EDUCATION REALLY MATTERS
Its hard to believe that we are now just days away from the election and education has not, as yet been a major issue. The Alberta Parents Union addresses education in their latest email (below).
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The election is just around the corner and, three weeks into the campaign, education has suddenly become a hot topic.
That’s because it was recently revealed that three current Alberta NDP candidates advocate for the complete elimination of the Catholic school system.
Now, whether your kids are enrolled in a public school, a Catholic school, or some other type of education, this is an incredibly disturbing development, as our system of school choice relies on parents respecting, appreciating, and understanding the value of all different types of education.
We can’t credibly argue that some groups should have the right to school choice but not others, simply based on what religion they follow - that would undermine the principle of pluralism in education.
Yet, that’s exactly what these three NDP candidates are doing.
Nathan Ip, the NDP candidate for Edmonton-Southwest, is a current Edmonton School Board Trustee and, as a Trustee, he has repeatedly called for the elimination of the Catholic system.
He pushed for the Edmonton Public School Board to take on this position - a position so extreme that even the NDP’s own former Education Minister rejected it, citing the fact that this kind of school choice is constitutionally protected.
Cathy Hogg, the NDP candidate for Cypress-Medicine Hat, went one step further and was actually the head of an entire campaign by the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta to abolish separate schools.
The “Together for Students” campaign that she led promoted “One Public System” as their number one priority, which aimed to “promote the formation of a single, public inclusive education system in Alberta.”
Jaelene Tweedle, the NDP candidate for Red Deer-North, charged that charter schools erode the quality of public education and divide communities.
She also said she’d rather see “one world-class system” than a variety of education choices.
Of course, that’s a false dichotomy.
Having one single government system doesn’t mean it’s world-class.
In fact, we know that all the evidence shows the opposite.
A single, top-down, government-mandated system leads to worse outcomes, while education choice helps promote a world-class, high-quality system that meets the needs of all students.
That’s because, as parents recognize, students are not one-size-fits-all, so their education can’t be either.
Every child deserves an education tailored to their unique needs.
That’s why the choice of Catholic (and Francophone) education is guaranteed in our constitution.
Education issues also came up in last week’s Leaders’ Debate (which you can watch here).
Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley were asked: “How specifically is your party going to address the increased enrolment, teacher burnout, increased class sizes and complexity in Alberta school classrooms?”
Smith focused on the disruption in classrooms over the last three years and how that contributed to teacher burnout and complicated education in classrooms.
She said the UCP is funding supports to recover from social anxiety and mental health issues, which students need stability to avoid.
She also noted that Rachel Notley had had an opportunity to address class sizes, but when her NDP government tried to do so, their policies were so poorly implemented that government auditors couldn’t even tell where the money went, never mind whether the spending was effective.
Rachel Notley responded by saying: “We now have the most crowded classrooms in the country. That was not the case when we left office, but it is the case now.”
But, again, the NDP’s Class Size Initiative spent $3.4 billion only to see class sizes increase rather than decrease.
Now, don’t get us wrong, class sizes do matter for student achievement in the youngest grades, but most studies find no effect by the high school grades.
If we had unlimited resources, we could invest in class sizes and teachers and everything else.
But, since we have limited resources, we should invest in the things that have the most impact.
And even in elementary, the effect of class sizes is dwarfed by the effect of the very best teachers!
Funnily enough, school choice - the one thing the NDP don’t want to invest in - is actually proven to lead to smaller class sizes, a better quality of education, and lower costs, all at once!
It’s also great for teachers, for the same reason that lots of different employers, rather than a single monopoly employer, is good for any employee.
In fact, pretty much the only people school choice is bad for are teachers' unions, who lose control when parents and students have more choice.
This is why the Alberta Parents’ Union is so important!
We have to join our voices together to make sure decision-makers hear that we parents are the real experts in our own children.
Jeff ParkExecutive Director