When parents and teachers work together to improve learning, the gains in achievement and growth is significant. EPCA Quebec works with school boards, schools and the Quebec Education ministry to do research and gather insights on improving the education of our children throughout Quebec.
EPCA Quebec aims to give a parent viewpoint on key developments in the education policies and systems in Quebec.
We will collect surveys from parents to give an informed parent perspective to the debate on education policy and practices. We will work with the Education ministry to invest time and resources into developing training programs for Parent committees in the various English school boards of Quebec.
These valuable research insights will be shared with the school boards and Quebec Ministry of education to help shape future educational policies.
This page is dedicated to helping schools to educate their Parent committees to be more effective at contributing to the the policies and education system of Quebec moving forward.
Why Parents matter
When parents are involved in their education, children do better on a wide range of measures.These positive effects include:
- Better behavior
- More confidence and greater self-esteem
- Higher attendance rates
- A lower risk of exclusion
- More enthusiasm about learning
- Better result
This is why it is so important that schools work in partnership with their parents, from a child's first days at school right through to when they leave. When schools and parents listen to each other and work together, they have a really positive impact on attainment and student well-being.
Parental engagement is a powerful lever for raising achievement in schools. When parents and teachers work together to improve learning, the gains in achievement are significant.
How can parents engage in schools?
The term "parental engagement" is a broad one and covers many ways parents can get involved in their child's school life. It includes:
- What parents do at home to help their child succeed at school
- Supporting children to attend and learn at school every day
- Making sure children understand the importance their parents place on education
- Parents being involved in their child's school - attending consultations evenings, responding to surveys, volunteering their time and talents (including on the parent committee), helping in the classroom or becoming a governor or trustee. Being visible in school persuasively communicates the value that parents place on education to their children.
Parent voice
Giving parents a voice - a say on school matters and involvement in decision-making on issues that affect them - enables schools to meet the needs of the communities they serve more effectively. Most school policies have a direct impact on families and so those families' views should be taken into account to ensure maximum effectiveness.
For this to happen, it is vital that commissioners and school leaders create an open and welcoming culture, providing multiple opportunities for mums, dads and caregivers to participate. It's particularly important to reach out to parents who are disengaged for one reason or another, often related to their own experiences at school.
Reaching out to all parents, making sure they know how important they are and how they can best support their child is one of the most important tasks for a school.
Resources for schools
Welcome to our schools and education resources. These are designed to help teachers, school staff, commissioners and others engage and involve parents successfully. These pages will include guidance that EPCA Quebec has prepared in partnership with experts in different fields and will also sign-post other initiatives and organisations which may be of interest to you.
- See our News and blog section for more research reports from EPCA Quebec.
Research and Insights
EPCA Quebec is proud to represent 90% of all parents in the English public schools of Quebec. This means we are well-placed to reach parents with school-age children and are keen to hear about their experiences and views.
Parents want to have a say in education and it’s our mission that parents have the opportunity to do this including through the surveys we run or promote. As well as providing an evidence-base to our strategy, our parent surveys also help EPCA Quebec give an informed parent perspective to the debate on education policy and practices.
Education policy
Education is devolved to each of the school boards that make up Quebec. The Quebec Government is responsible for education in Quebec.
EPCA Quebec aims to give a parent viewpoint on key developments in the education policies and systems in Quebec.
What do we do?
We champion the role of parents in their child’s education and positive collaboration between home and school by seeking to influence key decision-makers such as:
- Politicians
- Teaching unions
- Quebec Ministry of Education
What is our aim?
We want parental participation in children’s education to be valued by society, schools and parents themselves. Parental engagement is an important factor in (for example, but not limited to):
- improving school performance
- choice of school
- quality of teaching
- content of curriculum
How do we achieve it?
We seek out constructive ways to feed back to those in charge of making education policy and legislation such as MPs, MLAs and others involved in all stages of education policy. We use best case study practice examples and parents’ experiences, as well as our research and findings from parent surveys.
We also keep on top of the education agenda so we can join the discussion at provincial level by:
- Advocating on behalf of parents in education through media interviews and newspaper/magazine features
- Responding to education-related consultations having canvassed parental opinion through surveys
- Joining events and liaising with education stakeholders at all levels on issues relevant to parent voice.
- By sharing this information with you, we hope it will help you to make informed decisions, respond to consultations yourself, and ensure your voice is heard.
Have your say
Whatever stage your child is at, you can play a part in having parent voice heard by:
- responding to consultations (see open and previous consultations)
- taking part in our surveys (most recently the Parent Survey 2017)
- sharing information with your local parent community
Our Vision
Our vision is that the active participation of parents is considered an essential ingredient in the success of our children’s education by society, schools and parents themselves.
Our Mission
EPCA Quebec will tirelessly support and champion all the ways parents can participate in education and have their voices heard. We want to be a powerful force for good in education in Quebec that strives to bring homes and schools together for the good of all children and society as a whole.
Our overarching ambition
We want more parents to get involved and engaged in their child’s education, and in more ways – both at home and at school.
- Key examples of education discussion/topics for politicians
- Literacy & Numeracy standards
- Teacher Training & Retention
- School Accountability
- Curriculum
- Social Mobility
For any policy inquiries, please get in touch: info@epcaquebec.org