Each province in Canada is independently responsible for public education. As a result each provincial system has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. In order to provide students with regional consistency, the four Atlantic Provinces have established the Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation. Chapter 2 ends with a brief overview of this initiative.

It is important to recognise that public education systems continue to evolve and to respond to the expressed needs of students. To help enable effective participation in this evolution and to facilitate access to and communication with the governors and administrators of Maritime public schools, details of the education structures of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are presented in Appendix B.

The opportunities for improvements and enhancements within public school systems in the Maritimes can help meet the challenges of New Learning. Students, parents and communities can utilize the programs and mechanisms explained in the following pages to enrich and diversify their education experiences.

Site Based Management

Site-based management (SBM) is also known as school-based management, meaning that responsibility for the school has been transferred from the school district to the school site. It offers schools the ability to be more productive, flexible, accountable, and cost-effective by granting the school autonomy over school management issues. In theory, the idea of SBM uses those persons closest to and most affected by the outcomes of educational decisions (principals, teachers, and parents) to be closely involved in creating solutions to achieve desired results.

Supporters of site-based management maintain that a rural school acts as a resource to the entire community and should be an agent of change rather than merely a reactor to it. They believe the introduction of site-based management can provide such an opportunity.¹

Site-based management is intended to:

• make schools more responsive to local needs;
• make schools more accountable for results;
• allow schools to make economical decisions;
• increase the quality and quantity of communication;
• build partnerships with parents, business, and the broader community;
• empower principals and teachers; and
• enhance student involvement in learning.

Since the success of site-based management depends on the knowledge and leadership abilities of the principal, implementation requires intensive training and professional development for principals, especially with regard to finance, personnel, strategic planning, and shared decision-making.