How can we ensure that high school students are more motivated, spend less time on the bus and no longer need to shop around for school? A school service center has started a small revolution considered to be one of the most promising of the moment in education.
“I think it’s the most important thing we’ve done in a long time,” said Ugo Martin, social studies teacher.
Since this fall, the Center de services scolaire des Chênes (CSSDC), in Centre-du-Québec, has implemented an unprecedented offensive to counter dropout rates.
Their idea: to ensure that all teenagers are enrolled in a special program, such as the arts, sports or sciences.
The Journal went to meet students, parents, teachers and principals at the beginning of December, three months after this major change. And it is clear that, for the moment, it arouses more hope than criticism.
“Before, there were so many students who were “nothing”. It was terrible,” says Mr. Martin about one of the main symptoms of the three-tier school system (see box).
Most needed
Yannis, 14, is in a special education program at the Bosquet school. Without this reform, he would not have been able to join the Active Health program, which allows him to do more sports.
“It’s really cool. It makes me want to come to school more,” he says.
Jaden Tshikala, 15 years old (left), and Yannis Kanden (right), 14 years old, met in the cafeteria of the Bosquet school. These two athletes are in the Active Health program.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
In the Art room, third-year secondary students are absorbed in their work, drawn with a stylus on a digital tablet. These young people have eight art classes per nine-day cycle.
“They tell us: the day we don’t have art is the day that’s boring,” reports the teacher, Véronique Bibeau.
Secondary 3 young people from the Eco-Art and Technologies program learn to draw on a tablet at the Bosquet school.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
Drummondville's five public secondary schools all offer at least four options, almost all free and without selection. Thus, all regular adolescents, and even some in special education, have access to it. Whether they are at the top of their class or lagging behind.
“These students are the ones who needed it the most, a particular program. The idea is to have a passion,” explains Stéphane Guilbert, director of the Bosquet school.
It was also after noting the success gap, which could go up to 30%, between young people “in nothing” and those in special programs that the CSSDC began to develop its project in 2019.
“Segregation”
At the Ministry of Education, we consider that special programs, selective or not, are beneficial and must be increased. Meanwhile, organizations like École ensemble denounce the “segregation” that selection results in, with students with the best grades concentrating in the same groups.
What is happening in Drummondville therefore has something to please supporters of stimulating programs, as well as defenders of equity.
Some schools elsewhere in Quebec have already ensured that no more students are “in nothing”, but the CSSDC is the first to take this turn for all its secondary establishments.
WHAT IS THE THREE-SPEED SCHOOL SYSTEM?
Subsidized private schools:
- Students who generally have good grades and whose parents are financially well-off.
Public schools, selective individual programs:
- Students who get good grades or excel in an area, such as sports or music. Some of these programs are paid.
Public schools, regular:
PUBLIC SECONDARY STUDENTS IN QUEBEC:
- 44% in a particular program
- 66% “in nothing”
Source: Ministry of Education, 2023-2024
THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERY TASTE
Science
Eliot Houle (left) and Edouard Gingras (right), 12 years old, are inexhaustible when it comes to talking about their creations in robotics and the experiments carried out in the Science program at Marie-Rivier school.
Photo DOMINIQUE SCALI
The arts
Elisabeth Descoteaux and Estelle Maltais, 14 years old, made this impressive hat as part of the Eco-Art and technologies program at the Bosquet school.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
Sports
Secondary 1 young people from the Active Health program in action, at the Bosquet school.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
The others
Ugo Martin, in his social universe room. He is one of the teachers who created from scratch a new Culture, human sciences and multimedia program at the Bosquet school. Young people will learn to make podcasts and videos in particular. Some have already visited the National Assembly in Quebec or the geomatics department at the University of Sherbrooke. Each high school has its own program that is off the beaten track, such as video games or wildlife management.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
More walking, less time on the school bus
By pushing most students to attend their neighborhood school, the small revolution of the CSSDC means that more young people are walking to get there.
“Before, I took the bus because I was going to the other side of town. This year, I can come walking every morning. It’s more practical,” says Ophélie Beaulieu, 13 years old.
Ophélie Beaulieu, 13 years old (left), can now walk every morning since she attends Bosquet, her neighborhood school. Nelly Ohanyan, 13 years old (right), still takes the bus, but her journey is shorter than last year.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
In the old system, many young people chose their school based on a particular vocation. A young person could therefore try his luck at the other end of the territory because he was attracted by the music or sports program, for example.
