School autonomy and 21st century learning: the Canadian context. Issue 7 (12th September 2016) - Newton, Paul
Abstract : Purpose: In this paper, we report on the policy and practice contexts for school autonomy and 21st Century learning in Canadian provinces. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports on an analysis of policies in Canadian provinces (particularly the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan). The authors review policies related to school autonomy and 21st Century learning initiatives. Findings: In this paper, we argue that autonomy is a complicated and multi-leveled phenomena with a measure of autonomy devolved from the state to local school divisions, and yet other elements of autonomy devolved to the school and to individual teachers. The link between autonomy and 21st Century Learning are unclear as yet. This paper attempts to establish the policy contexts for school autonomy and 21st Century learning without making claims about a causal relation between the two. Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in its description of autonomy beyond the school level. Autonomy, as a construct, is rarely examined as a dynamic process among multiple layers of the educational system.