Support improvements to the quality of education in secondary schools in Vancouver now!

Support improvements to the quality of education in secondary schools in Vancouver now!

Started
October 16, 2020
Signatures: 40Next Goal: 50
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Why this petition matters

Started by Citizens for Equitable Quality Education in Vancouver

We are writing to you as parents and citizens of Vancouver to express our concerns with the quality of our children’s education. We recognize that these are extraordinary times and we are thankful for the careful thought and planning that has gone into supporting our teachers, students and others across the VSB.
 
We understand that direction and advice is being taken from public health supported by science, evidence and learnings from other provinces and countries around the world. We are appreciative of the many changes that have been made to the way that schools are being run from new cleaning protocols, to classroom set-ups, school routines, etc. We realize that this takes immense effort and many iterations of planning, implementation and modifications along the way as new information becomes available and the trajectory of the pandemic changes.
 
We are aware that there is a rationale for adopting a new school schedule, moving secondary schools to a quartered semester, and adopting a mix of in-person and remote learning for each quarter.
 
Our key concerns with secondary school in 2020/21 are the experience of remote learning, the reduction in hours of teaching, the inequity that it creates, and the impact on students’ mental health and well-being.
 
The experience of remote learning:
Remote learning must include teaching. Ideally, synchronous teaching.
·       The experience of remote learning varies across subjects, teachers and schools.
·       To date, there is minimal synchronous remote teaching. Most remote learning is done in the way of assignments being posted online. There are days when nothing new is shared online. 
·       The stress of living in a pandemic is being further exacerbated as students struggle with remote learning. Many students do not have the skills or discipline to be self-taught.
·       Students are not aware of how to access help and support from their teachers during the remote component of their school day.
 
There is a significant reduction in the number of teaching hours:
The 2020/21 semestered school year should involve a comparable number of hours of learning/ teaching as in past years.
·       In past years, students typically attended 80 minute classes, roughly 2.5 days per week over a forty week period, receiving approximately 133 hours of instruction per subject.  In sharp contrast, this year, students will attend 105 minute in-person classes, five days per week, for half of the ten week quarter, which is the equivalent of a total of 44 hours of synchronous instruction per subject. In 2020/21 it is estimated that students will receive only one third of the synchronous hours of education that they had in previous years.
·       It is unclear if or how these missed hours will be made up or the long-term impact that fewer hours of teaching will have on students.
 
Equity amongst students:
The VSB’s current set up for remote learning is fostering inequity.
·       Students are struggling with remote learning. Those who have a caregiver/guardian/parent with the time and skill set to teach them and/or have access to tutors are faring better.  
·       There is already a two-tiered education system in Vancouver. This gap is widening as students in private schools currently have access to in-person learning five days per week and/ or hybrid models that include full-time synchronous learning.
·       Students are feeling under-prepared and unsupported, especially students in grades 11 and 12. These students will be applying to the same post-secondary schools as their peers in other schools /school districts who have greater access to synchronous learning.
 
Secondary students’ mental health and well-being:
Students benefit from structure and routine. With fewer overall hours of school (in person and remote), secondary students have a lot more unstructured and unsupervised time. Time that is usually spent in school amongst their peers.
·       Too much free time more often than not adds up to more time spent on screens, playing video games, on social media, etc. Long term this can negatively impact students’ physical health and mental well-being.
·       Too much discretionary time can lead to opportunities for teenagers to fall into dangerous activities.
 
Our students’ education was compromised significantly for the latter half of the 2019/20 school year and this pandemic can last well into the 2021/22 school year. The time to make further improvements to the learning experience is now.
 
Private schools in Vancouver and public high schools in other districts in BC under the same public health and safety directives have found ways to offer a different learning experience. Private schools in Vancouver are providing full-time in-person teaching and even options for students to view and hear their classes via a livestream link. These teachers have the exact same educational training as the teachers working in the VSB.
 
Some other ideas to consider:
·       Schedule remote learning differently. Students are struggling with the time between in-person and remote learning. Consider alternating between in-person learning and remote more frequently to avoid big gaps between face-to-face time and access to teachers.
·       Make the most of existing technology and platforms to engage in synchronous teaching.
·       Leverage already existing online course materials to support the remote learning experience.
 
An education provided by the VSB should not be an inferior education. Our students deserve more.

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Signatures: 40Next Goal: 50
Support now
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