[2014 08 08 — Hunkered down today in BC are the two opposing sides in collective bargaining — the government and the teacher union. It’s been a nasty strike. The promise of $40 day to parents of pre-teens to shop for education or daycare if the strike is not settled by school start in Sept has ignited much controversy, opposition and bitterness. My contribution and analysis is below to try to provide my views and bring into perspective some policy and governance principles into the matter.
Mainly I want to counter the negative labels — a bribe for parents, paying parents from teacher money, removing money from public schools, a move to privatize, etc. I am trying to show that it is actually parents who are rightfully responsible for their children's education. Since tax money is collected for public education I maintain that it is a valid move for the tax collector to draw from the education fund and provide it to parents when government schools are not available if they are already clients of the public system. T Audain]
7 REASONS TO SUPPORT THE $40 DAY PAYOUT TO PARENTS
Practically all Western Democracies follow the principle that it is the parents who are responsible for their child’s education. Check the School Acts. It is parents who are to register their child into a public school unless they have made other plans, for example, independent school or home education. Government schools are there as back-up for parents — part of the safety net of a welfare state.
Let’s not confuse the term “public school “with “public education”. A public school is one run by government workers or under contract, as are charter schools. Public education is the cumulative result of all that happens under the generic term of education — private or public schools, online learning, home education, correspondence courses, etc.
It is this construct that the Conference Board of Canada uses when it says that BC spends $500 more on a per-student basis above the national average. That is why — with this assertion — that BC Finance Minister Mike de Jong’s initiative to pay parents of pre-teen public school students $40 a day when public schools are not in session is a fitting and valid response to our current teacher strike. They are to use those funds to acquire tutoring for their children . . . to explore other educational opportunities as they see fit . . . and for some parents, it’ll be basic daycare.”
Here are the good governance principles applying:
1 Financial – This is a Finance Matter, not an Education Matter. Taxpayers provide dollars for education to happen. Who better than Finance to distribute the money to qualified clients and provide accountability for the money?
2 Money Follows The Child – It is actually parental responsibility to see that their child is educated and the parent will be held responsible for proper use of that money.
3 Devolution In Practice – Why should a central government operate a near-monopoly service when those closest to the action can best administer and manage?
4 Citizens As Self-Determining –The aggregate effect of assorted independent efforts are just as likely, economically, to produce as good results as something organized from afar — leading to self-reliance rather than dependency on the state.
5 Diversity, Not One-Size-Fits-All – Parents can choose from choices already available or help in developing new schools, free schools, or other learning networks — customizing as necessary or shopping for specific services for special needs and talents of the student.
6 Innovation – There is a great stimulus for innovation and entrepreneurship once money is freed up from bureaucratic and predetermined constraints. Flexibility, modernization and experimentation are thus encouraged at the grassroots level.
7 Political Principle: People Should Have A Voice In Decisions That Affect Them – Parents genuinely included in decision-making about their child makes them ideal candidates for broader policy decisions, locally and provincially. The book by Seymour Sarason — Parental Involvement and the Political Principle — goes so far as to propose abolishing the existing governance system that deters and deskills parents. Pasi Salhberg, a leading international speaker on behalf of the Finnish Model of Education says that in a group of 10 discussing education policies only one should be a teacher, and that parents should be involved.
http://eltorofulbright.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-interview-with-pasi-sahlberg.html
FREE SCHOOLS — Turning Crisis Into Opportunity
What’s to stop a burst of innovation and versatility due to the shutdown of government schools? Don’t young people still need an education?
The old standby for home educators, if they had no other plan or program, was simply to follow the syllabus. This is the carefully prepared Typical Course of Study of the World Book encyclopedia people. Every level, from Preschool to Grade 12, is here.http://worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study
The outlines for BC curriculum are also available from Ministry website. Correspondence courses also available.
$40 a day per student can easily initiate learning pods operated by either parents or teachers or both. Used textbooks are easily available from online used book outfits and delivery is quick. Online learning would also help meet the challenge. The possibilities are limitless.
The Free Schools movement of the 60s had great passion and created hundreds of small independent schools without all the technology we now have.
Go for it! Education is a continuous, developmentally urgent activity. It need not stop for a teacher strike and government lockout!
Is anyone scoping out the possibilities — sites, notices, personnel, accountability & mission statement — yet?
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21st Century Learning Under Challenge
Three provinces in Canada have so far been pressured to embrace 21st Century Learning — a broad term for “transforming” whole systems toward shifting to “competencies” and squeezing out skills and content. Constructivism is the new “teaching” style — basically non-teaching — or discovery or child-centered inquiry.
Gurus have travelled across the globe bringing in the principles and procedures for whole system change — similar to the Common Core initiatives in the United States where already major objections are raised by parents.
In Canada we have BC with its Personalized Learning Plan ready to roll out. Ontario has a 21st Century initiative.
But it is Alberta that’s worth watching. The same gurus travelled back and forth to develop Alberta’s plan — Inspiring Education. Of course, public was typically not involved.
Why Alberta is important is that there is currently a contest amongst the ruling Conservative Party for a new leader. As the three rivals travel across the province, they are hearing about concerns and discontent from parents about these new plans. It’s gone so far that one candidate, Jim Prentice, has already “pledged to halt all major education curriculum overhauls under his premiership.” None of these concerns would have been exposed so forcefully if these politicians had not been glad-handing with the grassroots in their communities. The first voting is Sept 6.
It’s too bad there is no similar opportunity in BC for parents to be examining our Personalized Learning Plan as it’s full of the same gobbledygook as Alberta’s plan. See http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/
That’s why, at $40 a day, parents should grab the chance to snag alternatives to what’s coming down the pike.