The government’s reckless changes to public education are putting our children’s future at risk.
That’s the message coming out of a new campaign launched this fall by the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
The campaign is designed to respond to a number of threats facing Alberta’s world-class public education system, from the problematic draft curriculum, to larger class sizes, to funding cuts. Produced in partnership with the Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA), the campaign is intended to build awareness and support for education by building an alliance of parents and teachers who will stand up and fight back for Alberta’s children and their futures.
“These changes cannot stand,” says ATA president Jason Schilling. “As teachers, we know funding cuts, class sizes and these changes to the curriculum can be dangerous.”
Schilling says the consequences can be severe: students will experience learning gaps in important subjects while receiving an overload of irrelevant and inappropriate information. Funding and classroom issues mean a lack of individual time with teachers, the loss of special education supports and reduced access to programs.
As a parent, ASCA president Brandi Rai is also concerned.
“These children are the future leaders of our province – the decisions we make about public education today will affect all of our children for the rest of their lives.”
Challenging experiences
The new campaign encourages supporters to take action. It launched with a video that focuses on children’s experiences through the challenges of these attacks on education. The impactful spot features metaphors grounded in truth — school hallway lights dramatically turning off, books slamming shut as students try to read them — to convey the message of children being left behind. The video ends with a rallying call for the viewer to join parents, teachers and school boards to stand up for public education.
In addition to this ad, the ATA will also be producing a series of videos featuring personal and poignant interviews from teachers and parents. These videos focus on their lived experiences and reflect the importance of public education and the impact these drastic changes will have.
Each video focuses on a different side of the story: students’ futures in jeopardy, teachers not being consulted in the curriculum drafting process and the impact on the future of Alberta.
“This campaign is the first step toward our goal of building pressure for government decisions that are pro public education,” says Schilling. “We are fighting to ensure the government understands that this is a big issue for Albertans.”
Schilling says the campaign will turn up the pressure on MLAs and encourage them to push back against the draft curriculum, funding cuts and increasing class sizes. He hopes they might begin speaking up in their caucus and the legislature in support of public education.
“Teachers and parents will always put kids first,” Schilling says. “Through the pandemic, we have been working together to ensure students continue to have the best opportunities to learn and be safe doing so. Now we are coming together once again to fight for their education, their opportunities and their futures.”
Rai said that parents and teachers share the responsibility of investing in children and preparing them for the future.
“That’s why parents couldn’t sit this one out,” she said.
“Alberta’s education system is being changed, without consultation or collaboration, in ways that threaten our children’s educational success. The system is being eroded, attacked even. This isn’t fair to our students. This isn’t what quality, equitable education is.”