Commentary
Let’s say you’re learning how to drive for the first time and you choose between two instructors. One of her, a civil servant, has a success rate of 26%, and she has another one, a private contractor, with a success rate of 90%. Which instructor do you hire?
The choice is clear. However, many government officials think differently. Most people choose government instructors who they believe can provide the best service.
Case in point, the Saskatchewan government recently announced plans to: Centralize All online instruction in the state.To do this, the government chose the Public Schools Department 26 percent graduation rate At Flex Ed, a private online school in the state, 90% graduation rate.
Saskatoon-based Flex ED has been offering online programming since 2005. qualified private school, offers state-approved programs and receives state funding. Despite Flex ED’s proven track record, the Saskatchewan government has so far rejected repeated offers of support from the school.
At first glance, the decision to choose a program with a graduation rate of just 26% seems pointless. But again, it makes more sense when you realize that government bureaucrats have an inherent prejudice against government-run programs. This is why it is so difficult to make drastic changes to our educational system.
For example, half of all provinces in Canada, including Ontario, still refuses to allow money to follow students. As a result, students in these states will not be able to attend public schools unless their parents can afford private school tuition.Many independent schools excellent Public schools, Ontario, and four other provinces remain stuck in the mindset that public schools must remain the default choice for everyone.
Things get even worse when education sector bureaucrats directly undermine the efforts of their political leaders. When the Ford administration was first elected in Ontario, one of his key election promises was: remove discovery mathematics Learn from the curriculum and restore a back-to-basics approach to mathematics instruction.But while Ontario politicians had all the right things to say about reclaiming the academic foundations, the initial math curriculum they rolled out was full I woke up to nonsense and an “anti-racist” and “non-colonial” approach to mathematics.It even challenged the belief that mathematics is an objective field. Removed much of this language In the face of public pressure, the damage has been done.
Unfortunately, many school board officials are leery of this awakened nonsense.Toronto District School Board mathematics action plan It even encourages teachers to “regularly incorporate social justice issues into math learning.”by continuing this social justice focusIn , Toronto parents have good reason to question whether their children will learn basic math.
Fortunately, politicians ignore bureaucrats, jump mathFounded by mathematician John Mighton, JUMP Math creates K-8 math resources that effectively combine a back-to-basics approach with creative problem solving. Despite its documented success in helping students learn mathematics, it has long been dismissed by educational bureaucrats.
why? Mainly because it is not run by the government. Bureaucrats are inherently risk-averse and reluctant to ask the private sector for help. As a result, JUMP Math has had limited penetration in public schools. The majority of public school students continue to suffer from substandard math instruction. overall decrease Canadian mathematics scores in international assessments.
If politicians are serious about improving education, they can start by seeking outside information. Too often, the education minister’s well-meaning plans are derailed by bureaucrats. Relying solely on advice from education bureaucrats is a recipe for disaster.
I hope that there will be more politicians who can think outside the box. If Saskatchewan’s minister of education ignores the bureaucracy and chooses his school online, which has a graduation rate of 90%, to help guide online education, he will barely reach 1 in 4 of his students. It would be a great start, not a public school you could graduate from.
Government bureaucrats don’t always know best when it comes to education.
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.
Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher, Senior Fellow at the Frontier Center for Public Policy, and the author of The Sage on Stage: A Common Sense Reflection on Teaching and Learning.