Recommendations to improve Alberta's education system have been brought forward by a committee instructed by the government to speak with teachers, students and families about their needs.
The task force travelled the province throughout November and December 2022, hearing from staff, students and stakeholders about what the government should do to improve the education system.
The recommendations include increasing access to off-campus education, reducing financial and accessibility barriers, expanding teacher training, bolstering scholarship opportunities and ensuring effective program evaluation.
Alberta's Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says the task force was instructed to focus on ways the province could prepare students for the future economy and help it shape its plan for career education.
The province says it will be immediately addressing the following recommendations:
- Increasing ease of access to off-campus education for all students regardless of where they attend school;
- Reviewing dual credit programming to remove financial, accessibility and awareness barriers;
- Developing and funding teacher training opportunities for career and technology studies and career and technology foundations programming;
- Developing and promoting career education scholarships for students; and
- Enhancing how career education programming is measured and evaluated.
LaGrange says she just received the report herself and wanted to get it out to the public "as quickly as possible."
"So everyone could look at it and make sure the items we're able to move forward on – these five items that were listed – we can move forward on them right away.
"They can start in September 2023."
She says the government will "dig a little deeper" on the rest of the recommendations.
"That work continues on while the election is moving forward and then pick up steam right after that.
"We don't want to lose any of the momentum of the great work that was done by this task force."
The recommendations will be applied over the coming weeks and will build on work already underway in Alberta's classrooms.
The task force's final report is available online.
