Teachers union calls for redo on draft curriculum
ATA says its members who oppose pilot have `moral right' to resist
The Alberta Teachers' Association is calling for the province to halt all work on the new draft K-6 curriculum pending an independent review and full rewrite.
ATA president Jason Schilling told reporters at a virtual news conference Thursday the curriculum needs to be “structurally and pedagogically sound,” include francophone and Indigenous perspectives, receive broad support from teachers, and the review must involve a wide array of educators.
Schilling called for school authorities to refuse to test the draft and to not force teachers who are opposed to participate in the voluntary pilot.
“Teachers who believe this curriculum is flawed and potentially damaging to student learning have the professional responsibility and moral right to refuse to participate in any voluntary piloting,” he said.
“This is not putting students in our province first. This is taking them backwards and potentially damaging to them.
“Teachers have indicated strongly they do not want to pilot (the curriculum).”
The ATA is launching a campaign in Alberta newspapers beginning Friday calling for a moratorium on the draft.
The curriculum's subject matter, unveiled March 29 by Education Minister Adriana Lagrange, has been met with criticism from Alberta teachers, particularly the social studies component.
More than 20 school boards across the province have indicated they will not pilot the draft curriculum, including Edmonton Public Schools, Elk Island Public Schools, St. Albert Public Schools, and Northland School Division.
Results from a poll released by the ATA last Thursday showed 90 per cent of elementary teachers and 95 per cent of principals were not comfortable using the curriculum in their schools.
More than 80 per cent of teachers also said they did not believe the content is age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for children ages five to 11 and does not reflect an appreciation for diversity and inclusion.
Schilling said the response from educators has been “swift and strong.”
“It is poorly structured and fails to create the cognitive framework necessary to facilitate meaningful learning, and the specific content identified is disjointed and full of random facts,” he said. “It doesn't respectively include Indigenous or francophone histories, contributions or perspectives — although for second graders it does include Charlemagne and Genghis Khan.”
Schilling said although teachers are frustrated with the situation, they want to help rewrite a new one using their expertise.
Nicole Sparrow, a spokeswoman for Lagrange, said in an email statement Thursday the government has been clear it wants feedback from Albertans, and publishing the draft online is part of the consultation process.
“Teachers have been very involved and will continue to be involved in the curriculum development process,” she said, adding that more than 100 teachers took part in the process.
She also questioned the validity of the ATA'S survey results and said the government will continue working with teachers.
“The recent survey released by the ATA is not representative of all Alberta's teachers. The teacher's union has yet to request a meeting with the minister, or Alberta Education, and they have yet to provide Alberta's government with any feedback regarding the curriculum,” she said.
“It is clear that the union is more interested in political theatre than actually providing feedback on the curriculum.”
Speaking to reporters at the legislature Thursday, NDP Leader Rachel Notley said it isn't surprising teachers are rejecting what she called a “fatally flawed” curriculum.
“(Premier) Jason Kenney's refusal to listen to them all along this process defies common sense, as does the curriculum itself,” she said.
“The condemnations of this curriculum just keep coming. The premier needs to admit his mistake and go back to the drawing board and do his own homework.”