Yukon gov't sets new goals for student happiness and well-being in 10-year plan

A new 10-year education strategy being introduced in Yukon schools next year will test students' happiness, confidence and connection to the land, though the metric for measuring those goals haven't been shared yet.

The Yukon government developed the strategy in response to a 2019 auditor general's report, which said the education system was failing rural and Indigenous students. It also said the territory's Department of Education lacked evaluative metrics to assess student success and asked the government to develop a plan with goals, an implementation plan and ongoing assessments to track them over time.

The new strategy is based on 14 goals, or "student outcomes statements," that aim to create well-rounded students. The goals say that by the time students leave the public education system, they will: know who they are, be resilient and emotionally intelligent, be financially literate, be happy, understand Yukon First Nation history, culture, protocols and world views, and actively try to make the world a better place, among other things. 

"The learner outcomes are holistic, grounded in Yukon realities and very ambitious, but they're purposefully so, because we want the very best outcomes," said Clare Daitch, director of policy with the education department.

A 35-page strategy published on May 28 established the goals and the government is promising a plan on how to implement them in the fall.

Ted Hupé, president of the Yukon educators' union, said that implementation plan will be key.

"You can't argue with the statements, they're all feel-good statements," Hupé said. "But there's very little meat in the [strategy]."

Hupé hopes the implementation plan will outline clear expectations for teachers and provide more resources.

He said the department has historically failed to operationalize its goals, like in a 2023 numeracy strategy which pledged improvements in math. Meanwhile, he said teachers haven't had comprehensive professional development on math in decades.

He also noted that if the plan is shared in the fall, it will take another year for resources and staffing to put it to action.

Hupé also said he's concerned that some of the goals are actually impossible to measure, like achieving student happiness.

But Daitch with the education department says the plan is to establish metrics for the less tangible goals, including student happiness, and that will be released in the fall too.

Educators need support to follow through

The government hired Indigenous-owned IRP Consulting to help create the student outcomes. Co-owners Davida Wood and Tosh Southwick spent 18 months talking to students, teachers and First Nations governments before drafting the 14 goals in their final report in April 2023.

Wood agreed with Hupé that teachers, who are often balancing multiple initiatives at once, will need support to roll out the strategy. And that it will take a few years before the public notices change.

"It takes time to do this and implement this," Wood said. "I think, come September, it's probably going to feel like a slow start."

Southwick said some of the student outcomes will require a stronger presence from First Nations' educators in the classroom. She said families should also be engaged with the new goals, though it might be teachers' responsibilities to get families on board at first.

"When we made the shift away from letter grades, that was hard for a lot of families, because that's what we know," Southwick said. "So I think there's a need for us to spend time explaining why these things, like a sense of belonging, are important."