By adding varied programs everywhere, there is less competition between schools. Ultimately, most CSS young people will simply go to the school closest to them.
Bond
Result: this fall, 1,252 CSSDC students walk to school. This is 538 more than last year.
For those who still have to take the bus, travel time and the number of transfers to make have been reduced.
For Stéphane Vigneault, of the École ensemble movement, this is a significant advantage. Elsewhere, “we have students who are supposed to do more sport who sit for two hours on a bus,” he quips.
Less shopping
The other positive side effect is to bring down the high school shopping frenzy, which pushes children to take multiple admissions exams in order to qualify for the most attractive program or avoid to find oneself “in nothing”.
The reform therefore removes a layer of uncertainty and stress, finds Maxime Tousignant, deputy director at the Jeanne-Mance school. “There’s something you’ll like at your local school,” he sums up.
The majority of parents interviewed by The Journal during the open house on December 5 said they were eyeing the selective Sport-Études program at Marie-Rivier school, but were satisfied to be able to fall back on the sports program at their local school as plan B.
“We are sure to come here,” says Marie-Pier Nicol, met at the Jeanne-Mance school.
Marie-Pier Nicol is already convinced that her youngest son, Yann Viens, 12, will go to the Jeanne-Mance school next year.
Photo Dominique Scali
For her, the reform is a good thing. This year, his eldest son was finally able to join a sports program, even though he had been refused Sport-Études when he entered secondary school.
A “rock’n roll” transition, but worth it
The promising turn of the CSSDC forced many teenagers to change schools midway, a transition that was “rock 'roll” for some.
“My daughter had to change schools against her will. She found the transition difficult. […] But ultimately she loves [son nouveau programme]. It’s a blessing in disguise,” says a mother we met in Marie-Rivier.
“It’s a good idea, but the transition was rock’n roll,” admits Carl Brien, a father we met a few minutes later.
To go from three to two speeds, the CSSDC had to throw a bomb into the distribution of young people on its territory.
Fourth and fifth secondary students were entitled to a “protection clause” to finish their course in the same school, but many other younger students had to change establishments and make new friends.
“We answered hundreds and hundreds of questions from parents,” remembers Andréane Proulx, from the Communications Department.
For their part, some teachers had to create a new program from scratch, or accept that they would have slightly weaker students in their special vocation groups.
Some parents say they are still skeptical. “It is certain that [la presque obligation d’aller à l’école de quartier]it limits the choice,” finds Kevin Patry, a father met at the Jeanne-Mance school.
“Everything is not yet perfect,” admits Stéphane Guilbert, from the Bosquet school. But overall, […] We’re all surprised how things calmed down.”
Stéphane Guilbert, director of the Bosquet school. The 3D printers in the digital creation workshop are often used by young people in the Environmental Engineering program.
Photo BEN PELOSSE
The trick? All stakeholders were involved and consulted, he explains.
“I think it will be small,” predicts Mr. Guilbert. “And I can’t wait to see the success statistics in five years.”
WHAT THEY SAY
“We would like to salute the CSS des Chênes which is at the forefront so that all students can be registered in a particular program. He is a model for all CSSs in Quebec.”
– The office of Minister of Education Bernard Drainville
“We are going to look at this very, very, very carefully. […] It’s clearly one of the most motivating and inspiring initiatives at the moment.”
– Mélanie Laviolette, president of the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec
“It’s a lot of positive. They had the courage to do this on their own, without waiting for the government. […] Ultimately, I think it will take the impetus of the ministry [pour que] It’s spreading everywhere.”
– Ruba Ghazal, Member of Parliament for Mercier, Québec solidaire
“It proves that it is possible to offer stimulating and interesting programs for all young people. […] This is clearly an example to be reproduced.”
– Pascal Bérubé, Member of Parliament for Matane-Matapédia, Parti Québécois
“This is one of the most promising projects currently in Quebec. […] This is definitely going in the right direction. There are a few caveats to make [comme la nécessité de s’attaquer aussi au financement des écoles privées]. I think that in the current framework, the CSSDC has gone as far as it can go.”
– Stéphane Vigneault, spokesperson for the School Together movement
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