What makes a great school for all? 

This was the question raised by an Alberta Teachers’ Association research report, A Great School for All…Transforming Education in Alberta in 2012, which considered the success of Alberta’s public schools and built upon it. The report identified twelve specific dimensions as important levers for change. Ultimately, the vision of “a great school for all” begins with a simple but powerful idea: schools work best when students, teachers and parents work together with a shared commitment to learning and well-being. This vision remains relevant for today, possibly even more so, given the societal shifts we are witnessing in our current environment. 

Great schools support the whole child 

Parents naturally pay attention to grades and academic progress. These are valuable indicators of learning, and the report notes the importance of ensuring that progress reports for learning capture student success as well as identify areas for growth. It notes that report cards should be easy for parents to access and understand, and emphasizes that they should also be a catalyst for enhancing the relationship between students, teachers and parents.  

Great schools also nurture students’ growth beyond test scores, helping students to engage with their learning deeply, take intellectual risks and be resilient when facing learning challenges. In this vision for education, resources are available to help differentiate learning for each student so they can reach their fullest potential. We know that today’s world involves rapid change in many domains: technological, political, social and environmental. Schools hold an important role in helping students learn beyond academic knowledge to foster creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and adaptability—skills that will be essential for the future.  

This broader vision of education recognizes that learning is not simply about mastering content, but about helping young people develop the skills, confidence and character they need to thrive. 

Relationships make learning possible 

Great schools are places where students, teachers, parents and the community feel a sense of belonging and connection. The positive relationships within the school community create the foundation for meaningful learning. The Great Schools for All report (2012) emphasizes early learning supports where schools serve not only as hubs for learning, but also contain other necessary supports for families, including social and health services.  

When students feel that their teachers care about them, they are more motivated, more engaged and more willing to persevere when learning becomes difficult. They develop confidence not only in their academic abilities but in themselves. Effective relationships between teachers and parents help children build connection, a sense of belonging, and these environments allow for exploration, curiosity and creativity. 

Public Assurance 

“The public good is best served when students are engaged in their learning, teachers are engaged in enabling learning, parents are engaged in supporting learning and communities are engaged in supporting their school” (p 26).  

The conditions described above are made more possible when the public has confidence in schools to go beyond test scores and help students achieve who they are meant to be as learners. Where teachers and school leaders are trusted in their expert knowledge and teaching pedagogy, where parents are collaborators with teachers, and high expectations are met, public assurance is achieved and everyone benefits. 

Creating great schools is a shared responsibility—and together, parents and teachers make it possible.