The role of the Federal Government in education in Canada has been a matter of increasing concern since the end of the Second World War. In the following pages an attempt has been made to ascertain the extent and significance of Federal participation in education from 1867 to 1970. The identification of these two dimensions, however, is largely dependent upon the concept applied to the term education and for the purposes of this inquiry education has been defined as an activity wherein instruction is given and/or learning takes place as part of a formal process in the context of a recognized educational institution. What this study demonstrates is that the Federal "presence' in education in Canada has dramatically, increased since 1945, to the point that by 1970 in financial terms alone it exceeded an annual expenditure of one billion dollars, and additionally, that the nature of the 'presence' has become increasingly complex and diffuse. It is also demonstrated that there has been a lack of visible coordination at the Federal level with respect to its educational functions and establishes a case for more effective coordination both within the Federal structure and; between the Federal Government and the provinces. The format of the document has largely been dictated by the nature of Federal educational programs. The first chapter has been devoted to a discussion of the constitutional position of the central government with respect to education. Succeeding chapters: then present a department by department description of Federal educational involvement. The last two chapters outline the chronological and legislative patterns that have evolved over the past century and the conclusions derived from the study. Since this inquiry has been primarily concerned with the Federal as opposed to provincial perspective, three areas of source material have provided the content, the Statutes of Canada, the Public Accounts and Auditor-General's Reports, and the annual reports of the several government departments concerned. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

While considerable attention has been paid to the supposed qualitative outcomes of changes in level of financial support for public school education, comparatively little is known about the effects of funding changes on the provision of educational services. An examination of the levels of government expenditure on education in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba from 1976 to 1987 reveals a strong relationship between the state of the provincial economy and levels of financial support. During this period funding levels increased and decreased in all the provinces, with British Columbia experiencing the largest and most frequent fluctuations. Indices were developed for this study to measure the changes in levels of educational services provided. These changes were found to be closely associated with funding levels. Analysis of data obtained from a sample of 20 British Columbia school districts revealed a similar pattern at the district level. In addition, the mix of services was studied, and significant changes were evident in the percentage of teachers employed in instructional as opposed to administrative and support positions. These changes were associated with changes in levels of financial support. Certain characteristics of school districts were identified as having the potential to explain different responses to funding changes. Regression analysis was used to test the resulting hypotheses, and produced largely inconclusive results. This study concludes that although the level and mix of educational services provided in western Canada varied as funding levels increased and decreased over the period studied, in the main school systems proved sufficiently resilient to maintain or even to increase the levels of service they ordinarily provided without dramatically altering the mix of instructional and support staff. / Graduate

This study compares the development of the role of the federal government in education in Canada and the United States during the period 1867 to 1970. It identifies the nature of federal participation in the field in both countries during the period, and through comparison, the similarities and differences existent between the two federal systems in terms of the federal educational role. The study gives a useful and needed perspective on federal involvement in education during a time when domestic conditions in both countries prompted the development of a stronger federal educational presence. The works of three scholars contributed to the conceptual development of the study. Brian Holmes suggestions on the use of the problem approach in comparative education provided an analytical framework for the comparative aspects of the inquiry, while the descriptive works of J.C. Miller and C.A. Quattlebaum on the federal role in Canada and the United States respectively, furnished useful suggestions for the organizational approach adopted. The information and data required for the study was obtained from a variety of sources. Primary source material was obtained from federal legislation, regulations, and reports of the various federal departments and agencies in both countries. In addition, special reports and monographs were utilized to gain more detailed information on specific aspects of various federal education programs. These sources were supplemented by secondary material dealing with the economic, social, and political background to the evolving federal role in the field, particularly insofar as the nature and evolution of both federal systems was concerned. In this study, education is defined as a formal process where instruction is given and/or learning takes place within the confines or under the jurisdiction of a recognized educational institution. Within this definition the material is presented in accordance with two major classifications of federal educational activity, those programs developed under federal constitutional obligations and those developed in areas normally outside of federal jurisdiction. For convenience, the latter programs are treated under three categories, elementary/secondary, post secondary, and vocational/professional education. Three important postulates are advanced through this inquiry. Dealing with both federal systems, the study suggests that by 1970, the federal educational presence was such that a "third partner" had emerged in the conduct of education in both countries, alongside the traditional state/ provincial and municipal/county governments. At the same time the study suggests that the nature of the federal educational presence in both countries was quite different though often prompted by similar conditions. In terms of the federal educational presence in areas under federal jurisdiction, the study suggests that the Canadian government tended to adopt a paternalistic approach towards such educational programs. The American government tended to encourage the development of self-sustaining programs and was accordingly less paternalistic in approach. At the same time, it is demonstrated that in both countries federal recognition, development, and implementation of educational programs under this classification was a slow and often reluctant process. Where federal educational programs overlapped with those of other levels of government, there were also marked differences in the approaches taken in both countries. The study demonstrates that for constitutional, political, and other reasons, the Canadian government was often forced to provide indirect and/or general assistance to education. For similar reasons the American government was forced to provide more direct and categorical aid. As a result of the differing nature of federal educational involvement in both countries the administration of federal educational programs also differed. This study points out, however, that despite these differences, there exists a critical deficiency in Canada, where despite the significant nature of the federal educational presence, by 1970 no formal mechanism existed for the effective coordination of the federal effort. Similarities and differences aside, the study establishes the complex yet significant nature of the federal educational presence in both countries. It suggests that there is a place for a federal government in the field within a federal system. It also provides a needed foundation for further research in the field and an hypothesis for a future inquiry into the federal educational role in other federal systems. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

