‘Fatally flawed’: 91 per cent of ATA members oppose draft curriculum
Posted April 8, 2021 11:32 am.
Last Updated April 8, 2021 12:12 pm.
EDMONTON (660 NEWS) – About nine in 10 Alberta teachers are giving the Kenney government’s new draft curriculum the thumbs down.
Preliminary results from an extensive survey on the draft curriculum showed that 91 per cent of teachers with the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) are unhappy with the K-6 curriculum which was unveiled late last month.
The survey also found that 90 per cent of elementary school teachers are uncomfortable teaching the new K-6 curriculum, and 95 per cent of principals are uncomfortable supporting it in their school and community.
So, it turns out that Alberta teachers aren't happy with the draft curriculum.
Specifically, 91% of them are unhappy with it. #yeg #yyc #ableg #abed pic.twitter.com/dXZEcviiVP
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) April 8, 2021
“The preliminary data is overwhelming: this draft curriculum is fatally flawed,” said ATA president Jason Schilling. “Teachers are the experts. Teachers know what will work in a classroom and what will not, and they are overwhelmingly telling us that this curriculum won’t work for Alberta’s elementary students.”
About 3,500 teachers took part in the survey between Mar. 29 and Apr. 7. The ATA has about 46,000 members across the province.
Feedback from the survey found that teachers strongly believe the new curriculum is both age and developmentally inappropriate.
“It is clear that the problem with this curriculum is that teachers were not sufficiently engaged in its development and their concerns were not addressed,” said Schilling. “The feedback shows that the government has failed its own mission.”
Schilling said the ATA will provide updates and a final report to the government following round table discussions to take place later this spring.
Alberta’s new draft curriculum has been widely criticized by several groups who believe it does not represent the diverse views of all Albertans and whitewashes Canadian history.
Several protests have taken place opposing the curriculum and public education advocacy groups have called for a complete re-write and proper consultations with teachers and educators.
