Education – Barbara Silva & Dr. Philip McRae
A presentation at Alberta 2019: Forces of Change, Parkland Institute's 22nd Annual Conference (November 16-18, 2018). http://parklandinstitute.ca http://parklandconference.ca “Alberta Education: The Predictable Path to Privatization” – Barbara Silva While Alberta’s education system has unique traits, it is following a non-unique predictable path towards privatization, one that is being employed around the world. Silva explores the current system, how the marketization of it is not unique and is entirely predictable, why this privatization strategy has been so successful and inconspicuous, and what we can do to return to true universality. Barbara is communications director with Support Our Students – Alberta, a grassroots public education advocacy group. Born in Ontario but raised all over Canada, Barbara attended 11 different public and separate schools. She holds a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Calgary and worked in the oil & gas industry for six years before pursuing her master of education from the University of Western Ontario. After working in the Rockyview School Division for four years, Barbara now volunteers her time advocating for children’s rights to an accessible, quality, and equitable public education, presenting policy proposals on curricula, student physical and mental health issues, equity of access, racism, and education funding to the Alberta Ministry of Education. “Public Education in Alberta: What? So What? Now What?” – Dr. Philip McRae This presentation explores some of the tensions and opportunities for public education in Alberta and the profession of teaching as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. It also opens a conversation around how schools and their communities are changing across Alberta and their expectations and aspirations in the face of the forces of privatization, standardization, personalization and datafication of learning. Dr. Philip McRae is Associate Coordinator, Research with the Alberta Teachers’ Association and Adjunct Professor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta where he earned his Ph.D. He was the Director of the internationally recognized Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) at the University of Alberta from 2005-2009, and taught several graduate courses in the Master of Education in Educational Studies program. Phil has worked in many secondary and post-secondary educational contexts while living and teaching in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Spain, and in Alberta, Canada with the Lethbridge Public School District and at Red Crow College with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation). The Blackfoot gave him the name Áípapomm, which means lightening. Conference Video sponsored by: Health Sciences Association of Alberta http://www.hsaa.ca Conference Video produced by: KTNEXUS http://ktnexus.ca
A presentation at Alberta 2019: Forces of Change, Parkland Institute's 22nd Annual Conference (November 16-18, 2018). http://parklandinstitute.ca http://parklandconference.ca “Alberta Education: The Predictable Path to Privatization” – Barbara Silva While Alberta’s education system has unique traits, it is following a non-unique predictable path towards privatization, one that is being employed around the world. Silva explores the current system, how the marketization of it is not unique and is entirely predictable, why this privatization strategy has been so successful and inconspicuous, and what we can do to return to true universality. Barbara is communications director with Support Our Students – Alberta, a grassroots public education advocacy group. Born in Ontario but raised all over Canada, Barbara attended 11 different public and separate schools. She holds a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Calgary and worked in the oil & gas industry for six years before pursuing her master of education from the University of Western Ontario. After working in the Rockyview School Division for four years, Barbara now volunteers her time advocating for children’s rights to an accessible, quality, and equitable public education, presenting policy proposals on curricula, student physical and mental health issues, equity of access, racism, and education funding to the Alberta Ministry of Education. “Public Education in Alberta: What? So What? Now What?” – Dr. Philip McRae This presentation explores some of the tensions and opportunities for public education in Alberta and the profession of teaching as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. It also opens a conversation around how schools and their communities are changing across Alberta and their expectations and aspirations in the face of the forces of privatization, standardization, personalization and datafication of learning. Dr. Philip McRae is Associate Coordinator, Research with the Alberta Teachers’ Association and Adjunct Professor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta where he earned his Ph.D. He was the Director of the internationally recognized Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) at the University of Alberta from 2005-2009, and taught several graduate courses in the Master of Education in Educational Studies program. Phil has worked in many secondary and post-secondary educational contexts while living and teaching in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Spain, and in Alberta, Canada with the Lethbridge Public School District and at Red Crow College with the Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation). The Blackfoot gave him the name Áípapomm, which means lightening. Conference Video sponsored by: Health Sciences Association of Alberta http://www.hsaa.ca Conference Video produced by: KTNEXUS http://ktnexus.ca