ATA president warns against misguided education reforms
An insidious creature has emerged and teachers are advised to eradicate it.
That was one of the many messages ATA President Carol Henderson delivered to teachers attending this year’s Annual Representative Assembly.
GERM, a.k.a. the global education reform movement, is threatening education systems around the world, warned Henderson. “GERM is trying to direct how the future will unfold, and in many regions of the world, it is driven by individuals and groups with little to no experience teaching children.”
Henderson urged teachers to aggressively counter those “voices attempting to influence our practice and design our future as teachers” by taking “hold of the conversation” and bringing “clarity to phrases like personalized learning or learning at any time, any place and any pace.” She encouraged delegates to “dream of the future we want for our profession and for our students; this can only take hold when we listen to those working closest with children.”
Recent ATA research activities will go a long way toward countering GERM, observed Henderson. In particular, The Future of Teaching and the Impact of Digital Technologies on Teachers Working in Flexible Learning Environments are important documents focusing on “what is best for students.” The ATA president called on teachers to “not let these research documents gather dust,” because they will “stimulate vigorous debate about the true nature of teaching and learning.”
The provincial government’s decision to cut funding for the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) in half is misguided, Henderson said. Although she acknowledged that AISI is not perfect, it is, nonetheless, “working very well and, in fact, is attracting worldwide attention because projects have been initiated by teachers and school communities.” Informed transformation, as realized through AISI, is vital, she said. “Teachers need more freedom to explore and develop creativity and social responsibility rather than focus on test scores.”
A unique aspect of the Association’s goal to improve education involves an ambitious partnership with Finland. “This partnership made sense to us because we share similarities with Finland. … We are both high-performing education leaders and we want to maintain our status as world leaders in education.” Provincial Executive Council supports the partnership, as does the Finnish government, which is committed to funding the partnership for three years.
Upholding ideal learning and teaching conditions is a major objective of the Association, but it is threatened by a $100 million shortfall in education funding. “Our predictions are 6,000 new students and 1,000 fewer teachers. I believe we will face challenges that we haven’t faced since the Klein administration,” she said. Students and teachers will see larger classes, at-risk students and students with special needs will receive little or no support, and teachers will be expected to do much more with much less, she said.
Can anything be done to protect education funding?
Henderson offered two solutions. “First, I suggest that Alberta relinquish its title as the lowest-taxed province and settle instead for a tie with British Columbia for the lowest taxation rate in the country.” According to Henderson, this alone would yield $11 billion for education, healthcare, children in poverty and seniors. “Second, if Alberta reverted to a progressive tax rather than a flat tax, it would benefit low-income earners and have a relatively small effect on middle- and high-income earners.”
Despite the many challenges facing education and teachers in Alberta, Henderson remains optimistic: “I believe in Alberta teachers and public education.” She promises to remain positive and pledges to be tenaciously “outspoken about and mindful of the forces that are threatening us and our students.”
The ATA president concluded by saying that Alberta teachers are committed to “building a dynamic system in which excellence and equity are the cornerstones, and every child is entitled to aspire to the highest potential.” She challenged teachers to not settle for being among “the best in the world,” but rather to become "the best for the world."
