Letters: Friday June 6th, 2008

Telegraph-Journal
Education data explanation needed

The shell game this Liberal government has been playing has got to stop. I have been asking for answers on specifics of the upcoming program changes, which the Liberal government has announced for this coming school year.

It would seem from the article in Tuesday's paper "That's the rub - Data" that I have been asking the wrong questions.

It has been quietly alluded to that the government had made up its mind about these changes long before the Croll/Lee report was commissioned; now it seems there is some evidence in support of this.

The Liberal government spent $180,000 on a report which has not only been shown to be flawed but now it seems very possible the conclusions of the report were arrived at first, then the data selected to fit those conclusions!

The response from the government official is just as reprehensible.

When the data points in a direction other than the one they desire, the teachers are blamed. Is the arrogance of the Liberal government so entrenched that they really expect us to believe that the teaching in the immersion program is substandard?

And this, the program the minister referred to as an enrichment program for elitist parents. They cannot have it both ways!

If the data in this report was truly manipulated to fit a preconceived conclusion, the people of this province deserve an explanation.

The current minister of education must be held responsible. This is on his watch and he alone is accountable.

MARK DANELLS, Rothesay

Daily Gleaner
Lamrock's mind is clouded

Education Minister Kelly Lamrock and his handful of political hawks are leading his Liberal government on a warpath.

He thinks he's found the weapon of mass destruction in the education system, and it's called early French immersion.

He struck quickly and with stealth. He produced a biased report and then dropped the bomb two weeks later. He's been spinning political propaganda ever since - convincing the public and his own caucus that the EFI program is guilty of crimes in the education system.

He demonizes his opponents, draws upon misleading and inaccurate statistics, and blacks out parts of reports that don't support his position.

He does this all very eloquently.

He still comes across as the smartest guy in the room - so sincere, concerned and genuine. But shrewd is not the same as smart.

A smart politician would have looked a little deeper and would have actually consulted with the experts, teachers and parents.

He would have been flexible in his policy decisions, not single-minded. He would have been truthful in his approach.

Instead, he has his own agenda, claiming that EFI is the smoking gun. The real crime against New Brunswick children is the lack of resources in the education system, as all past reports have stated.

Lamrock could have done the right thing and lobbied his government to address inclusion, enhance core French, infuse EFI with real resources and still fully implement his intensive French program. This would have produced a true increase in learning outcomes, as opposed to smoke screened test results.

Lamrock is leading the education system into a quagmire that subsequent governments will have to clean up.

We need some doves in this government to provide the leadership to change this direction before its too late.

Mike Wolfe, Fredericton

Appalled by decision

As the grandparent of a child in French immersion at Fredericton's Connaught Street School, I have been so impressed by the program and the rapid language development of my granddaughter.

I've been privileged to attend several class events, and it's evident that the children are engaged, stimulated and fulfilled by their school experience.

This contrasts starkly with my own children's experience 30 years ago in French immersion in Ontario, and my grandchildren's current unilingual schooling in British Columbia.

Connaught is head and shoulders ahead of those.

I'm appalled that Education Minister Kelly Lamrock is planning to take arbitrary action to tamper with this obvious success - this jewel in the crown of New Brunswick's education system.

Bob Gibson, La Peche, Que.

Bugle-Observer
Letter to the Editor
Published Friday June 6th, 2008
Dear Editor,

In March and April, two Ministers of government each made a major announcement. One formed his plan with international experts in the appropriate industry, HLT Advisory Inc. and KPMG; the other hired two New Brunswickers with only a passing knowledge of the field.

The first signalled months ago that he was taking New Brunswick into a new venture; the second allowed only two weeks for citizens to discuss the most radical changes in his field in twenty years.

The first has treated the small amount of opposition to his plan with respect and dignity; the second came out swinging when research centres, scholars and citizens called his plan the bad result of a bad process.

I am referring, of course, to Minister Boudreau's recent announcement of a casino in Moncton, and Minister Lamrock's still-embattled plan for French instruction in the province, most recently derided by Dr. Genesee of McGill university as like taking a sledgehammer to fix a boat.

Liberals who persist in supporting Lamrock's plan probably imagine that the growing opposition is some sort of anti-Liberal campaign. But they should take note of these differences: Minister Boudreau did his homework and is advancing his file; Minister Lamrock continues to govern through intuition and is miring the whole party down with him.

Michel Roy, Fredericton

Grits are frittering their lead away

Published Friday June 6th, 2008
Telegraph-Journal
MARTY KLINKENBERG
At the legislature

Months of stumbling, obfuscating and ruling by condescension seems to have finally caught up with the Liberals. A poll released this week indicates that their popularity is waning, and that's not a good sign for a government operating against an Opposition with a lame duck ruling the roost.

The interim-led Tories have done precious little to gain in popularity on their own, but they haven't had to. All they have had to do is show up at the legislature, and let the Liberals try to re-invent every wheel ever made -- regardless of whether it needs fixing or not.

