What does Surrey's Increasing Population mean for its Schools?

The Surrey school district has seen an increase in the number of classes over the last decade, whereas the Vancouver district remained stagnant, according to BC government data.

The city of Surrey has grown over the years in terms of residential development and population. Despite being BC's largest city (geographically), the Surrey school district is struggling to keep up with its population growth, according to an article by CTV News. Furthermore, the article mentions how the district expected approximately 850 new students for this year, which is equivalent to two elementary schools.

In update 3, I examined the number of classes and classes with educational assistants between 2006 to 2019. As per Chad's recommendations, I agreed that this was not summarizing the most interesting thing about my data. What I did note was the growth of educational assistants which kept in pace with the increase in classes. I chose to incorporate this chart into this assignment because it shows the significance of the need for educational assistants and teachers to accommodate the growing population.

The Vancouver school district is facing the possibility of school closures. Earlier this year, the Vancouver School board drafted the Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP) which stated that district enrollment declined by 4,700 students over the last ten years, and is expecting registration to drop by 2,000 students in the next ten years, according to an article by City News. This could explain why the number of classes in Vancouver's school district has remained steady in the last ten years, as opposed to Surrey where the number of classes increased.

A journal published by the University of Buffalo examined the following questions:

1. Is participation in small classes in the early grades (K-3) related to high school graduation;
2. Is academic achievement in K-3 related to high school graduation; and
3. If class sizes are related to graduation, is the relationship explained by the effect of participation in small classes on students' academic achievement?

The analyses of the study found that graduation rates were related to achievement in the K-3 years and attending smaller classes for three or more years increased the likelihood of graduating from high school. The article also discusses a study that was conducted in 1985 by the Tennesse State Department of Education, namely Project STAR. In Project STAR, students that were entering kindergarten were randomly assigned to small classes (13–17 students), a full class (22–26 students), or a full class with a full-time teacher aide within each participating school. The class size was maintained throughout the years. Students were kept in the same class arrangement for four years, with a new teacher assigned randomly to the class yearly. Achievement tests were conducted in the spring of each school year. Approximately 12,000 students participated in the STAR experiment in over 300 classrooms across the state. The relevant central findings of this study are as follows:

1. Small classes were associated with significantly higher academic performance in every school subject in every grade during the experiment (K–3) and in every subsequent grade studied (4 – 8);
2. Many of the academic benefits of small classes were greater for students at risk, (minority students, students attending inner-city schools, or students from low-income homes); and
3. Students in small classes were more engaged in learning than were students in larger classes.

The significance of this study and article is that the increased population is also forcing an increase in class sizes. A 2017 Supreme Court of BC decision aimed to restore class sizes in BC. Due to this, the number of students in classes had decreased and the number of classes had increased. To assist the increased number of classes, schools in Surrey are relying on 333 portable classrooms. However, the issue is not the increased population or number of classes. It is to maintain reasonable class sizes. To do so, the government of BC must hire more teachers and/or educational assistants. Furthermore, investing in the expansion of schools, updating supplies, adjusting to a new educational curriculum and reducing portables. In an article published by the Vancouver Sun, it was stated that school boards in BC and the provincial government had a goal of hiring 3,700 teachers for this school year and they had actually struggled to satisfy that goal. 

Another reason that could explain the stagnant increase of classes in the Vancouver district is the affordability issue. In the same article, it was mentioned that the high cost of living and housing made it difficult to recruit and retain people in the district. Half of the teachers in the Vancouver school district live outside the city, and many are finding themselves enticed to areas with cheaper housing and a shorter commute. This could explain why the increase in Vancouver was slow and steady, whereas in Surrey it was gradual- the high cost of living is pushing families out of Vancouver into the surrounding cities such as Surrey.