The Fraser Institute’s recent evaluation reveals that the transition from traditional school boards to service centers in Quebec has not significantly improved student performance. With an average rating of 5.5, unchanged since 2019, concerns have arisen regarding the effectiveness of this restructuring. Despite some service centers showing improvement, overall ratings in public education remain stagnant, while private networks have experienced a slight decline. Key metrics include student outcomes and academic disparities, which continue to provoke critical discussions among educational stakeholders.
Impact of School Service Centers on Student Success
The shift from traditional school boards to service centers has not led to a notable enhancement in student performance, according to the latest ranking released by the Fraser Institute. This fresh assessment marks the inaugural ranking of school service centers, building on years of data previously collected for secondary schools. While earlier rankings focused on school boards under elected governance, the Legault government’s transformation in 2020 transitioned them into service centers, eliminating school elections altogether. This change raised questions among educational stakeholders regarding its effectiveness.
Current Performance and Rankings
Four years post-transition, the anticipated improvements in student achievement remain elusive. The Fraser Institute’s “overall rating” for school service centers stands at an average of 5.5, unchanged since 2019. This rating is primarily derived from student outcomes in the fourth and fifth secondary ministerial exams, reflecting the performance of secondary schools within each service center. Marc St-Pierre, a former school board director and current consultant, emphasizes, “In terms of academic results, it hasn’t changed anything.” He notes that this restructuring has centralized authority, granting Quebec increased oversight over general management.
Despite the stagnation in overall ratings, the public education network has upheld its performance amid the disruptions caused by the pandemic. In contrast, the private network experienced a slight dip, with its overall rating decreasing from 7.6 to 7.5. Interestingly, the English public network, still governed by elected officials in nine school boards, saw a modest increase in its rating, rising from 5.4 in 2019 to 5.5 in 2023. However, the smaller number of boards may contribute to more significant fluctuations in ratings over time.
Despite the general stagnation, certain service centers have achieved remarkable progress in student outcomes. For instance, Hautes-Rivières in Montérégie has recorded the most significant improvement over the past five years. Additionally, the Littoral service center on the Lower North Shore tops the rankings, largely due to the performance of Mgr-Scheffer Secondary School in Blanc-Sablon. Conversely, the Découvreurs service center ranks second, although its favorable environment for secondary schools makes this result less surprising. St-Pierre points out, “The more schools you have in favorable environments, the more likely you are to end up at the top of the list. The opposite is also true,” noting a trend that, while challenging, can still be addressed.
The noteworthy success of the Énergie service center in Mauricie, which ranks 11th despite most of its schools facing disadvantages, is particularly commendable. Although this ranking process is not widely embraced in the educational landscape, St-Pierre argues for its importance. “We cannot afford not to look at these figures,” he asserts. “We must approach them with clarity, recognizing that they should guide us in asking critical questions to drive progress and implement necessary changes.”
How are these school service centers evaluated? The Journal’s ranking employs an “overall rating” scale from 0 to 10, developed by the Fraser Institute. This measure relies heavily on student performance in the June 2023 ministerial exams for fourth and fifth secondary, also factoring in gender disparities and the percentage of students lagging in their academic journeys. The rating assigned to a service center represents the average score of its secondary schools.
Are the ratings improving or declining? The trend indicates whether a service center’s overall score is increasing (+), decreasing (-), or remaining stable (=) in comparison to the average from the past five years.