Should the Federal Government create a national curriculum and national tests?

[Machjo]

Contrary to popular opinion, education is both a Federal and a Provincial matter.

At present, though the Federal Government has the Constitutional right to create its own curriculum and tests for public schools on reserves and on military bases at home and abroad, and for the children of diplomats abroad, it has chosen to save itself money by contracting out to the surrounding province when on Federal land in Canada and to Ontario when abroad.

Though this saves the Federal Government money, it costs provincial taxpayers more by imposing the redundancy of each province creating its own different curriculum and testing system.

Should the Federal Government create its own national curriculum and tests, then it could contract them out to interested provinces, just as is done with the RCMP. Any province that chooses to opt in could do so, thus saving that Government money by pooling its resources with other provinces in sharing a common curriculum and tests.

Beyond just saving provincial taxpayers money, it might also promote a stronger sense of national unity.

I wouldn't be surprised if all of the English-speaking provinces should choose to opt in, leaving Quebec as the only one out. This would leave Canada with only two curricula and testing systems: Quebec and Canadian.

 

[taxslave]

I would support a national education standard. With today's highly mobile workforce a kid should be able to leave a school in Gander and move to Vancouver and be within a day of the same spot in core subjects.

 

[Machjo]

Another advantage with this would be that the Federal Government could more easily negotiate international education standards for various trades and professions with foreign ministries or departments of education on behalf of all opt-in provinces.

I would support a national education standard. With today's highly mobile workforce a kid should be able to leave a school in Gander and move to Vancouver and be within a day of the same spot in core subjects.

Bearing in mind though that with certain aspects of education being provincial jurisdiction, it would need to be opt-in with the schools themselves still being administered by the provincial government in most cases. The Federal Government would merely create a common curriculum and educational and testing standards.

 

[Walter]

All education should be controlled as locally as possible.

 

[Machjo]

All education should be controlled as locally as possible.

Is there necessarily a contradiction between a national curriculum and educational and testing standards on the one hand and local control of schools on the other, especially when a province is free to opt in or out of the national curriculum according to its own interests?

In principle, just having a national testing standard might suffice.

 

[damngrumpy]

This government has screwed up almost everything else leave education alone

 

[Machjo]

This government has screwed up almost everything else leave education alone

If the Federal Government is that incompetent, then what's the benefit of a province staying in this confederation? According to that logic, Quebec sovereigntists are the only rational thinkers in this confederation.

 

[Sal]

All education should be controlled as locally as possible.

why?

not saying I think the feds should be involved at all...just would like to know what you think since you know the system...

 

[Walter]

This government has screwed up almost everything else leave education alone

If you read the article you will see the Feds want out. The article is advocating the Feds get more involved.

why?

not saying I think the feds should be involved at all...just would like to know what you think since you know the system...

Who knows best what's good for your child, the parent or some bureaucrat in some cubicle.

 

[Sal]

If you read the article you will see the Feds want out. The article is advocating the Feds get more involved.


Who knows best what's good for your child, the parent or some bureaucrat in some cubicle.

absolutely the parent, I would not want the feds involved at all...the further any system gets from the individual the more likelihood that it will fail the individual

it is already too far from the individual now and it's messed now more than it used to be...

 

[Machjo]

absolutely the parent, I would not want the feds involved at all...the further any system gets from the individual the more likelihood that it will fail the individual


it is already too far from the individual now and it's messed now more than it used to be...

I am in favour of a Swedish-style voucher programme to make it more responsive to parents, but a distinction could be made between local control of local education and common national testing standards.

 

[Nuggler]

I can well remember the grade thirteen (Ont.) exams of years ago. Your whole future (more or less)
depended on ONE exam.........the final.

Some would dog it all year and then cram (stay up all night on truckers pills), and write the exam, and pass,
and voila - you've qualified to go to university - and retain all you crammed for at least 3 hours.

Horrible system.

Should the feds create a national bullshyte system......sure.......couldn't be worse.........what could go wrong:roll:

Fukkin Steve and his minions couldn't create a successful circle jerk.

 

[Walter]

I can well remember the grade thirteen (Ont.) exams of years ago. Your whole future (more or less)
depended on ONE exam.........the final.

Some would dog it all year and then cram (stay up all night on truckers pills), and write the exam, and pass,
and voila - you've qualified to go to university - and retain all you crammed for at least 3 hours.

Horrible system.

Should the feds create a national bullshyte system......sure.......couldn't be worse.........what could go wrong:roll:

Fukkin Steve and his minions couldn't create a successful circle jerk.

Read the article, Steve doesn't want in, the writer of the article wants Steve in.

 

[Nuggler]

Read the article, Steve doesn't want in, the writer of the article wants Steve in.

You already read it for me Wally. Thanks. The educational system has lefted me literarelay wounded.;-)

My opinion bout the circle jerk stands.:lol:

Life is so much fukkin fun, ain't it.

 

[Sal]

I am in favour of a Swedish-style voucher programme to make it more responsive to parents, but a distinction could be made between local control of local education and common national testing standards.

I don't know anything about voucher systems and I know zero about the Swedish style....how do vouchers work?

we already do standardized testing and it sucks

we already changed and standardized our approach to high needs kids and put them into the classroom (it's called being inclusive) and it sucks for them and the other kids


we have one class in one of our schools...he does not stick to the standard and his kids have the highest math marks in the board...he is doing something right...and it's old fashioned drilling...not supposed to teach that way....they have better ways now...except...they don't work as well...he gets away with it because he is working for a smart principal and it's a tiny, rich community within the system...

 

[Machjo]

The present Swedish system has been in operation since 1993. It was originally pushed by the Saami, Swedish Finns and other minority linguistic communities as well as language rights activists. Eventually the Christian Democratic Party rallied around it and it worked. The catch was that while they could teach in the language of their choice, their children have to pass the national tests in Swedish. This has allowed more equality for Sweden's minority linguistic communities.

 

[Sal]

The present Swedish system has been in operation since 1993. It was originally pushed by the Saami, Swedish Finns and other minority linguistic communities as well as language rights activists. Eventually the Christian Democratic Party rallied around it and it worked. The catch was that while they could teach in the language of their choice, their children have to pass the national tests in Swedish. This has allowed more equality for Sweden's minority linguistic communities.

that's a very young system

I wish we could eliminate grades and our need for socializing kids at school.

if a kid can function at grade 10 math at 8 and grade 1english...they should be at those levels...

our system is broken but I would need to know far far more about vouchers before I endorsed it...the other thing I now know is having an opinion on how our schools function is one thing and everyone is entitled...KNOWING how they are actually working is another

 

[Machjo]

Read the article, Steve doesn't want in, the writer of the article wants Steve in.

I never mentioned Steve. I mentioned the Federal Government as an institution independently of who is the leader. Since when is Steve the King of Canada?

 

[Walter]

he gets away with it because he is working for a smart principal

Very rare to have a smart principal, usually just azz kissers who have reached their level of incompetence..

 

[Sal]

Very rare to have a smart principal, usually just azz kissers who have reached their level of incompetence..

I know...it's disturbing.

there are some super good principals around that really support the teachers in the classroom, have their backs, and make a warm, rich environment for the kids...some of them have awesome humour and exceptional leadership skills...they are usually rebels to a degree

then ya have the rest...bureaucrats...lousy leaders who were poor teachers with nowhere else to go