SoS Releases Report on Alberta's Class Sizes
On 18 October 2019, the Alberta Ministry of Education released the Class Size Initiative Review. This review claimed that the province’s Class Size Initiative, started in 2004 to address public concerns over Alberta’s increasing class sizes, was ineffective in its intended goal. This conclusion served as the predicate to terminate the program in the 2019-20 provincial budget, released less than a week later. However, the Ministry’s analysis was superficial and underutilized the extensive fifteen years of class size data collected by the program. The review reached several easily refutable conclusions that undermine the credibility and objectivity of the Ministry’s analysis. In response to these deficiencies, Support Our Students Alberta performed our own, more detailed and thorough analysis: we leveraged the depth of data collected in the Class Size Information System, constructing computer models and simulations to investigate the effectiveness of the Class Size Initiative, factors influencing class size, forecasted effects, and possible resolution strategies.
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We would like the Alberta Government to redefine and recommit the government’s responsibility to a more equitable public education system for all Alberta students.
- Make high quality early childhood education universal and accessible, leveling the playing field and closing the achievement gap for underprivileged children.
- Build schools as community engagement centres, comprehensive facilities where children and citizens can participate physically, intellectually and civically.
- Eliminate ALL barriers including all school-related fees (including, but not limited to, instructional materials, bussing, lunch supervision) and application procedures.
- All schools should have a full, inclusive, and balanced curriculum including but not limited to arts, music, science, history, language arts, additional languages, mathematics, and physical education.
- Reduce class sizes to bring them in line with the recommendations in the Alberta Learning Commission report of 2003 & provide adequate supports for classroom complexity.
- Integrate charter schools into public system, eliminating all fees and ability to deny access.
- Provide integrated services for students including medical and social services that help children keep up with advantaged peers. One in six Alberta children live in poverty.
- Reduce emphasis on high stakes standardized testing. Provide alternative and more comprehensive criteria for measuring student success.
- Return to specialization for teachers at all grade levels.
- Recognize that public education is a public responsibility not a consumer good. Its quality and accessibility should be equitable across the province.