There has been much debate around the draft k-6 curriculum documents released by the Alberta government last week. Unlike most posts and opinion papers I’ve read, I *don’t* think our provincial government should make revisions to this curriculum. Hear me out.

My perspective isn’t rooted in the fact that the proposed curriculum lacks coherence, is devoid of basic educational research, consists of meaningless collections of Eurocentric trivia, or is designed to marginalize huge swaths of our student population.

All of these things are true, but that’s not why I think our provincial government shouldn’t revise the k-6 draft curriculum. Rather, it’s because they shouldn’t be responsible for curriculum development in the first place.

This is not the first time I’ve made this claim, nor are the ideas all my own (although no part of this thread is plagiarized). https://www.instagram.com/p/CHA6ZiKBHv8/?igshid=1lps3u4jzuur9

Alberta requires a participatory approach to curriculum development that operates at arm’s length from the provincial government—what our children learn in school should not be susceptible to the passing whims of each new wave of political hacks.

You are likely aware that just a few years ago, the NDP undertook a four year, multi-million dollar, interdisciplinary, stakeholder-involved curriculum development process.

Are you also aware of that immediately before that, the PC government undertook a four year, multi-million dollar, interdisciplinary, stakeholder-involved curriculum development process?

And that before that, there was an entirely different process for curriculum development, with entirely different structures for curriculum?

For all the money and manpower we’ve spent trying to achieve the most politically popular version of what our children might learn in school, for years (and in some cases many decades), our programs of study have simply stagnated.

If the UCP actually believes in smaller government—if they truly think elected officials should have less direct influence over citizens’ lives—the solution to this curriculum debacle isn’t a matter of making revisions or even a wholesale rewrite.

The solution is to completely detach themselves (and future governments) from curriculum development processes.

I’m not talking about changing dynamics with Alberta Education. This isn’t a matter of refining the practice of a government department.

Curriculum development (and the ongoing revisions to ensure it continually reflects our learners and the world they live in) should Be the responsibility of an independent collaborative of academics, educators, students, parents, Elders, and experts.

It would be reasonable to expect that this independent body would maintain open dialogue within their communities and that together, we would ensure that student learning was properly cared for.

Surely our ability to imagine democratic processes isn’t limited to one particular version of big government? Surely curriculum should be more than political football. We can absolutely do better than this.

Addendum: I have no personal Twitter account anymore; this is not because I require anonymity. My name is Alison Van Rosendaal. I am a principal and PhD student, and I am fiercely committed to public education that serves the common good.