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

of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association in promoting the welfare
of teachers through various services, including advice, assistance, and legal
protection.
Deprofessionalization
Deprofessionalization is the trend towards the weakening of professional
education and the utilization of people without appropriate credentials to perform
the duties of teachers and other school agents. This is most typically characterized
by the involvement and recruitment of paraprofessionals, parents, and volunteers
to take on a range of tasks and practices that would normally be considered
professional tasks and practices. While professionalization raises the public
awareness of the standards and status of teachers, deprofessionalization calls into
question pedagogical approaches and who teaches.
In 1987, the BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association 1 (BCPVPA) was
made an autonomous organization, with the effect that principals and vice-principals
were deemed administrators, and no longer part of the BC Teachers Federation
(BCTF). The changes to the Teaching Profession Act, (Bill 51, 2003) changed the
composition of the BC College of Teachers governing council. Three other trends
characterize the deprofessionalization of teachers in BC: the home school movement;
the expansion of independent schools; and the increasing emphasis on skills.
The Alberta government, emphasizing a discourse of accountability, has been
characterized by continuing assaults on educators throughout the system. In 1994,
Bill 19 (the School Amendment Act) revised teacher certifi cation requirements, the
handling of complaints and disciplinary action towards teachers, and changed the
guidelines for professional conduct. Further, in 2002, Bill 12 ended a legal strike
by teachers and established a legislated settlement process to resolve the teachers’
dispute. This type of legislation could be seen as both adversarial and contributing
towards the breakdown of teachers’ professionalism and autonomy. Alberta’s
Commission on Learning Report (2003) recommended numerous dramatic reforms
affecting teachers and school leaders.
In Ontario, Bill 160 (the Education Quality Improvement Act (1997)) focused
on the centralization of education funding. Several provisions in Bill 160 had direct
consequences for teachers’ working conditions. The Quality in the Classroom Act
(2001) required beginning teachers to successfully pass a standardized Ontario
Teacher Qualifying Test (OTQT), in addition to their pre-service teacher education
program, as a condition of certifi cation. In 2003, writing and passing the Ontario
Teacher Qualifying Test (OTQT) became a requirement for membership in the
College of Teachers 2 .
Policy-Making Process and Styles of Governance
The most striking conclusion in this study is the clear link between political
ideology and governance styles. At one end of the continuum are the New Right
governments of Klein in Alberta, Harris in Ontario, Campbell in BC, and more
recently, Charest in Québec. The approach has been top-down, using legislation
to impose fi scal and education policy. At the other end of the continuum is
234 Section 5: Conclusion