Frontier Centre

Graham Lane, former Chair of PUB and chair of MB Forward, discusses the rate hikes facing Manitobans through Manitoba Hydro. Interviewed by Hal Anderson on 680 CJOB Winnipeg.

Michael Zwaagstra, Senior Fellow with Frontier Centre, discusses his newly released paper, Content Knowledge is the Key to Learning". His opposing view is the President of the Alberta Teachers' Association, Greg Jeffrey.

Michael Zwaagstra, Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre, discusses his newly released paper, "Content Knowledge is the Key to Learning" on CBC.

Michael Zwaagstra, high school teacher in Manitoba, discusses his new paper, "Content Knowledge is the Key to Learning" on CFRA with Brian Lilley.

Michael Zwaagstra, Senior Fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, joins Rob Breckenridge at CHQR to discuss his newly released paper entitled, "Content Knowledge is the Key to Learning".

Michael Zwaagstra discusses his newly released paper "Content Knowledge is the Key to Learning" on CJOB with Geoff Currier.

Ian Madsen on CBC Radio discussing the findings of his latest paper from Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Gerard Lucyshyn discusses his newly released paper "Balancing Elephants: Saskatchewan’s Return on Investment – SASKFERCO" with John Gormley on CKOM.

Education expert Michael Zwaagstra joins John to discuss the greatest challenges in the classroom, including confronting the latest education fad frequently known as "21st Century Learning".

Michael Zwaagstra gives a speech on 21st Century Learning.

Marco Navarro-Genie, President of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, discusses the newly released report 'The Size and Cost of the Public Sector in Western Canada' on CBC radio. The paper is jointly published with Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

High school teacher Michael Zwaagstra, who is also a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, supports letter grades as a vital part of the evaluating process.(CBC)

Research strongly supports the use of traditional methods including structured classrooms, direct instructions, guided practice and even rote memorization.

Education researcher Michael Zwaagstra is in Saskatchewan this week speaking on why what he calls “traditional” instruction of students is a good way to improve learning. What is traditional instruction? Michael Zwaagstra, public high school teacher, education researcher, Frontier Centre research fellow and author.

Michael Zwaagstra is interviewed by Peter Watt on Alberta Morning news about no-zero policies.

Five million Canadians cross the border each year to fly from U.S. airports and save hundreds of dollars on the cost of a single vacation. Travelling from a Canadian airport costs more in several ways, especially when you add up airport fees and taxes. The U.S. sees air transportation as critical to economic growth, and subsidizes the cost. The Canadian government, on the other hand, appears to view air travel as a source of revenue. In addition to almost a billion dollars that Canadian air travellers pay out each year in fees and taxes, we also pay for airport security, fuel surcharges, and air traffic control. The basic fare is also higher for a number of other reasons. Higher wages and lower productivity in Canada are part of the story. Ottawa closely regulates the airline industry and limits service into many Canadian cities. Allowing more carriers to compete would go a long way in reducing the cost, and it would also generate economic growth. Studies show that when airlines are not allowed regular a

Teachers in many Canadian classrooms are being encouraged to de-emphasize factual knowledge, in favour of a more hands-on discovery approach with students. But some basic facts will always be essential in making higher-level learning possible. For example, it's difficult for students to understand the grievances of the Métis, without knowing the facts about Louis Riel. A student who memorizes multiplication tables is more likely to succeed at algebra than one who uses a calculator to multiply 5 times 6. Students who don't know the tables are more likely to become bogged down and confused by the steps that are needed to solve such problems. For most of us there is a limit to the amount of information that can be easily stored in our memory. Something like learning a new phone number can be a struggle for a while. But once the number has been committed to our long-term memory, it's relatively easy to retrieve the information from our cognitive load. Students who know their basic facts experience less difficu

Saskatchewan's Perry Bellegarde faces many challenges as the new National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The organization is in crisis after Shawn Atleo resigned from the post before the end of his term. A number of chiefs felt he acted too independently and was too cozy with the Harper government in Ottawa. Bellegarde’s first challenge will be to convince the chiefs that he needs a degree of independence to be effective, and that cooperation with government can result in meaningful change. If the national chief works closely with Ottawa, there may be movement on calls for a national inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women. Bellegarde also needs to focus on education. A majority of chiefs across the country want the government to kill Bill C-33, the Control of First Nations Education Act. They want the money for schools that would come with the legislation but don’t want government to dictate reform of the education system. Bellegarde should definitely encourage all First Nations to impro

Nothing is more important than giving our children a good education, but getting rid of bad teachers can be very difficult. A recent court case in California may change that in the United States. A judge in Los Angeles has declared as unconstitutional, the sections of those laws that give teachers tenure within two years, protecting them from dismissal, and allowing lay-offs only on the basis of seniority. Lawyers for a group of students argued successfully that the laws violate their rights to a quality education and equal opportunity to succeed, because they keep bad teachers in the classroom and push good ones out. In both Canada and the U.S, firing a teacher requires years of documentation, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and is still not guaranteed to succeed. In Alberta recently, a teachers’ association committee called for a two-year suspension for a teacher who terrorized students by kicking furniture and throwing objects at them. The case shows that even grossly inappropriate behaviour

Political leaders around the world have now spent more than two decades setting targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide that no one has any realistic hope of achieving. In the United Kingdom, emissions are being reduced at a rate of 1 percent per year. To meet the country's target by 2022, that reduction will have to happen at a rate 4 to 5 times that. Germany, which is building new coal-fired power plants, will also miss its 2020 emissions target. Alternatives like solar and wind are simply not able to produce enough reasonably-priced, reliable energy that's necessary for an advanced, industrial economy. Over the past 40 years, worldwide carbon dioxide emissions have taken a significant drop only once. That was during the depth of the global financial crisis in 2009. For the most part, when carbon dioxide emissions disappear, so do economic opportunities. Manufacturing jobs in sectors like the auto industry need dependable, affordable power - not the unreliable, expensive electricity that