A vast majority of students, teachers and parents
want the ETSB to continue
the Enhanced Learning Strategy with laptops
MAGOG, April 23, 2008 – A vast majority of students, teachers, parents and administrators
want the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) to continue the Enhanced Learning Strategy
(ELS) with laptops. These are the global results of a survey conducted by the ETSB over the past
few months.
The survey shows that 83% of students, 72% of teachers, 79% of parents and 94% of
administrators of the ETSB are indeed in favor of pursuing the use of a laptop in school for the
next years.
As the laptop computer contracts expire, the Eastern Townships School Board must make
decisions about the future of the program. To guide its decision-making, the School Board
sought information on the experiences and opinions of program participants: the students, their
teachers, their parents, and school/centre administrators. The questionnaires, while developed
specifically for each group, included a number of common core questions so that comparisons
could be made among population groups on key issues. Each questionnaire included at least one
general open-ended question where respondents were invited to type or write their responses.
This mechanism ensured that all program participants were able to freely and confidentially
express any view on the ELS program. The survey had obtained answers from 3269 students,
905 parents, 292 teachers and 26 administrators.
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“The Enhanced Learning Strategy has proven its worth”, said ETSB Director General Ronald
Canuel. “The survey results have confirmed our belief that it makes schoolwork more interesting
for students. Teachers and parents also think that the ELS should be continued. They believe the
laptop is a tool that helps their student’s education.”
The survey also found that 92% of students liked doing research using the laptop; 82% of
students indicated that computers made schoolwork more interesting. Also, the majority of
parents (74%) agreed that the school provides their child with the instructional support needed to
use the laptop and that the laptop is a good tool that improves their child’s education (66%).
“The information collected in the surveys and in the focus groups will provide us the best
answers to our key questions and determine avenues for the future development and orientations
of the ELS, all this being evaluated, first and foremost, in the best interest of our students and
their parents”, explains Michael Murray, Chairman of the ETSB.
A pioneer in Canada in the integration of new information technologies and communications into
education, the ETSB implemented in 2003 its Enhanced Learning Strategy whereby each student
in each of its institutions — from Grade 3 to Level 5 – received a laptop computer. This
innovative approach has three main objectives: to enhance student achievement; empower the
teaching personnel in the elaboration and implementation of programs of studies and to
implement a pedagogical solution that is both flexible and accessible and that will stimulate the
imagination of young people, encouraging them to strive for excellence. Results observed to date
indicate increased student performance in reading and writing while school absenteeism and
behaviour problems have decreased significantly.
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Source: Eastern Townships School Board (www.etsb.qc.ca)
Information: Sharon Priest
priests@etsb.qc.ca
819 868-3140
Media relations: Roch Bilodeau
Phare Communications
rbilodeau@pharecom.ca
819 347-7622