Curriculum advisory panel

Panel mandate

The panel provided advice and recommendations to help inform the:

• direction for curriculum that includes globally endorsed best practices, jurisdictional research and previous engagement feedback
• development of a new Ministerial Order on Student Learning that provides direction on the foundation knowledge, skills and competencies students should have through the K-12 education system

Read the Terms of Reference

Outcomes

The panel submitted their final report to the education minister on December 20, 2019. Read the report:

• Curriculum Advisory Panel: Recommendations on Direction for Curriculum
• Comité Consultatif sur le Curriculum : recommandations sur l’orientation relative au curriculum

Public engagement on the draft Ministerial Order for Student Learning ended in February 2020. The updated ministerial order came into effect on August 6, 2020.

• Vision for student learning engagement
• Ministerial Order for Student Learning
• Arrêté ministériel sur l’apprentissage des élèves

Panel members

The panel included representatives from the K to 12 education system, post-secondary education system, education advocates and career and training organizations.

Angus McBeath, Chair

Angus has been an educator for more than 30 years, serving in a number of teaching and leadership roles with Edmonton Public Schools. He then moved into various administrative and senior executive roles including director of Program Development in the Curriculum Division and superintendent of Continuing Education Services with Edmonton Public Schools before he was appointed Superintendent of Schools in 2001.

As Superintendent of Schools, Angus led the design and implementation of a training and accountability regime for principals and teachers, with a view to dramatically improve principal and teacher performance, student achievement results and high school completion rates. Angus retired from Edmonton Public Schools in 2005, and has since served public education through speaking and consultant roles. Angus has worked for the past 14 years with school districts in Pittsburgh, Oakland and Colorado Springs, in addition to the Kern Family Foundation. He most recently was a senior official of the Advanced Studies in Culture Foundation.

Angus has a bachelor of arts degree, a bachelor of education degree and a master of education degree.

Jen Panteluk, Vice-chair

Jen has worked in the non-profit sector for more than 10 years and has a far-reaching background that she has used to increase awareness and support for the United Way, University of Alberta, Alberta Cancer Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Northern Alberta and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Prior to her recent appointment as the director of Athlete Experience for ITU World Triathlon Edmonton, she was the CEO of Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories.

Jen has both a bachelor of commerce degree and a master of business administration degree. She is also an accomplished athlete having represented Canada at seven triathlon world championships. She received a YWCA Women of Distinction for her athletic accomplishments.

Amy von Heyking

Amy is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge. Her research interests include the history of Canadian schooling, history teaching and citizenship education. She is the author of Creating Citizens: History and Identity in Alberta’s Schools and has published articles in Historical Studies in Education, Canadian Journal of Education, and History of Education Quarterly.

Amy has authored chapters in New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada and Britishness, Identity and Citizenship: The View From Abroad. She is also the co-editor of Becoming a History Teacher. Amy served on the executive board of The History Education Network/Histoire et Éducation en Réseau (THEN/HiER) from 2007 to 2015.

Amy has a doctor of educational policy and administrative studies degree, a bachelor of arts (Honours), first class honours degree, a master of arts degree and teaching certificate.

Martin Mrazik

Dr. Mrazik worked as a teacher with Elk Island Public Schools and consulted as a school psychologist with St. Albert Public Schools for several years before completing his PhD in clinical neuropsychology.

In 2006, he became a faculty member at University of Alberta where he is currently an educational psychology professor. The combination of his research and clinical training in school and neuropsychology focused his interests to working with children, adolescents, and adults with a wide range of learning, cognitive, behavioral and psychological concerns. His clinical and research interests include traumatic brain injury, sports concussions and assessment of neurodevelopmental disabilities. He currently serves as a neuropsychological consultant to the NHL and CFL.

Dr. Mrazik has a bachelor of science degree, a master of education psychology degree, a PhD in clinical neuropsychology and a teaching certificate.

Andy Neigel

Andy has 30 years of operational and leadership experience in the forest industry in both Alberta and British Columbia. He has participated on a variety of boards, including the Alberta Energy Regulator as the chair of the Governance, Audit and Finance Committees and Athabasca University Governing Board, and as the chair, Investment Advisory Group and Advancement Committee. Andy currently serves as principal, Boreal Management Group and CEO, Careers: The Next Generation Foundation.

