ATA once again calling for K-6 curriculum draft to be tossed out
Posted May 18, 2021 8:17 am.
EDMONTON – The Alberta Teachers’ Association is out with a familiar message as it held a public forum Monday night.
Parents and teachers had the opportunity to chat with other education professionals and have some of their questions about the draft answered during the forum.
Some of the main questions brought forward in the forum included what kinds of research went into the draft–including which, if any, Indigenous groups or other racialized communities were consulted–and how teachers are expected to assess how well their students are learning.
Experts on the panel said consultations with people of colour were rushed compared to the promises that were made going into the curriculum rewrite.
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Another issue a parent raised was how can the UCP pilot the draft if so many school boards across the province have said they won’t be teaching it?
ATA President Jason Schilling says with so much opposition to the curriculum, we can’t move forward.
“It’s okay to say, ‘Maybe we got this wrong and we need to stop and we need to go back and look at what we have,'” said Schilling.
He reiterated calls from teachers, opposition politicians, and minority groups that it’s time to start over.
“No draft curriculum is ever going to be perfect…That’s why we have a field testing process,” he said.
“But when the field is saying overwhelming no, I think it’s a huge mistake by the government to try to ram this through.”
He says the UCP should consider putting the draft off until the pandemic has died down and there will be more time for the government to focus on an education draft and include an appropriate consultation process.
Albertans can have their say on the draft by taking part in an online survey.
-with files from Jeff Slack, Kenny Mason
