Forum Focus EDUCATION POLICY More private sector involvement in education would undoubtedly drive innovation as new competitors vie for patronage. It would also offer a stronger incentive for improvement within the public school system. No one will benefit more from increased competition in education than the students themselves. It is time for education to be—as so many educators would say— “all about the kids.” Notes 1 Visit to view the Institute’s most recent report cards for schools. 2 For an introduction to charter schools, see Center for Education Reform (2009). 3 While charter schools in most US states are not required to hire unionized teachers, the broad participation of teachers’ unions in charter schools is the subject of considerable interest to the national unions. See, for example, American Federation of Teachers (n.d.). 4 Typical of the teachers’ unions’ reaction to the school finder site was a June 5 news release from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO, 2009). In the news release, ETFO President David Clegg complained that “the website is constructed intentionally to allow for a comparison between schools. Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has repeatedly stated that she is opposed to the ranking of schools. The School Information Finder suggests otherwise.” In a letter to the Minister of Education (OPSBA, 2009), the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association implied that the comparison of schools by school boards is appropriate, while such comparisons by parents are inappropriate. 5 The BC teachers’ union’s website, , provides many documents in which competition is pilloried. See, for example, Robertson (2005). 6 Depending upon the province, the teachers’ union’s collective agreement may have both a province-wide component and a local component. For an example of both the provincial and local collective agreements for Vancouver teachers, see Vancouver Secondary Teachers’ Association (2006). For an example of a locally negotiated collective agreement in Alberta, see Alberta Teachers’ Association (n.d.). 7 For a discussion of “professional autonomy” and its place in a collective agreement from the union’s point of view, see Popp (2009). 24 Fraser Forum 12/09 www.fraserinstitute.org References Alberta Teachers’ Association (n.d.). Collective Bargaining. . American Federation of Teachers (n.d.). Charter Schools. . Barron, Robert (2009, February 11). Fraser Institute School Report Card Stirs Controversy. Nanaimo Daily News. . British Columbia (2008). Speech from the Throne, 4th Session, 38th Parliament. Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. . Center for Education Reform (2009). Just the FAQs – Charter Schools. . Donders, Lindsay, and Peter Cowley (2006). Do New Canadian Teachers Have the Skills to Teach Reading to their Elementary School Students? A Preliminary Report. Fraser Forum (September): 9–13. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario [ETFO] (2009). Public Education Is Collateral Damage in ‘School Information Finder.’ News release (June 5). . Ontario Public School Boards’ Association [OPSBA] (2009). Letter to the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education, Ontario, April 9, 2009. . Popp, George (2009). Professional Autonomy. Teacher 22, 1 (September): 5. . Robertson, Heather-Jane (2005). The Many Faces of Privatization. British Columbia Teachers’ Federation. . Vancouver Secondary Teachers’ Association (2006). Provincial Collective Agreement. .