Ending the Reign of the Fraser Institute’s School Rankings - A Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Policy

Oct 15, 2026

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This article examines the Fraser Institute’s Report Card school rankings and their long media presence in Canada, focusing on how rankings shaped public discourse and affected low-ranking, typically low-SES, high-poverty schools when families transferred children. Using critical discourse analysis, the study analyzes Victoria’s Times-Colonist decision to stop publishing the rankings in February 2010, after years of defending parents’ access. It connects these outcomes to press-educator relations and to how powerful institutions produce “regimes of truth.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Fraser Institute and the Report Card rankings

Effects on low-ranking schools

Times-Colonist policy shift in 2010

Critical discourse analysis framework

Ending the Reign of the Fraser Institute’s School Rankings Helen Raptis University of Victoria Abstract The Fraser Institute Report Card of school rankings has won the hearts of parents and the press. For over a decade, the rankings have been particularly burdensome for low-ranking (usually low socio-economic status, high-poverty) schools when parents of highachieving children move them to higher-ranking schools. In February 2010, after defending parents’ rights to access the rankings, Victoria’s Times-Colonist newspaper decided not to publish them. Using critical discourse analysis, this article explores the rankings’ long media reign and the Times-Colonist’s abrupt decision to stop publishing them. Discourse about the rankings is shaped by multiple factors including the relationship between the press and educators, as well as the nature of societal discourse—in particular, how powerful institutions create what Foucault calls “regimes oftruth.” Résumé Le classement des écoles de l'institut Fraser a gagné le cœur des parents et de la presse. Depuis plus d'une décennie ces classements ont été particulièrement pénalisant pour les écoles mal classées (généralement faible SSE et haute pauvreté) quand les parents d'enfants avec une forte réussite scolaire décident de les changer d'école pour une mieux classée. En Février 2010, après avoir défendu les droits des parents d'avoir accès au classement, un des journaux de Victoria, le Times-Colonist, a décidé de ne plus les publier. En utilisant une analyse critique du discours cet article explore le long règne deces classements dans les médias et la décision soudaine du Times-Colonist de cesser leur publication. Le discours sur les classements est déterminé par de multiples facteurscomme la relation entre la presse et les éducateurs ainsi que la nature du discours sociétal, en particulier comment les institutions puissantes créent ce que Foucault appelle les «régimes de vérité.» CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 35, 1 (2012): 187-201 ©2011 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation Ending the Reign of the Fraser Institute’s School Rankings In 1998, the Fraser Institute published its first Report Card of high school rankings in British Columbia. Grounded in provincial accountability initiatives, the rankings have negatively affected low-ranking (usually low-SES, high-poverty) schools when parents of high-achieving children move them to higher-ranking schools 1 (cf.“Chinese-Speaking Parents,” 2010) . In spite of such consequences, by 2009, the Institute was publishing rankings for elementary and high schools in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Washington; secondary schools in Quebec; and middle schools in Washington. In 2011, the Institute also began ranking secondary schools in the Yukon. Interestingly, in February 2010, after 12 years of defending parents’ rights to access the rankings, Victoria’s Times-Colonist newspaper (a member of the Postmedia Network, formerly Canwest) decided not to publish them. What factors have permitted the rankings’ long reign in the Canadian media? Equally important, why did the TimesColonist abruptly change its policy and stop publishing the rankings in 2010? Using critical discourse analysis, this paper explores the multiple factors contributing to the Fraser Institute’s long media reign and the Times-Colonist’s 2010 decision not to publish the rankings. Background Ranking and publishing school performance have become commonplace in recent years as western nations have witnessed growing public concern for accountability in all social service sectors. During the past few decades, education systems around the world have experienced unprecedented reform initiatives (Calderhead, 2002; Holt, 2001; Massell, 1998) . Whereas school choice has been touted as the mechanism necessary to free public schools from bureaucratic constraints that allegedly stifle innovation (Byfield, 2002; Chubb & M

FAQs

What publication decision did Victoria’s Times-Colonist make in February 2010?

The Times-Colonist decided not to publish the Fraser Institute school rankings in February 2010.

How did the rankings affect low-ranking schools, according to the article?

The rankings disproportionately burdened low-ranking schools, as high-achieving parents moved children to higher-ranking schools, reducing both human and financial resources.

What approach does the paper use to analyze the rankings’ media presence?

The paper uses critical discourse analysis to examine the rankings’ long media reign and the newspaper’s abrupt stop in publishing them.

Oct 15, 2026

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