Doug Ford government sets sights on Ontario's school system
CBC
Premier Doug Ford's government is embarking on what it calls a transformation of Ontario's school system that includes pushing a back-to-basics agenda and giving the education minister more power.
The groundwork for this transformation is laid in a new bill that Education Minister Stephen Lecce tabled on Monday, dubbed the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act.
In announcing the bill, Lecce said it is designed "to refocus the education system on improving outcomes for students."
Which prompts the question: what exactly does Ontario's education system focus on now, if not that?
"Schools need to be emphasizing and focusing on strengthening skills that matter to parents," Lecce said during a news conference on Monday.
"The goal here today is to send a signal to school boards to refocus their energies on what matters most, which is improving reading, writing and math skills and STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education," Lecce said.
As evidence for his reforms, Lecce cites what he hears from parents.
"A lot of parents feel like kids need to focus in on those skills more," he said. "I think right now many families are concerned that their kids are not meeting the provincial standards."
If the government actually did in-depth research about what Ontario parents feel, it didn't reveal any on Monday. There were no public consultations about this move, whether with parents, students, teachers or anyone else involved in the school system.
That's a shift from the widespread consultation the government did in 2018 before deciding to rewrite Ontario's sex education curriculum.
The lack of consultation on a bill that a senior Ministry of Education official described as "significant and transformative" has got the sector both buzzing and puzzled.
"This is a big piece of legislation and it appears to have been crafted with no previous consultation," said Annie Kidder, director of the advocacy group People for Education. "It seems to be a surprise to everybody working in the system."
Kidder says an "old-fashioned notion" of education basics is problematic in 2023.
"There is no doubt that reading, writing and math are incredibly important. I don't think anybody would argue with that," Kidder said in an interview.