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The doctoral thesis investigates the impact of legal mobilization and judicial decisions on official minority-language education (OMLE) policy outside Quebec using a model of judicial impact derived from New Institutionalism theory. The New Institutionalism (NI) model of judicial impact synthesizes the dominant approaches to judicial impact found in the US literature, which are reviewed in Chapter Two, and transcends them by placing them within a framework based on the New Institutionalism. / The model, as developed in Chapter Three, proposes that certain factors will increase the probability of judicial decisions having a positive influence on policy, such as whether incentives are provided for implementation. The model argues that institutions---as structures and state actors---have important influences on these factors. Furthermore, the NI model recognizes that institutions play a partial and contingent role in the construction of policy preferences and discourse and in mediating the political process more generally over time. / Chapter Four demonstrates that the NI model can be applied usefully to reinterpret existing accounts of how legal mobilization and judicial decisions impacted the struggle over school desegregation in the US---a case that provides a heuristic comparison to OMLE policy as it concerns the question of how and where minorities are educated. / Chapters Five through Seven describe OMLE policy development in Canada from the latter 1970s until 2000, with case studies of Alberta and, to a lesser extent, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Chapter Eight reveals that legal mobilization by Francophone groups cannot be understood without reference to institutional factors, particularly the Charter of Rights and funding from the federal government. The policy impact of legal mobilization was influenced strongly by the Supreme Court's 1990 Mahe decision and by federal government funding to the provinces for OMLE policy development, while public opinion appeared to be a least a moderately constraining force on policy change. Chapter Eight further reveals that legal mobilization and judicial decisions helped Francophone groups gain access to the policy process and shaped the policy goals and discourse of actors within the process over time. / Chapter Nine bolsters confidence in the conclusions generated in Chapter Eight by demonstrating how the explanations provided by the NI model, which emphasize the direct or mediating influence of institutional factors, are superior to explanations generated by a Critical Legal Studies (CLS) approach, a "systems" approach, a "dispute-centered" approach, and by Gerald Rosenberg's model. The thesis concludes by suggesting avenues for future research on judicial impact, particularly research that is focused on comparative institutionalism.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Antoinette Gagne.

Over most of the 20th Century, many educational systems around the world became increasingly secular, notably with lessening involvement of religious institutions. However, what it means to offer secular education to an increasingly diverse student population is emerging as a contemporary international educational issue. The face of immigration, the rights of Aboriginals, and increasingly diverse and individual forms of religiosity and spirituality have implications for secular education today. This qualitative study of Alberta schooling provides an example of a setting that underwent a high degree of secularization in the 1960's-1980's. A litigious but interpretive boundary exists for the extent educationists were to engage students in thinking about religion and spirituality. Yet, teachers operated with a high degree of autonomy. With these contextual factors as a backdrop, this study explored how a hierarchical sample of Alberta policy-makers, administrators, and teachers conceptualized religion and spirituality for secular secondary schools. Results show that Alberta Education conceptualized space for the conservative religious and Aboriginal communities, but not mainstream students. The students operated in a 'leave your faith at the door' secular model, curriculum was rationalized, and the function of schooling was perceived as preparing students for work. Findings show that principals and teachers challenged the lack of space for mainstream students to engage in the concepts of religion and spirituality. They argued the secular model disadvantaged mainstream students in exercising their right to religious freedom and developing religious literacy and sensitivity skills and it also prevented non-religious students from gaining access to religious/spiritual concepts and tools to facilitate wellbeing and resiliency.