Only 5% of Alberta teachers believe new K-6 curriculum will be positive for students: poll

Just five per cent of teachers in Alberta agree that the province's new K-6 curriculum will be positive for students, and only three per cent of teachers say they have the resources and support to successfully implement the new curriculum, according to a new survey by the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA). 

The results of the survey come the same day Alberta's education minister released the next steps for implementing sweeping changes for how learning is delivered to students from Kindergarten through Grade 6. 

The survey for the ATA, done by Environics Research, polled 825 teachers from Jan. 31 to Feb. 17 and has a sampling error of +/- 3.4 per cent. The survey also asked 800 members of the public some of the questions about the draft curriculum, though a margin of error is not available because it was an opt-in panel survey. 

In December of 2021, Alberta Education announced it would move ahead with implementing new English, math and physical education K-6 curriculum in the fall of 2022. Changes to fine arts, science and social studies will be rewritten before being put into classrooms at a later date. 

When teachers were asked whether they "approve or disapprove of the way the Alberta government is handling K to 12 education in the province," 76 per cent of respondents said they strongly disapprove. Another 14 per cent say they somewhat disapprove and just ten per cent say they either strongly or somewhat approve of the way Alberta is handling education. 

There's more support of the new draft curriculum among members of the public, the poll finds.

Overall, 25 per cent of Albertans say they agree that "the draft curriculum will provide students with the knowledge and skills to form the foundations for successful and fulfilling lives."

The survey found 49 per cent of the public don't agree the new curriculum will be positive for students and 27 per cent of respondents weren't sure.