COLUMN: Think Again – NDP continues to flounder on education policy

The results are in, and they aren’t good. Manitoba students writing the Pre-Calculus 40S math exam scored an average of 62.4 percent—a six percentage point decline since 2019.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt was quick to blame social factors such as child poverty. However, Schmidt should be careful with that argument, since it implies that child poverty rates are worse under her government than under the previous Progressive Conservative government.

Knowing that she couldn’t deflect the question entirely, Schmidt added that her department is looking at making changes to the math curriculum. Apparently, even Schmidt recognizes that Manitobans expect her government to do something about this problem.

Of course, we should take this pledge with a grain of salt. Just last year the NDP government announced its plan to get rid of Grade 12 provincial exams entirely and only backed down in the face of a massive public outcry. Had the Grade 12 math exam been abolished, we wouldn’t even have this latest data available, since it never would have been collected in the first place.

Hiding our heads in the sand and pretending that everything is fine is not acceptable. If we want things to get better, three things need to happen.

First, the NDP must reverse its disastrous lowering of teacher education standards. While Manitoba used to require all prospective early and middle years teachers to take two university-level math courses, this requirement no longer exists. Even worse, high school teachers no longer need to complete a major or minor in a subject taught in Manitoba schools.

In other words, future math teachers will be able to enroll in a bachelor education program with only a gender studies degree as a prerequisite. It boggles the mind that the NDP doesn’t think that math teachers need a solid mastery of basic mathematics. We need higher, not lower, standards for teachers.

Second, the NDP needs to ensure that math curriculum guides place a stronger emphasis on the academic basics. This means requiring students to memorize basic math facts such as the times table and master the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The evidence is clear that traditional, teacher-directed instruction benefits students. Teachers must take charge of their classrooms and provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. Enough with dubious fads such as project-based learning and useless sayings about teachers being a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage.”

In fact, there is nothing wrong with arranging desks in rows, providing students with clear instructions, giving plenty of opportunity for students to practice, and immediately correcting student errors. This is how most students learn best.

Finally, the NDP needs to introduce standardized testing at more grade levels. We shouldn’t wait until Grade 12 before students write their first provincial exam; they should write standardized exams on multiple occasions throughout their time in school. This enables the province to identify problem areas earlier and use this data to make necessary changes.

Of course, this is easier said than done. One key obstacle is that the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, like other teachers’ unions across Canada, is implacably opposed to standardized testing. Since the symbiotic relationship between MTS and the NDP is well-known, it will no doubt be difficult for NDP politicians to go against their union buddies. But that is exactly what they must do.

When it comes to math scores, Manitoba continues to rank near the bottom among Canadian provinces. If we ever want this to change, we need to start doing things differently. This means getting serious about improving math education.

Michael Zwaagstra is a high school teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.