Political parties have a tendency to dismiss polls that don't tell them exactly what they want to hear, but in this case, it would serve the Liberals well to look at the falling numbers and seriously contemplate whether changes should be made. ...

Cabinet ministers are getting regularly heckled as a result of the party's unpopular initiatives ...

It doesn't seem to matter how many people complain, nor how loud, and that is the root of the Liberals' problem. Arrogance isn't bliss, it is political suicide.

This is how poorly things are going for them: after cancelling public hearings, limiting public input and ignoring public outcry, they spent $100,000 recently to better learn how to "engage" the public. ...

The public has not bought into the elimination of early French immersion, and is waiting to pounce on the government's belated and much-awaited plan for post-secondary education. They are angry over health care issues, sylviculture, uranium mining, and taxes. ...

In some cases, if the public is so opposed, the Liberals should re-examine the direction they are going. On top of that, they should stop acting as if they know it all, and start listening to the people who actually elected them.

Ignorance isn't bliss. It is the road to political ruin.

Click here to link to full article.

Parental Choice in Education Act (Bill 79) to be debated in house today

The bill be debated and voted on this afternoon. The call is for a standing vote.

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

Parental Choice in Education Act +

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, enacts as follows:

Delay Policy Change

1. Notwithstanding any provision of the Education Act, chapter E-1.12 of the Acts of New Brunswick, 1997, no changes shall be made to Department of Education Policy Statement 309, made effective on April 21, 1994, and revised on October 25, 2001, unless

(a) a referendum is held concerning the proposed changes, and
(b) the referendum authorizes the changes.

Commencement

2. This Act comes into force on a day to be fixed by proclamation.

Click here to link to Bill 79

Parents make case for judicial review of immersion decision

Paula Small speaks to reporters outside the Court of Queen’s Bench in Saint John Wednesday. Justice Hugh McLennan will issue a ruling next week on Small’s application for a judicial review of the education minister decision to scrap early French immersion.

Matt McCann
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL, June 5th, 2008

SAINT JOHN - New Brunswick parents have had their day in court, but will have to wait a week to learn the outcome of their application for a judicial review of Education Minister Kelly Lamrock's decision to eliminate the early French immersion program.

On May 14 Paula Small and Patrick Ryan, two New Brunswick parents, filed affidavits at the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John asking the court to review Lamrock's decision and seeking an injunction to reverse all decisions related to it.

Two weeks later the province responded with an affidavit of its own, filed by John Kershaw, deputy minister of education, seeking to quash the application.

Kershaw stated, among other things, that reversing the process, which is already underway, could end up costing the province $2 million.

Wednesday, lawyers for both sides met before Justice Hugh McLennan at the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John to argue their cases.

Speaking on behalf of Small and Ryan, Thomas Christie emphasized that the issue at stake is procedural fairness and a violation of the Charter rights that guarantee minority language education.

"If there's ever a province where Charter rights around language are an issue, it's New Brunswick," he said.

They weren't debating whether Lamrock's decision was right or wrong, Christie argued, but that Lamrock went about it in the wrong way.

"He has to do it according to rules of natural justice and procedural fairness," said Christie. "The process used to arrive at the decision was wrong."

Both Small and Ryan have children in kindergarten and registered them in early February for the Grade 1 early French immersion program in September.

Shortly after, the government announced its decision to axe the program.

Christie said that on Feb. 27 Lamrock issued a press release seeking public input on proposed changes to French second-language programming in the province, based on 18 recommendations from the Croll-Lee report.

The report's data and methodology have been heavily criticized.

According to Christie, Lamrock left only two weeks between issuing the release and implementing the changes in the report, including axing the EFI program. This was not enough time to gather meaningful input on the policy change.

As well, the press release was only available online, and requested feedback via e-mail, making it difficult for some parents.

Clyde Spinney, the lawyer for the province, said the minister had no obligation to consult with the public over a matter of broad public policy.

In fact, said Spinney, the minister went out of his way to meet with different groups and answered the 100 e-mails he received on the subject.

He also denied that any Charter rights were violated.

Though a decision won't be given until next Wednesday, Small says they've already accomplished something.

"One of the things we've accomplished today is the recognition that yes we do have a voice that needs to be heard," she said.

"I feel it's important for all parents to be involved in the education of their children," she said, "so no matter what decision comes out of the process, I'll be involved in my child's education."

Click here to link to article and comments on the Telegraph-Journal webpage.

Letters June 5th: Lamrock shouldn't take credit for teachers' hard work

Daily Gleaner

At the New Brunswick launch of the Royal Conservatory of Music's Learning Through the Arts, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock stated in his praise of the program that it shows, "you can use music and art to create a more engaging classroom ... the kids are far more engaged than sitting still in a chair."

Lamrock claims that he visits classes frequently. Has he not observed that elementary teachers already do this? Does he really think that today's students are painfully "sitting still in a chair" and that this is the first proof that integrating singing and art into the larger curriculum is a good idea?

