Alberta Teachers’ Association has issued the following statement with regards to the province reinstating the collection of class size data.
“The government has listened to the voices of teachers and Albertans over the past three weeks and finally decided to reinstate the collection of class size data. This vital information is needed to understand the complexities experienced every day in our classrooms and is a practice that should never have stopped. We look forward to the changes that will occur in Alberta’s classrooms based on this new data.
However, the Government of Alberta’s decision to create a Class Size and Complexity Task Force without including the Alberta Teachers’ Association as a primary partner is yet another example of this government’s reluctance to acknowledge teachers as experts in education. The inclusion of teachers’ lived experiences are necessary and invaluable to this work.”
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, supports teachers’ professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 51,000 members.