When in the spring of 1983 the education reform movement declared war on the “rising tide of mediocrity,” I wrote that “out of this bombardment [of recommendations from task forces] could come a higher standard of education so that 20 years down the road people might say it was education’s finest hour.”[1] I expressed my optimism in Churchillian phrases. Yet, as we have progressed down the road to reform, I see little evidence that we are going to accomplish much of what began with such promise.

I retain my overall optimism for education because I believe in the professionalism of educators. There is hope for the future of education if we heed the warnings of so many outstanding educators who say that only by understanding how teachers practice their profession can we ever hope to make real change in schools. Instead of taking into account the expertise of classroom teachers, the reformers of the past decade overwhelmed teachers with mandates, directives, innovations, and fads. A great wealth of teacher experience was ignored. The reform movement was – and still is – mainly driven by top-down decisions.

In recent years all provinces in Canada have forged ahead with various kinds of education reform. The situation has come to such a pass that teachers – fearing for their professionalism if not for their sanity – are beginning to say that enough is enough. The teachers of Alberta are speaking out loud and clear.

Thousands of Alberta teachers have made their voices heard in Trying to Teach.[2] This 27-page document is the report of the Committee on Public Education and Professional Practice, established by a resolution of the 1992 Annual Representative Assembly (ARA) of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. The committee’s mandate was “to develop and publicize a comprehensive position on and strategies for dealing with the combination of emerging trends in curriculum, methodology, and organization, which are imposing unsound educational practices on teachers and creating conflicting and unreasonable expectations of public education.”

The Alberta teachers were concerned about the rash of “solutions” being proposed for the problems of education – solutions that are sometimes politically motivated and sometimes pushed by administrators who want to give the appearance of being on the cutting edge of reform. One major concern expressed by the delegates debating the ARA resolution was that teachers and their professional association had little or no input into the myriad changes bemg undertaken.

Therefore, the committee sent invitations to all schools in Alberta, requesting that teachers and/or school staffs submit their responses to a list of recent trends or innovations taking place. The committee also sought the recommendations of superintendents, deans of faculties of education, and other educators. A total of more than 200 submissions were received, representing among them the opinions of more than 3,000 teachers.

Trying to Teach passionately and eloquently documents teachers’ responses to eight problematic innovations imposed on schools either by the provincial department of education or by school districts. These eight trends deal with integration of students with special needs into regular classes, results-based curriculum, program continuity, continuous progress, individual education plans, increased external testing, portfolio assessment, and mission statements. Many of the teachers were not opposed to change or reform – not even to the specific trends mentioned above. They saw some of them as good in theory but thought that “through lack of support of faulty implementation [they] may be unsound in practice as a result, or unworkable in their combined impact.”

Each of the eight trends is dealt with separately in the report, and the combined effects are considered as well because of their interrelated nature. The development that caused greatest concern among teachers was the notion of “integration of students with special needs.” Many teachers expressed “absolute support” for this goal but identified critical problems in implementation.

Larry Booi, an outstanding teacher who chaired the committee, pointed out that, given proper support, teachers would gladly accept many changes in their classrooms that would benefit teaching and learning. Booi observed that in general the teachers’ comments opposing some of the changes were made in the context of dedication to teaching and commitment to children. Many reformers and innovators complain that teachers resist change. But Booi does not agree:

We did not hear from the mass of teachers that they were opposed to change. Rather, they were opposed to meaningless change – that is, change that did not lead to improvements in instruction or that made it more difficult to meet the needs of children. They were opposed to changes that were perceived to be based on administrative whim or political expediency. Show them something that will improve their professional practice and that can be reasonably accomplished in their classrooms, and they will adopt it. But it must be their choice as professionals.

