Canada's largest coalition for public education, the Public Education Network, met in Montreal on October 26 to plan activities for 1999. At the top of its list is preparing a detailed report card on the federal government's record on educational matters.

"It is important for Canadians to realize what the federal government has been doing about education," said CAUT President Bill Graham. "The Public Education Network's yearly report card will cut through government rhetoric and tell Canadians the real story."

The report card will be prepared by the research departments of PEN's member organizations and will be released as part of a national public awareness campaign in 1999.

The Public Education Network was established in September, following a meeting of concerned organizations at the Council of Ministers of Education national forum in St. John's earlier in the year.

PEN brings together, for the first time, major student and teacher organizations in Canada and Quebec. Founding organizations include CAUT, the Canadian Federation of Students, la Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, la Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec, the Canadian Teachers Federation, le Centrale de l'enseignement du Quebec, la Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université, the Canadian Labour Congress and the National Anti-Poverty Organization.