Alberta’s education system leads Canada in promoting school choice, offering multiple alternative ways for children to be educated. Parents have taken note of these alternative institutions, opting to send their children to charter and independent schools or homeschool them. These parents have noted the lowered standards in the public education system and want their children to have better opportunities. Western Standard host Nigel Hannaford said on August 5 parents have opted to change where they send their children to school in the last 20 years. READ MORE: HANNAFORD: Moral rot at the heart of Alberta's school systemIn 2004, there were 5,485 students in charter schools, 18,762 in independent schools, and 6,650 being homeschooled in Alberta. In 2024, these numbers shot up to 12,807 in charter schools, 45,477 in independent schools, and 24,631 being homeschooled in Alberta. These alternative schools have distinct models the public education system does not replicate. They have gone against popular ideas being pushed in teachers’ colleges and decided to be different. Alberta Classical Academy (ACA) founder Caylan Ford said she began her charter that runs classical education schools because she was displeased with the educational options available for her children. “I figured that if I was feeling that way, presumably there were many other parents who were going through the same thing,” said Ford in an interview. “So I decided to start a school that in my view would correct a lot.” Classical education entails students studying classic works of literature, philosophy, history, and art. This curriculum is completed through the trivium progression, moving through the stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. At ACA locations, students reenact historic battles. In 2023, they performed battles from the Greco-Persian Wars and the Hundred Years War. It uses Singapore math in its math curriculum — a teaching method based on the national mathematics curriculum in Singapore — having students complete problems in concrete, pictorial, and abstract ways. Students are given a list of classical texts they have to read each year. They learn Latin from Grade 5 and up. The ACA started off by opening a Calgary Classical Academy (CCA) location in Bridgeland in 2022. It expanded with another CCA location in Currie and opened up the Edmonton Classical Academy. READ MORE: Calgary Classical Academy offers different approach to educationIt is looking into opening locations in Red Deer and Lethbridge. Between the schools that are opened, there are about 1,280 students attending them and another 3,000 on the waitlists. The founder went on to say she appreciates what Alberta Education has done to enhance school choice in the last few years. It has lifted the cap on charter schools, raised the enrolment cap, made modifications to allow them to own properties, and started to fund more capital projects for them. One suggestion she had for the Alberta government to enhance school choice would be to lift the requirement for teachers to have a bachelor’s of education degree. She said this requirement undermines the diversity of thought among teachers, as teachers’ colleges are often monolithic. Ford said school choice is a means to an ends. The ends is a better education for all students. “And if we care about preserving a coherent, harmonious, well-ordered, intelligible civilization, we all need to pay attention to the education the next generation is receiving,” she said. Charter schools are managed by non-profits with boards that were made to create them. To establish charter schools, these non-profits must apply to Alberta Education to receive a licence for them and have to renew it every five years. While charter schools are distinct, they have to teach from the provincial curriculum and follow the schedule of learning outcomes.They need to have a particular focus in areas such as innovative teaching, international languages, character development, vocational training, sports, or the arts. However, they cannot have religious instruction as their focus and cannot teach religion. Calgary Classical Schole (CCS) founder Annemarie Barwich said she started it because certain parents approached her after reading authors and coming across ideas about forming a hybrid school. “I was at that time a homeschooling teacher,” said Barwich. “And so we began this little group with 19 students in September of 2017.” CCS students are homeschooled following Alberta Education’s outcomes for each grade level and subject. At the CCS, Barwich said it “uses the best that Alberta Education has, but in the context of family with parents working as educational assistants for their students.” Its students come to a weekly day of classes at a campus. They follow up at home with readings, assignments, and online classes during the week. She said it uses classical education because it wants to look at the ends. The ends is students flowing towards wisdom and virtue and understanding that the liberal arts can make them freer. Its English curriculum focuses on reading classic books. In science, students study nature and what they see in it and formulate questions from that. There is a tuition fee for students who want to attend. This fee is between $250 and $350 from Grade 1 to 9 and $1,650 from Grade 10 to 12. While 19 students first attended the CCS, it has gone up to 170 students. This increase has led to it opening a second campus. In her experience, she said she believes the Alberta government has done a sufficient job at promoting school choice. While there is room for improvement, she said it appears the intention is present. She said the Alberta government should consult more with parents. This would allow parents to have more of the choices they desire. Barwich concluded by saying education has been taken on by governments. She said it should be shared with parents. “And so I believe Albertans need to be engaged and recognize that as taxpayers and parents, the responsibility for school choice should be there because it affects their children and their future,” she said. Alberta allows parents to educate their children through homeschooling in two models — funded and unfunded. Funded home education is facilitated by a parent from an associate board or an associate independent school acting as a school authority. Alberta Education provides $901 per student per year to school authorities and $901 per student per year to parents for educational supplies and lesson materials as long as they give receipts. Unfunded home education is provided by a parent without guidance from a school authority. In response, parents have to tell Alberta Education about their intent to start an unsupervised home education program.Parents for Choice in Education Executive Director John Hilton-O’Brien said Alberta is open to school choice because of cultural reasons. “Albertans are very independent minded,” said Hilton-O’Brien. “And they’re not going to put up with schooling that thinks every one has to conform.” Even if Albertans might be uncomfortable some times, Hilton-O’Brien said they value viewpoint diversity. This means parents have different beliefs on education and are willing to stand up for them. Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides refused an interview, but he said in a statement the government “has a proud and long history of supporting school choice.”“Choice in education is built to support students and families, as a one-size-fits-all system doesn’t work for everyone,” said Nicolaides. “We are enhancing access to unique programming by supporting the opening of new public charter schools, building on the 18 currently in operation.”Cardus President and CEO Michael Van Pelt said in 2023 Alberta’s business leaders need to step up and start demanding better results from the province’s education system. READ MORE: Think tank president asks Alberta business executives to support school choice“Business leaders need to be much more informed about the well-being of K-12 schooling in the province and advocate more strongly for educational choice, so that all school sectors produce the graduates with the basic skills and attributes of character that all businesses rely on — and that thriving economies require,” said Van Pelt. Van Pelt said almost half of Alberta businesses are struggling to find workers who have required people skills such as communication and leadership. He noted many businesses are having difficulty finding employees with basic numeracy and interpersonal skills and character attributes such as integrity and a strong work ethic.
