February 22, 2018

Government needs to release data used in Glaze report

The NSTU is calling on Education Minister Zach Churchill to release the background data behind the Glaze report so it can be properly evaluated.

The request comes after Dr. Greg Thompson (Queensland University of Technology) and Dr. David Rutkowski, (Indiana University) released an analysis of the Glaze report earlier this week. Their review was conducted independently of the NSTU.

Their review’s three main findings were as follows:

1. That the (Glaze) report is understood as an exploratory study providing select perspectives on issues that some educational stakeholders believe the Nova Scotian education system is having.

2. That although the (Glaze) report clearly identifies issues worthy of further research, more evidence should be provided/collected to corroborate the recommendations ensuring that each can be supported by evidence rather than opinion.

3. Given the high-stakes associated with these recommendations, amounting to a massive reform of the educational system, the methods and data should be made public so that an independent stakeholder can reanalyze the data to ensure the findings validity and reliability.

NSTU President Liette Doucet says given more than 110,000 students will be impacted by the Glaze report, it is imperative that the data used in developing the recommendations be made available for evaluation before any laws are changed.

“This data will come out eventually through the Freedom of Information process, unfortunately that will likely be after the government has imposed more legislation on our public education system,” says NSTU President Liette Doucet. “We cannot afford to be making decisions that impact the future of students based on flawed assumptions. It is in the public’s best interests that the hidden methods and data behind the Glaze report be made available for scrutiny.”