Study
| EST. READ TIME 2 MIN.Education spending increased in BC since 2012/13 to $14,767 per student, but academic performance substantially declined over same period
K-12 Education Reform in British Columbia
- In the 2024/25 fiscal year, British Columbia plans to spend $9.6 billion on K-12 education.
- BC’s per-student spending in government schools grew 6.7 percent between 2012/13 to 2021/22, after adjusting for the effects of inflation.
- On the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), BC has experienced a decline in its reading, math, and science scores over the last twenty years.
- BC needs to reverse changes made to the provincial curriculum. This new curriculum has been a disaster, and it should never have been imposed on schools.
- In addition, BC should restore the previous course-based standardized exams that had been in place in grades 10 and 12. It must also include performance from such testing as part of Grade 12 grades and require such testing as a condition of graduation.
- BC would also be wise to follow the example of Alberta and pass legislation that enables parents and other community members to establish charter schools—publicly funded non-religious schools that do not fall under the authority of the local school board.
- An innovation in Australia for varying the value of the government grant for independent schools is worth noting and perhaps even extending to ensure that independent school education is available to families at all income levels.
- Given the current mix of comparatively high spending with declining academic results, British Columbia should review a broad range of education reforms to achieve better value for money and improved results for both students and taxpayers.
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Michael Zwaagstra
Senior Fellow, Fraser InstituteMichael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and senior fellow of the Fraser Institute. He received his Bachelor ofEducation and Master of Education from the University of Manitoba and Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University in Virginia. He is the author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning, and co-author of What’s Wrong with Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them. He is a frequent author of education policy research and newspaper columns across Canada. His research mainly focuses on curricula, teaching instruction and public education. Michael's research and commentary have been featured in radio, television and newspapers across the country. Michael lives with his wife and children in Steinbach, Manitoba.… Read more Read Less… -
Max Shang
Economist, Fraser InstituteMax Shang is an Economist at the Fraser Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, Max worked for the Food andAgriculture Organization of the United Nations as a statistician and University of Guelph as senior research associate. His past research work has been published in leading peer-reviewed academic journals including Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Computational Statistics. During his Ph.D. study, Max developed two more efficient statistical methods for calculating insurance premium. He holds a Ph.D. in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Guelph.… Read more Read Less…
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