Boosting Resources, Strengthening Students

Almost half a million students in Grades 4 to 6 are expected to benefit from new textbooks and learning resources this school year thanks to a $10-million investment announced today by Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne.

"New and exciting materials can spark a passion for reading and learning among our students," said Premier McGuinty. "And passion is key to success in school and in life."

"This is not just about putting books on desks, but about making sure our students have the tools they need to learn," said Wynne. "Every school board in the province will benefit from this investment."

The funding will help school boards purchase textbooks and other learning resources such as magazines, computer software and multi-media resources, including CD-ROMs and DVDs. Earlier this year, the McGuinty government also provided $15 million for new library books.

The investment is part of the McGuinty government's commitment to improving literacy and numeracy achievement and providing students in Grades 4 to 6 with the learning resources they need to succeed. It comes on top of $525 million already provided for textbooks, learning materials and classroom supplies this year.

The government's goal is to have 75 per cent of elementary students meeting the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008.

In 2005-06, 64 per cent of Ontario Grade 3 and 6 students met or exceeded the provincial standard in reading, writing and math. This is a 10-percentage point increase from 54 per cent in 2002-03.

Premier McGuinty and Wynne visited students and staff at Burnhamthorpe Public School. The school plans to use its portion of the funding to purchase reading materials, math textbooks, computer software and multi-media resources.

"Providing my students with good-quality textbooks and learning resources is an important ingredient to boost their achievement and enrich their learning experience," said Costen McCann, a Grade 4 teacher at Burnhamthorpe Public School.

Premier McGuinty and Wynne also highlighted some of the government's investments to support student achievement including:

• Funding to hire 3,600 teachers to reduce the number of students in JK to Grade 3 classes to a maximum of 20 students in 90 per cent of classes by 2007-08
• Providing a more well-rounded education, with funding to hire 1,600 elementary specialist teachers in areas such as music, phys-ed and the arts
• Training teachers and administrators to strengthen instructional practices
• Supporting the Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership, which will provide 750 low-performing schools with direct supports for improvement in student achievement
• Working with school boards to set student achievement targets, develop improvement plans and identify initiatives that will help improve student achievement.

"We've made great progress in education -- class sizes are down, test scores are up and more students are graduating," said Premier McGuinty. "But investments like today's recognize there's still more to do to help our students succeed and make public education the best education in Ontario."

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Ministry pages:

• Education