The report and two recommendations were presented to the 1993 ARA. The committee recommended that the ARA develop a comprehensive position on public education and professional practice according to the following principles: significant reductions in expectations placed on public education; recognition of the professionalism of teachers and of their right to make choices and judgments in the interests of their students; efficient school organization that recognizes the constraints of group instruction and the reasonable limits to individualization; provision of necessary supports for all introduced changes; opportunities and resources to help teachers refine and perfect instructional techniques; a model for implementing changes under controlled conditions and subject to independent evalution; and the restoration of balance in such areas as the integration of special students and student assessment. Probably the most important principle on which the implementation of change in education depends is “systematic and meaningful input by teachers, individually, in groups, and through their association” on matters that have an effect on their professional practice.

The committee also recommended that an action plan be developed and implemented to provide teachers and their association with an organized framework for promoting and achieving these changes. The 450 ARA delegates who represent 30,000 teachers unanimously approved the committee’s recommendations. They also approved – even in a period of fiscal restraint – $50,000 for the committee to carry on its work. The ongoing work of this committee will have far-reaching effects of the nature of teaching, not only in Alberta but in all of Canada.

The diploma mill sold college degrees from St. Regis University, Ameritech University and James Monroe University. It also sold counterfeit diplomas from George Washington University, the University of Maryland and Texas A&M University.

Young adults should be mindful of the problem of diploma mills as they prepare for college this fall. To protect themselves, they should deal only with institutions that have both regional and professional accreditation in their chosen field of study.

Generally, students are safe if they attend a college or university that has been accredited by one of the six major regional accrediting associations. In Virginia, that means the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The names of the other accrediting associations are available from the U. S. Department of Education or from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

But regional accreditation is only a first step. Students must then determine if the school they will be attending has professional accreditation as well. That means that the school has passed a rigorous evaluation by professionals in the field. Some of the more common professional accrediting groups are:

Business. The accrediting organization for schools of business is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Fortunately, most of the major universities in Virginia meet AACSB standards. However some universities do not. If you are unsure, go to the AACSB web site and click on accreditation.

Nursing. The National League for Nursing Accreditation evaluates nursing programs throughout the United States. The organization “is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting agency for postsecondary and higher degree nursing programs.”

Public Administration. Only four colleges in Virginia have undergraduate public administration programs that have been approved by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration: the College of William & Mary, George Mason University, James Madison University and Virginia State University.

Liberal Arts. A recent addition to the list of accrediting organizations is the American Academy for Liberal Education. St. John’s College in Annapolis and Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista have been approved by AALE. Other major public universities throughout Virginia have excellent liberal arts programs that will soon be accredited by AALE.

Applied Science. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology is “the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. . . [It] is a federation of 28 professional and technical societies representing these fields.”

Architecture. In my state, only three universities have been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board to award Bachelor of Architecture degrees: Hampton University, University of Virginia and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education is the “professional accrediting organization for schools, colleges, and departments of education in the United States. It is a coalition of over 30 organizations representing teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, and the public.”

Online programs. All students should be aware that accrediting organizations tend to look with disfavor on educational programs that rely exclusively on Internet technology. Some of these online schools have regional accreditation, but they cannot get professional accreditation because exams are open-book and unproctored. Further, students at such institutions often “share” the assignments and workload. Students may discover, to their chagrin, that a diploma from such a school is essentially worthless.

Recognizing the importance of physical education at a young age promotes healthy habits throughout life. As modern life becomes more sedentary and specialized, particularly for those who live in cities, the importance of physical education increases. It is important that children understand the importance of Physical Education and good health in their lifestyle. Schools should also recognize the importance of physical education.

One significant area of concern is the decrease in the physical activity of youth and of physical education in schools. The need for more physical education in schools is increasingly obvious to parents and healthcare professionals as well as professional educators. This is a great first step in elevating the role of physical education in schools.

Teaching physical education and play are as crucial to a child’s development as any academic endeavor. Teaching physical education majors study the effects of physical activity on the body and mind, especially in the development of young people.

Physical education is a supremely important component of a child’s development. Physical Education is an important aspect of a total education. Again one of the major goals of physical education is to prepare students to be active and healthy for a lifetime. Physical education is key to improving a child’s confidence, brainpower and long-term health. The aim of physical education is to establish a culture of health and fitness, which is for the benefit of society. Quality physical education should be provided to all students as an integral part of K-12 education.