BC Resources

• British Columbia Archives
  This is "content rich" web site, with a great deal of historical material, including photographs and textual records. It's also one of the most important sources for information on the history of education in British Columbia. Many of the historical images, texts and other resources used here in The Homeroom were provided by the British Columbia Archives.
• British Columbia History Portal
  A wide-ranging, comprehensive site maintained by David Mattison - a good place to look for historical information relating to British Columbia. Links are provided to museums, educational associations, on-line exhibitions, and many more heritage-related sites. This portal is the successor to an earlier initiative by Mr. Mattison, the British Columbia History Internet/World-Wide Web Page.
• British Columbia Archival Union List
  This database contains descriptive notes on archival records held at nearly two hundred publicly-accessible archival repositories in British Columbia. The indexes for this database allow for browsing and key word searching.
• Selected Annual Reports of the B.C. Public Schools (1920-1951)
  (from The University of British Columbia's Education Library Homepage)
• Recent Annual Reports of British Columbia's Ministry of Education, 1994-2006.
• Ministry of Advanced Education Reports and Publications, 2005-2008
• Revised statutes and consolidated regulations of British Columbia
  This section of the Queen's Printer web site provides links to the School Act [Revised Statutes of British Columbia, 1996, c. 412] and the Independent School Act [RSBC, 1996, c. 216]. These two statutes used to have a common preamble that read: " WHEREAS it is the goal of a democratic society to ensure that all its members receive an education that enables them to become personally fulfilled and publicly useful, thereby increasing the strength and contributions to the health and stability of that society; AND WHEREAS the purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable all learners to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy; THEREFORE HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows..." The College and Institute Act [RSBC, 1996, c. 52] and the University Act [RSBC, 1996, c. 468] are available here.
• British Columbia Colleges and University-Colleges
  The Colleges and University Colleges Branch of the Ministry of Advanced Education provides "direction, leadership and support to 12 public colleges, three public university colleges and the Knowledge Network." A hyper-linked map indicating the location of these institutes is available here.
  British Columbia Universities and Institutes
  The Universities and Institutes Branch provides " direction, leadership and support to six public universities and five public provincial institutes." A hyper-linked map indicating the location of these institutes is available here.
• Federation of Independent Schools Associations
  Established in 1966, the Federation of Independent School Associations [FISA] is an umbrella organization for independent school groups in British Columbia. The web site includes a history of the federation.
• Homeroom Historical Resources - Biographies
  An annotated guide on how to research biographies of British Columbia teachers and school administrators.
• Lessons from the Past
  Lesson plans for Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, along with History, Geography and Hygiene, as those subjects were taught in the 1890s. These lesson plans are based on British Columbia curriculum guides, departmental circulars, and provincial exams from the 1890s. The material is organized in the same way as a modern Integrated Resource Package (IRP), complete with "prescribed outcomes," "recommended learning resources," and "suggested instructional and assessment strategies."
• Dear Mary!
  The nomenclature of boys and girls in 19th century British Columbia schools.
  A list of the most popular names for boys and girls in B. C. from 1872 to 1898.
  
• Oh Carol!
  The nomenclature of boys and girls in 20th century British Columbia schools.
  A list of the most popular names for boys and girls in B.C. from 1950 to 1998, with links to the most chosen names for boys and girls from 1999 to 2006.
  
• Report of the Royal Commission on Education [Chant Report], 1960
  A transcript and summary of a milestone document in the development of British Columbia's public school system. The transcript was prepared by Diane Shortt, who also designed the web page. The Chant Commission material is part of a larger web site called Education in the 1960s: Nanaimo's Perspective. Lots of 1960s imagery here!