Andy has previous experience working with Alberta’s Ministry of Education, he was part of the Inspiring Education Steering and Implementation Committees (2009 to 2013), Alberta’s Task Force for Teaching Excellence (2013 to 2014) and Alberta’s Teacher Development and Practice Advisory Committee (2014 to 2015).

Andy has a forest technology diploma, a bachelor of science, forestry degree, University of Alberta and an ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors, Director) Designation.

Keray Henke

Keray started his career with the federal government before he joined Alberta Treasury (now the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance) in 1980. He then served as director of Finance and Administration with Executive Council before joining the Ministry of Children's Services as assistant deputy minister responsible for finance, human resources, information technology, legal services, administrative support and business and strategic planning. In 2005, Keray was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Education and served in this role until his retirement.

Keray was a member of the Board of Directors for Careers: The Next Generation and the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. He headed the Canadian Delegation of the Education Policy Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He served as chair of the OECD Education Policy Committee from 2009 to 2011.

Keray has a certified management accountant designation, a bachelor of commerce degree and a master of public administration degree.

Glenn Feltham

Glenn was appointed president and CEO of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in 2011. As NAIT’s sixth president, he has led the institute toward its vision of becoming one of the world’s leading polytechnics. Under his leadership, NAIT plays an essential role in strengthening Alberta’s and Canada’s economies through hands-on, technology-based education and applied research in partnership with industry.

Previously, Glenn served as chair of Polytechnics Canada and also chaired the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta. In 2013 to 2014, he chaired Alberta’s Task Force on Teaching Excellence for Alberta’s Ministry of Education. Glenn is currently a member of the board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Glenn has a doctor of accounting degree, a master of business administration degree, a bachelor of laws degree, a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of science degree. He is also a certified management accountant and a fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada.

Paulette Hanna

Paulette has an extensive background within the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system including as a teacher, school principal, deputy superintendent and chief superintendent. She has also been a sessional instructor with the University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge and University of Alberta. Most recently, Paulette served as the director of Leadership Learning for the College of Alberta School Superintendents. She was appointed as the vice-president academic of Red Deer College in 2014.

Paulette has a doctor of education in leadership degree, a master of arts degree and a bachelor of education degree.

Miles Smit

Miles provides programme management and governance for the Bank of Montreal (BMO) as well as risk advisory and strategy at Tracker Networks, a Toronto-based software company that offers a suite of risk tracking solutions including AppTracker and Essential ERM. He is also co-founder of the Petrarch Institute, a new online tutoring, teaching, and consultancy service specializing in the humanities.

Miles has a bachelor of arts (Honours) degree in philosophy with a second major in art history in addition to a masters of arts degree and PhD degree from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

Nhung Tran-Davies

Immigrating to Canada as Vietnamese refugees, Dr. Tran-Davies’ family settled in Edmonton when she was a child, where her passion for education was established. In 2013, she established the Children of Vietnam Benevolent Fund to help impoverished children with education and to meet their basic needs. She is the author of 4 children’s books and advocates for mastery in the fundamentals of math.

Dr. Tran-Davies completed her medical doctorate at the University of Alberta and has an established family practice in Calmar, Alberta.

Sharon Carry

Sharon began her career at Mount Royal College and held positions at Olds College, including registrar and later, vice-president of student and support services. From 1997 to 2016, she served as president and CEO of Bow Valley College, where she led the school through a transition from provincial administration to a public governance model.

Sharon has served on the boards of Council of Postsecondary Presidents of Alberta, the Calgary Homelessness Foundation and the Calgary Community Land Trust. She is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Calgary Chamber of Commerce Women’s Executive Network, the Canadian Club of Calgary, the International Women's Forum and the Petroleum Club.

Under Sharon’s leadership, Bow Valley College was recognized as one of Alberta’s Top 65 Employer in 2014. She has a bachelor of arts degree as well as honourary degrees from both the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Olds College.

Ashley Berner

Ashley is the deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education. She previously served as the deputy director of the City University of New York Institute for Education Policy.

Ashley has published articles and book chapters on the relationship between educational structure and public funding in democratic nations, religious education and citizenship formation, and teacher preparation in different national contexts. Included in her publications is Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School in 2017. She consults regularly on projects that examine the academic and civic outcomes of different school sectors. She serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Education Development Consortium.

Ashley has a doctor of philosophy degree, a master of literature degree, and a bachelor of arts (Honours) degree.

News

• Improving student learning in Alberta (August 6, 2020)
• New panel to advise on curriculum (August 22, 2019)

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Curriculum development