Building a stronger teaching profession for Alberta students

Albertans are invited to provide input on 25 recommendations from the Task Force for Teaching Excellence. The Task Force developed the recommendations with input from about 3,000 Alberta parents, students, teachers, educational leaders and others gathered over two months through an online survey, discussion boards, written submissions and regional consultations in 14 communities.

“Our government’s commitment to teaching excellence is unrivalled anywhere in Canada. Alberta is leading the way in ensuring that its teachers have the resources, supports and structures necessary to achieve professional excellence. This report and its bold, forward looking recommendations are a reflection of our determination to ensure that Alberta remains in the top echelon of education systems anywhere in the world.”

“Our Task Force for Teaching Excellence kept one goal in mind – for every child, in every class, there is an excellent teacher. Each recommendation aims to build on Alberta’s world-class education system and ensure every student has the best chance at success.”

The 25 Task Force recommendations come under three themes:

• The Teacher: including refined provincial practice standards, extended practicum programs, improved professional growth plan and teacher evaluation processes, enhanced teaching supports, including more reliable and accessible technology and access to specialized student services.
• The Leader: including new provincial practice standards for school leaders, a provincewide mentorship framework to support new school and district leaders, enhanced professional growth plans, mandatory preparation programs for principals, and enhanced practice supervision and performance evaluation processes.
• The Education System: including a new provincial designation to recognize excellent teachers, better access to community-based expertise for student learning, enhanced teacher time for planning and collaboration, and improved teacher and school leader practice review processes.

Albertans are invited to share their feedback on the Task Force report online by June 5.

Key education stakeholder organizations, including the recently established Teacher Development and Practice Advisory Committee, have also been asked to review the recommendations and provide their feedback to the Minister for consideration.

Education Week (May 5-9) provides all Albertans with an opportunity to highlight the important role education plays in shaping the future of our province. The government is committed to seeing the vision of Inspiring Education become a reality and ensuring students enter the 21^st century as engaged thinkers and ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Under the Building Alberta Plan, our government is investing in families and communities, living within our means, and opening new markets for Alberta's resources to ensure we're able to fund the services Albertans told us matter most to them. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.