Top 10 education resolutions for 2024

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/01/2024 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As we begin 2024, it’s essential to reflect on the events that shaped education in 2023, in order to envision what to prioritize. Reflective practice is fundamental to meeting the diverse needs of all in the public education system and supporting public education as a common good.

In 2023, we observed both local and national issues impacting Manitoba classrooms.

Nationally, those included the resurgence of far-right fascist politics, debates on issues of parental rights, book bans and the war between Palestine and Israel. These issues led to numerous calls for allies and communities to unite in solidarity.

Then there were two Employee Equity Audits published by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society and the Winnipeg School Division, underscoring a bias in centring voices of privilege, particularly around demographics such as white, able-bodied, cisgender, and heterosexual men. Also, there was the Louis Riel School Division’s report on equity and school resource officers. These audits call for a radical dismantling of systemic inequities in education.

Amid these challenges and others, Manitoba experienced positive strides with Wab Kinew becoming the province’s first First Nations premier. His cabinet, comprising eight members from equity-seeking groups, signals a promising shift towards leadership equity across the province.

These events, among others, have a profound resonance, casting extensive impacts on communities, schools and learners within our province, highlighting the vital necessity for collective actions. Now as we step into 2024, we call on the Manitoba government to prioritize the following 10 resolutions for public education.

1. Public school funding must be robust, adequate, equitable and predictable.

Due to the unique nature of each school’s community, context and culture, a process is required for appropriate and equitable allocation of funds. The government should consider a funding model beyond the provincewide equal funding model for all schools.

2. Eradicate reliance on school fees and fundraising.

Annual fees are charged to caregivers to pay for basic learning essentials (yearbooks, supplies). These fees must stop. School fundraising to supplement school expenses also must stop.

3. Abandon private-public partnership (P3) approaches to building schools.

P3 approaches have caused many financial and accountability problems in other jurisdictions. Manitoba does not need a failed model to ruin our system.

4. Stop buying curriculum and assessment plans from external private-sector consultants.

Manitoba educators, not private consultants, know what curriculum best meets their students’ needs and interests. Develop and hire full-time Manitoba staff who can build relationships and provide locally relevant programming/assessment plans.

5. Provide transparency in how educational resources are distributed equitably.

By doing so, we can assess how divisions apply recommendations (such as the Poverty and Education Task Force report). We can see equity enacted in programs, namely universal nutrition, EA hiring, EAL supports and clinical services, among others.

6. Develop a comprehensive strategy for sustainability and eco-justice.

Climate change is an existential threat to all and should be at the forefront of every curriculum. Focus on place-based/land-based learning, including elder knowledge, critical thinking praxis and sustainable infrastructure.

7. Transform assessment to be learner-centred.

Learners and caregivers deserve assessment that is transparent, learner-centred, decolonized and inclusive. Assessment should allow students to best represent their knowledge in a capacity that is relevant to their lived experience.

8. Implement guidelines for well-being and well-becoming.

Implement guidelines from the already developed documents, including Safe and Caring Schools, Appropriate Education Programming and Mamahtawisiwin: The Wonder We Are Born With.

9. Fulfil the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.

Schools have a responsibility to teach about residential schools and governments have responsibilities to enact the calls to action from the TRC. Implementing the calls to action related to education (62-65) is not a choice but a collective responsibility.

10. Value research and make policy based on research.

Manitoba needs an education research branch where identity-based data are collected to inform provincial policymaking, from class size to assessment and hiring practices. Also, a culture shift is needed to support research.

In this pivotal phase of Manitoba’s educational journey, People for Public Education stands resolute, urging the public to remain vigilant, engage in conversations and strive for a future where the promises of equity, inclusivity and diversity come to fruition. We hope this government takes a big step toward it, starting in 2024!

As our provincial leaders set the stage for a new direction, educational leaders and school division administration must also pause, look around and ask the tough question: Whose voice isn’t at the table that needs to be?

Colleen Dawson, Samir Hathout, Ee-Seul Yoon, write on behalf of members of the People for Public Education.