A Critical Policy Analysis of Educational Policy in Saskatchewan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2025.v30i3.846Abstract
Teacher voice, defined as an act of democratic professionalism in public education, is not often investigated within educational policy. In Saskatchewan, there is a particular lack of information pertaining to the inclusion of teacher voice in strategic planning in public education. This study investigated the inclusion of teachers and their union, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), in the Educational Sector Strategic Plan 2014–2020 (ESSP). Using data from two sources: a document analysis and qualitative interviews with classroom teachers, critical policy analysis was used to discover the inclusion or exclusion of teachers in the ESSP. The document analysis noted that teachers and the STF were absent from related documentation, and the exclusion was also felt by the teacher participants. They explained that policy could be made more effective through their inclusion and gave examples of what they found useful or onerous. These findings can help guide future educational policy or adapt the current strategic policy in Saskatchewan.
Keywords: educational policy, critical policy analysis, teacher voice, public education
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