Lower teacher standards threaten education quality

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This article was published 08/11/2024 (484 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s NDP government is making it easier for prospective teachers to be certified to teach in the province’s classrooms. Whether that will improve, or erode, the quality of teaching that children will receive remains to be seen.

Among the changes announced last week is the decision to no longer require teachers to specialize in an approved list of major or minor subject areas as a condition of certification.

Prior to that change, teachers were required to complete a minimum number of credits in “teachables.” They could choose a major from 20 core subject areas. A different minor, chosen from a longer list of options, was also required.

Acting Education Minister Tracy Schmidt says that “these changes are going to really be able to help us and help divisions staff up their schools. We think it’s going to increase diversity, reduce barriers and, ultimately, help support students.” She adds that the revised requirements will streamline the certification of internationally educated professionals and entry into education faculties.

Nathan Martindale, the president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, also supports the changes, saying that “Manitoba had the most stringent requirements for teacher certification in the teachables area, both in the major and minor (demands).” He argues that the new approach will put Manitoba on a more level playing field with the rest of Canada, which he hopes will convince more people to choose education as a career and ultimately end up teaching in the province.

The education minister and the teachers’ union president may support the loosened requirements, but not everybody shares their enthusiasm. Anna Stokke, a mathematics professor at the University of Winnipeg, says that “the people who are going to suffer here are the children.

“As for the claim that it will reduce barriers for people wanting to enter the teaching profession,” she adds, “what about the barriers that weak math teachers will create for children? Shouldn’t their right to a strong math education be most important?”

Progressive Conservative MLA Grant Jackson echoes Stokke’s concern, saying that “Students deserve a world-class education, and families expect teachers who are well-equipped to teach basic subjects like English, math and science.”

He argues that “the NDP’s decision moves Manitoba in the opposite direction, risking the future of our children’s education.”

Stokke and Jackson raise valid concerns about the potentially harmful impact that the revised requirements will have on the quality of education provided to Manitoba students. After all, it is unrealistic to expect teachers with a poor understanding of mathematical concepts to be able to teach math to students at a competent level. And it is just as unrealistic to expect teachers with little to no background or training in science to be effective science teachers.

This is not a trivial issue. The long-term future of our children is at stake. Their ability to fully comprehend the fundamental components of math, English, science and other core subject areas will ultimately play a critical role on their career choices, earning power and ability to compete for jobs and promotions as adults.

Given the many years of poor performance by Manitoba students on national standardized tests, it is both surprising and disappointing that the government would move to dilute the quality of education provided to those children — and to do so without any apparent consultation with parents.

In support of its decision, the government argues that the loosened requirements are needed in order to reduce a teacher shortage that is occurring in the province. The reality, however, is that the government and teachers’ union just signed a collective agreement that makes Manitoba teachers some of the highest-paid in the world, with many earning six-figure incomes.

Isn’t that level of compensation, combined with almost three months of vacation time each year, enough to attract new teachers who actually possess the skills and knowledge to be effective educators?

Jackson argues that “lowering standards won’t solve the challenges facing the education system. Instead, the government should address real issues like class sizes, classroom supports, and incentives to recruit more teachers.”

We agree. The Kinew government should reconsider its approach on this issue.