faculties of Education and Fine Arts, York University |
Penny Milton |
Former CEO, Canadian Education Association |
Jackie Moore |
Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto
Former Director of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program at Queen's University |
Pierre Riopel |
Superintendent of Education, Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario (CSPGNO), Sudbury, ON
Director of Education (interim) |
Gail Smyth |
Executive Director, Skills Canada – Ontario |
Chris Suurtamm |
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Director, Pi Lab: Research in Mathematics Education |
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