Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre and public high school teacher. He received his Bachelor of Education 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.
Senior Fellow Michael Zwaagstra supports the Ford government’s crackdown on school renaming, targeting boards like the TDSB for attempting to erase John A. Macdonald’s legacy. Yes, Macdonald was imperfect, but without him, there might not be a Canada. Renaming schools drains money and distracts from teaching, Zwaagstra argues. Honouring Macdonald preserves the country’s foundations, and Canadians owe him that.
Senior Fellow Michael Zwaagstra warns that the NDP’s rollback of Tory-era school tax reforms has hammered Manitoba property owners. The government has reignited an unequal, outdated funding model by scrapping a 50% rebate in favour of a flat credit and letting school boards hike rates. The result? Soaring tax bills with no promise of relief. Zwaagstra says it’s time for full provincial funding.
Clear grades matter, and Michael Zwaagstra explains why. In Manitoba, traditional percentage marks help parents, students, and employers understand real academic performance. But a creeping trend—replacing grades with vague terms like “emerging” or “proficient”—is leaving parents baffled. Fortunately, Manitoba is pushing back against this confusing fad. Report cards should inform, not mystify.
Canada’s reading crisis has a simple solution: phonics. Senior Fellow Michael Zwaagstra spotlights Manitoba’s Evergreen School Division, which ditched trendy but ineffective reading methods in favour of structured, phonics-based instruction—and it’s already paying off. Literacy rates are climbing, yet most provinces still ignore the science. Zwaagstra argues it’s time for education faculties and policymakers to catch up. If we want chisldren to succeed, teaching them to decode words, not guess them, is the first step. Read more.
A Snapshot of Property Rights Protection in Canada After 10 years
The writ has been dropped and Albertans are off to the polls on May 29. That leaves just four weeks for political leaders and voters to sort out what is arguably the most divisive, yet significant, issue for this election - health care. On Day 2, NDP leader Rachel...
Manitoba students’ math scores are falling fast, and the NDP’s lowered education standards are to blame The results are in, and they don’t look good. Manitoba students writing the Pre-Calculus 40S math exam scored an average of 62.4 per cent—a six-per...
Would you let a doctor skip anatomy? Then why is Manitoba letting teachers skip subject expertise? Imagine that a young man we’ll call Jerry wants to become a high school physics teacher. So, Jerry applies to a Bachelor of Education program at a Manitoba...
“A teacher should be a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage.” This common saying is one of the most useless pieces of advice that teachers receive from their education professors. Many learning opportunities are, in fact, lost when teachers try to...
Remember when Manitoba teachers were once forbidden from giving zeroes to students who didn’t hand in assignments? At that time, even docking marks for late work was strongly discouraged. Unsurprisingly, this approach failed miserably. Anyone with an ounce of...
Judging by Manitoba’s growing deficit, math doesn’t appear to be the government’s strong suit. Now the government seems to want all Manitobans to have equally poor math skills. Last month, the province quietly removed all subject requirements for entry into a...
“Resistance to colonialism is not terrorism.” This quote was shown to more than 5000 Winnipeg School Division (WSD) staff last week at a professional development session that Dr. Chris Emdin from Teachers College, Columbia University delivered. Not...
Visit the website of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS) and you might think that all teachers are left-wing ideologues. The reality, however, is quite different. There is, in fact, plenty of diversity of thought among teachers despite the one-sided political message...
Students across Canada are now back in classrooms. As the new school year gets underway, let’s encourage schools to focus on what matters most teaching and learning. No doubt there is room for improvement. According to results from the Programme for International...
The Manitoba government is banning cell phones in schools. Starting next month, K-8 students will not be allowed to use cell phones at all during school hours. High school students may use phones during breaks and lunch hour, but not during class time. This...