The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

In 1991, the New Democratic Party was elected, ending a 15-year period of
Social Credit government. Prior to the election, the Minister of Education, Stan
Hagen, continued to move forward a number of the reforms identifi ed in the Year 2000
document (e.g., dual entry kindergarten, curriculum reforms). The new Minister of
Education, Anita Hagen, proceeded to follow the course established by the Royal
Commission Report, Policy Directions (1989) and Year 2000 (1990). In 1993,
the Minister of Education, Art Charbonneau conceded that some of the directions
from Year 2000 had not been successful, and would therefore be discontinued.
Subsequent documents produced in 1993 and 1994 followed recommendations
from the Royal Commission as well as revising recommendations.
In the document Improving the Quality of Education in British Columbia:
Changes to British Columbia’s Education Policy (1993), the Ministry identifi ed a
number of structural changes. Education Policy followed the Minister’s concession
that recommendations from the Year 2000 document had not been totally successful.
There was a return to structured written reports rather than anecdotal reports in
Kindergarten to Grade 3, and a return to letter grades and written comments for
Grades 8 to 12. In 1993, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skills,
Training and Labour (which was responsible for postsecondary education) were
merged into the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training. This merger remained
in effect until 1998 when the two Ministries were separated again.
A policy and procedures manual (1993) was developed for the BC Educational
Records Link File. The Link File is a data base that links Grade 12 transcripts
to student information from BC’s universities, colleges, and institutes. This
collaborative venture by the province’s educational institutions allows information
to fl ow between schools and the postsecondary system. In the Putting Policies into
Practice Implementation Guide (1994), the Ministry posited strategic priorities
for 1994-95, included a summary of resources and support activities designed to
implement policy and program changes, and discussed the responsibility of groups
to work towards such implementation. The document articulated government
expectations that schools would participate in district- and school-based planning;
that the College of Teachers was to review requirements for certifi cation and teacher
education in relation to new programs; and that the development of partnerships
between schools and school boards and the business and labour sectors would be
emphasized. Provincial and professional organizations were expected to work to
understand, adapt to, and implement the new policies and programs.
In 1987, the BC Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association 4 (BCPVPA) was
made an autonomous organization representing 95 per cent of BC’s school-based
administrators (e.g., approximately 2,400 people). Principals and vice-principals were
considered administrators, and were no longer a part of the BC Teachers’ Federation
(BCTF) 5 . This separation from the BCTF became law with the passage of the Industrial
Relations Act, Bills 19 and 20 (1987). These bills eliminated the restriction on teachers
being considered employees under the act, eliminated compulsory membership for
teachers in the BCTF, and took principals and vice-principals out of the bargaining
unit. Many teachers viewed the legislation as an attempt to split the BCTF and, in
April 1987, BC teachers acted in solidarity with the rest of the labour movement and
participated in a general strike to protest Bills 19 and 20. The legislation required
14 Section 1: The West