EDMONTON — People who want to see what Alberta is doing with school curriculum changes can look for themselves online.
Education Minister David Eggen says his department has posted the raw proposals for changes to what students in kindergarten to Grade 4 are taught.
Eggen says he had hoped to polish the proposals after getting feedback from teachers, parents, and others, but says it’s best to get the existing information to the public.
Until now, Albertans could only see the proposed changes if they went to meetings and agreed to leave behind all written material provided by organizers.
FIND THE ALBERTA CURRICULUM PROPOSED CHANGES HERE
That led to confusion over what was being proposed in the first part of a sweeping multi-year curriculum overhaul.
Eggen has said any changes will continue to emphasize the fundamentals of reading, writing and math, but will also include climate change, gender diversity and sexual orientation.
There will also be renewed emphasis on the role of First Nations and francophones in Alberta and Canadian history.
Eggen’s office had already begun releasing the draft proposals to the media this week to allay any public concerns. He said the next logical step was to distribute it to everyone online.
“Our intention was to have input and feedback incorporated into each draft as we moved along. It’s an organic process,” Eggen said Thursday. “My hope was to release it in that (refined) format, but it’s out now, so we’ll put out the working documents in their entirety.”
Opposition United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney has criticized the lack of transparency.
He has also promised to throw out any curriculum changes, if they stray too far from subject fundamentals, should he become premier in next spring’s election
Eggen is expected to approve the revised kindergarten to Grade 4 curriculum by the end of the year.
He announced the $64-million review for all grades two years ago. It is expected to be completed by 2022.
Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
