Support Our Students deems changes to UCP K-6 draft curriculum insufficient and calls for a complete rewrite

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
December 13, 2021

Support Our Students (SOS) Alberta’s response to today’s announcement by Minister LaGrange of changes to the implementation of the draft K-6 curriculum is that the changes are minimal and cosmetic in nature, and do not represent the substantive and overarching revision that Albertans have called for.

Some elements of the curriculum criticized by experts will still be implemented in Fall 2022. The government plans to implement English language arts and literature, math, and physical education and wellness portions of the draft curriculum, while science and fine arts (music) will be updated and launched at a later date. 

Today’s announcement made it clear that public pressure has forced the government’s hand to some degree; the disastrous social studies curriculum will not be implemented in its current form. However, the design blueprint that the Minister referred to as the guiding document for refinement of the curriculum does not differ substantially from the original draft. This is still a regressive, developmentally inappropriate approach that does not align with current expert opinion on social studies curriculum development.

“SOS Alberta advocates for all students to have universal access to high quality education. This curriculum will not prepare students for the future and will fail Alberta children. Citizens must keep up the pressure.”
– Medeana Moussa, Executive Director, SOS

Any indication of meaningful engagement with teachers and curriculum experts was noticeably absent from today’s press conference. SOS believes that no meaningful progress on curriculum development can be made without full collaboration with teachers and curriculum experts from the province’s universities.

Today’s press conference was an exercise in delivering optics over substance. It was an attempt to convince voters, particularly parents, that their concerns with the draft curriculum content and process were addressed with a few superficial changes and a delay in implementation of some subjects. However the government has not stepped back from its highly politicized approach to curriculum development, or from its exclusion of teachers and curriculum experts from meaningful input. 

​SOS renews its calls for the Premier and the Minister of Education to:

1. Reconvene the curriculum working groups from the previous rewrite that began under the Prentice government and to fully respect the professional expertise of these groups.
2. Commit to the longstanding, apolitical curriculum development process, and dissolve the appointments of advisors selected at the recommendation of UCP politicians.
3. Restore the curriculum development partnership with the ATA, as without the expertise and engagement of teachers, successful curriculum development and implementation is impossible.
   
                                                                                             -30-
   
   

Please direct media inquiries to:
Wing Li (she/her)
Communications Director
E: [email protected]