SOFA

One day after massive teacher and support staff layoffs were announced at the Calgary Board of Education, Dave Hancock (Minister of Education) announces a new “Inspiring Education” strategy for students in kindergarten to grade 12.   It was announced via a live broadcast at 2:00 PM this afternoon by Mr. Hancock on the Alberta Government’s “Inspiring Education” website. 

If you are interested in viewing the press release, CLICK HERE.  To view the 56 page “Inspiring Education” report, CLICK HERE.

According to the strategy, it’s time to make a dramatic change in how students are educated.  It states, “…we need to prepare our kids for the future, not the past.”

The strategy is very similar to the ‘guiding principles’ Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd has been promoting over the past few months.  If you are interested in reading these, please check out our earlier posts.

Although the general philosophy of Minister Hancock’s “Inspiring Education” strategy has plenty of merit, “the devil is always in the details.”  Several questions need to be answered:

• What will the curriculum look like once it is implemented several years from now? 
• Will the Alberta Government have the courage to provide the financial resources to ensure it can be implemented effectively?
• Will there be enough qualified educators, especially after the massive layoffs announced recently? 
• What is the position of the Calgary Board of Education, the Edmonton Public School Board, and the other Boards around Alberta? 
• How can we be assured that fine arts education will play a prominent role in the new curriculum?

Please tell the Alberta Government what you think by signing Dr. Murgatroyd’s petition.  You can view it at the following link:  http://www.gopetition.com/online/35101.html.  It’s time to get involved…

According to the Alberta Government’s press release, an education discussion paper will be released by Minister Hancock on June 15th.

Stay tuned!