The Eastern Townships School Board is dedicated to providing life-long learning to children, teenagers and adults. A number of initiatives targeting academic success and persistence in school have been implemented in various schools and centres.

Much of the work was started by individual schools and centres while other initiatives have been undertaken throughout the school board. Here are some examples of initiatives within the Eastern Townships School Board:

1- Dennis McCullough Initiative- Enhance Learning Strategie (ELS)

Main objectives of the laptop project are:

• Improve student’s results in literacy;

• Improve student’s results in numeracy;

• Reduce retaining students in our elementary schools cycles;

• Decrease the student’s dropout rate.

2- Early intervention program in kindergarten and cycle 1

The objective is that at the end of cycle I, all capable students will be reading at level.

3- Read-at-Home program in kindergarten and cycle 1

This program contains 18 weeks of bilingual activities designed to support families in the development of their children’s reading skills.

4- Cycle 3 Wireless Writing

Cycle 3 teachers attended a series of workshops that reviewed the narrative writing process. Digital strategies were introduced throughout the workshops that enhanced the teaching of narrative writing.

5- Guidelines for concerted actions regarding dropouts (see document below for more information)

These guidelines were developed in order to reach out to all students who do not return to school in September, but were registered in our schools. It is also to be used when a student makes the decision during the academic year to leave school.

6- Internal plan to disseminate information regarding the dropout situation

In collaboration with Partners for Educational Success Estrie, a plan to disseminate was created. The objectives are to inform all ETSB personnel about the dropout situation and to create a sense of ownership about this problem.

7- Eastern Townships School Board Strategic Plan 2008-2013

8- ETSB Dropout Prevention Planning Committee (see document below for a list of members)

This committee meets three times a year to discuss the ETSB dropout prevention priorities.

For more information on our intiatives, contact our Dropout Prevention Education Counsultant, Josiane Bergeron.