CESC initiated the Pan-Canadian Education Research Agenda (PCERA) in 1997 to bring interprovincial/territorial research issues that are important to ministers of education and training to the attention of the research community in Canada and to promote open discussion of these issues with different partners in education.

Consultations with the ministries/departments of education and training led to the development of the following seven themes as research priorities for the agenda:

•  Transitions
  
  
•  Learning outcomes
  
  
•  Teacher education / educator training
  
  
•  Diversity and equity
  
  
•  Special needs programming
  
  
•  Citizenship and social cohesion
  
  
•  Technology and on-line learning

By commissioning research on selected topics and holding symposia, PCERA promotes and advances policy relevant research and encourages communication among educational stakeholder groups, including policy makers, researchers, practitioners, and representatives from educational organizations and funding agencies.

PCERA Symposia

1999 — PCERA priority research themes

2000 — Children and youth at risk

2001 — Teacher education / educator training

2002 — Information technology and learning

2003 — Learning outcomes