The Learning Through the Arts website, http://www.ltta.ca, wisely makes no such claim; rather, it states that the project's goal is to provide "rigorous, structured curriculum" and lesson plans that support teachers who are already a long way down this road.

Lamrock needs to stop taking credit for the improvements teachers have already made long before he became minister.

A more productive use of his time would be to find some way to reverse the damage he will do to our province by eliminating all French instruction from the first five years of schooling.

Michelle Williams, Fredericton

Liberals must consult more

Former New Brunswick Liberal Association president Marcelle Mersereau wrote in her weekly Telegraph-Journal column that the Graham government must increase public consultation regarding its more controversial reforms.

I could not agree more. The lack of public input and expert advice has hampered efforts by Premier Shawn Graham to justify the removal of French language education from anglophone elementary schools in New Brunswick.

The support for educational reform in New Brunswick is almost unanimous. Everyone agrees that changes must be made to improve test scores in literacy, numeracy and science.

A society with dismal results in these categories cannot survive in our globalized economy.

While global competitiveness is important when considering what we teach our children, we cannot ignore important local cultural ties. The disrespect shown to our Acadian cousins and neighbours by axing French instruction is absolutely disgraceful.

The Liberal government could have asked New Brunswickers and language experts how best to teach our children a second language within a reformed school system. They instead relied on the opinions of only three people: Jim Croll, Patricia Lee and Kelly Lamrock.

The voices of parents, citizens, teachers and researchers were completely shut out of the discussion. Concerned parents have been forced to approach the courts for a chance to be heard.

This is unacceptable for a 21st century democratic society.

Shawn Graham should take the advice of Mersereau and put a stop to the Lamrock reforms.

The people are not against change; we simply want it done in the right way.

Robert Hoadley, Fredericton

Why did opera singer's comment go unreported?

Is it possible for the provincial newspapers of New Brunswick to be any more deaf to the voices who oppose the Liberal plan to eliminate early French immersion?

A recent edition of The Daily Gleaner, in reporting on Measha Brueggergosman's local launch of the nation-wide Learning Through the Arts program, did not even mention her pointed comments on this issue: "If you can add arts programs and know that's an effective way to teach children, it's a no-brainer that early immersion shouldn't be cut."

Here is a New Brunswicker, internationally-known for her musical talent, who considers her elementary EFI education, alongside her musical one, to be two of the most important things she learned in a New Brunswick school, and the papers deem this un-newsworthy.

If the provincial papers are going to provide us with every ministerial musing on "hidden X factors" in second language learning, could they also inform us of some real-life success stories, too?

Shelley Duguay, Campbell River, B.C.

AEFNB calls for one year moratorium on Minister Lamrock's decision

The AEFNB is a professional association dedicated to French education and to the teaching profession. Its 2400 members work in public schools from kindergarten through grade 12.

They recently had an Annual General Meeting in Fredericton this past weekend and decided that they had to comment on the changes made to education programs in NB. The following is their translated press release.
___________________________

The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (AEFNB) has asked the provincial government to proclaim a one-year moratorium on changes to the public school system in New Brunswick.

It has also called for a general assessment during that year of the state of public education with a view to defining the objectives that New Brunswickers want to see implemented in the province's schools.
...

"New Brunswick has reached a point at which it is important to step back and reflect, Francophones and Anglophones together, on what we want the education system in this province to be and to consider the unique challenges facing each of our linguistic communities," stated Marcel Larocque, president of the AEFNB.
...
____________________________
Click here to link to their translated version of their Press Release (pdf file).

Government can't hide behind consultants

Telegraph-Journal Editorial, Published Wednesday June 4th, 2008

A parents' group organized to fight the cancellation of early French immersion claims to have found a 'smoking gun' in government correspondence. The group has released portions of an e-mail message sent by French Second Language report co-author James Croll to an unnamed individual. The e-mail appears to discuss the difficulty of isolating data to support the report's arguments.

Much of the context surrounding the e-mail is missing, but the portions that haven't been blacked out raise legitimate questions. Parents want to know which came first: the commissioners' research, or the government's conclusions.

If it turns out the Department of Education took an active role in shaping the conclusions of the Croll-Lee report, the legitimacy of Mr. Lamrock's policy decisions will be undermined. At that point, not many people will be trying to determine whether his initiatives are good ones; what New Brunswickers will remember is the abuse of public trust.

The unspoken rules for government are fairly simple: If you know what you want to do, do it. If you haven't figured out what you want to do, hire an experienced, independent consultant to provide advice. But under no circumstances should a government hire consultants to propose and justify a course of action it has already chosen.

Doing so is an act of political cowardice. It crosses the line between consultation and spin-doctoring, and it can deeply erode a government's credibility.

We hope the government has not interfered in the commission process, because finding the right policy for public schools matters, and Mr. Lamrock seems committed to the quest. Battling over the political process is an unfortunate distraction from the main issue - whether the government's reforms will improve opportunities for New Brunswick's students.