Schoolhouse Consulting Inc.

Announcement: Our founding Director Paul W Bennett has been named 2025 Volunteer of the Year by the Canadian International Council and will receive his award at the Bill Graham Dinner, March 12, 2026 at the Arcadian Court, Toronto, featuring Dr Geoffrey Hinton.

Award Winners - Canadian International Council Each year, the Canadian International Council (CIC) recognizes individuals and organizations who embody our mission to advance Canada’s global engagement and foster informed discussion on international affairs. These awards celebrate members and supporters whose passion, leadership, and volunteeri...

Upcoming Public Lecture: GANS Annual Heritage Lecture: "My Discovery of Small Schools: The Rise and Fall of the Nova Scotia Hub School Movement," Saturday October 18, 2025, in Halifax, NS. Stay Tuned for information about tickets and registration.

"Research Says" and Bad Ideas in Education: Is the Four-Day School Week the Latest Example? An Educhatter Commentary responding to N.B. EduMin Claire Johnson's stunning announcement that two Fridays a month would be lopped-off in 37 Anglo schools to adresss lagging student results, chronic absenteeism and teacher retention. It's generated a firestorm of critical comment.

https://educhatter.wordpress.com/2025/07/04/research-says-and-bad-ideas-in-education-is-the-four-day-school-week-the-latest-example/

On the Horizon: Our next Public Talk and Panel, "Righting Historic Injustice," Sunday June 1, 3-5 pm, is fast approaching. Reserve your seats to see the main talk and a stimulating panel with Patrice Dutil, Lynn McDonald, and Donald B. Smith, moderated by Chris Dummitt, Chair, Canadian Studies at Trent University. See you in TO!
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/historic-injustice-tickets-1341033279639

What's New? My MLI Public Talk & Policy Forum on "Righting Historic Injustice" on Sunday June 1 at Old York Tower, Toronto, 3-5 pm. Join me and an outstanding panel of historians, Patrice Dutil, Lynn McDonald, and Donald B. Smith. Our moderator: Christopher Dummitt. Join us if you are in Toronto attanding the Congress at George Brown College, Waterfront Campus.

Top Education Blog in Canada, 2025: The Gold Medal goes to Educhatter Blog, once again, as we edged out (2) Higher Education Associates and (3) The Canadian Homeschooler. Check out the entire list released today by Feedspot:

70 Best Canada Education Blogs and Websites in 2025 70 Best Canada Education Blogs ⋅ 1. Educhatter ⋅ 2. HESA Blog ⋅ 3. The Canadian Homeschooler ⋅ 4. TeachThought - We Grow Teachers ⋅ 5. Toronto Teacher Mom

Ghost Schools: Cast aside as orphans and left derelict for decades, Halifax's abandoned schools provide sad lessons for school districts, the city, comunity groups, the province and developers. Today in the Weekend Edition of The Chronicle Herald. Support local journalism by purchasing a copy at Atlantic News or local convenience stores.

Empty Desks: Beware of 'quick fixes' for rampant student absenteeism. My latest column in TJ Provincial (April 5/25) examines how missing school became normalized and why lopping-off Fridays may make it worse.

Righting Historic Injustice: Schoolhouse Director Paul W Bennett's latest policy research report, Historic Injustice (MLI, March 11, 2025) makes the case that Canada's mistreatment of its renowned public school system founder is misguided and needs to be corrected. A school system that forsakes its founder it stumbling and fumbling its way into the future.

Historic injustice: Canada's misguided betrayal of school system founder Egerton Ryerson | Macdonald-Laurier Institute The toppling and erasure of Egerton Ryerson is a glaring injustice that leaves a gaping hole in the narrative arc of Ontario’s, and Canada’s, educational foundations.

Professional News: A man of many hats has acquired a new one - Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, one of Canada's leading public policy research institutes. I'm delighted to be joining such a team of recognized policy experts. Looking forward to contributing more regularly to national policy debates in the social and educational policy domains.

Just Ahead: Getting Primed for the next CIC Halifax public event, "The U.S. Presidential Election - the Stakes for Canada," Mon. Oct. 21 with Dr. Christopher Sands, Director, Canada Institute, Wilson Center, Washington, DC, and a Reaction Panel of leading Canadian experts on Canada-US relations. Order your tickets today because thre's limited capacity at the Plow Room, RA Park. See you at the Pre-Event Reception at 5:30 pm.

Deep Impact: The U.S. Presidential Election and the Stakes for Canada Join our Evening Talk and Reaction Panel with Dr. Christopher Sands, Director of the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center, Washington, DC.