University of Alberta faculty of Education. Image via www.ualberta.ca
EDMONTON– As the Alberta teachers’ strike stretches on, education experts warn the deepest scars will be felt far from the picket lines, in the homes of families already struggling to make ends meet.
Dr. Tibetha Kemble (Stonechild), a professor of education at the University of Alberta who studies inequality in schooling, says lower-income and rural families face barriers that make “learning at home a privilege, not a plan.” She points to the realities of poverty in Alberta: unstable housing, food insecurity, unreliable internet, and parents juggling multiple jobs or shift work.
“Many families rely on schools for breakfast and lunch programs, safe supervision, routine, and access to educational assistants, counsellors, and speech or language therapy,” she said. When schools close, those lifelines vanish.
For rural and northern communities, the professor says distance and weak broadband access make remote learning nearly impossible. And for First Nations students, she adds, “the legacy of underfunded education systems compounds all of this.” When provincial schools close, many Indigenous students attending off-reserve must turn to already under-resourced band schools. “It creates a double burden,” she said, “where First Nations students are asked to adapt to a second, differently funded system in the middle of a crisis.”
Narrow room to cope
Families with lower incomes often have little capacity to absorb the blow. Parents without paid leave or savings can’t simply stay home. “If you don’t have a car, savings, or strong internet, your options are limited to older siblings caregiving, neighbours stepping in, or community programs with waitlists,” she said.
Even when families try to support learning, she notes, materials are often inaccessible as they are written in technical language or offered only online. “The mitigation burden,” she said, “is quietly offloaded to families least resourced to carry it.”
Most vulnerable ages
The youngest learners and those in key transition years are likely to suffer the most. Missed classroom time in early grades undermines reading and math foundations. Students shifting schools or planning graduation may face delays in credit completion or entry to trades and post-secondary programs. “Interruptions here directly affect graduation timing and post-secondary or trades entry,” she said.
Children with disabilities or complex needs are hit hardest at any age. “Specialized supports aren’t easily paused and resumed,” she said.
Long-term and intergenerational costs
The professor warns that prolonged closures will have lasting impacts on lower-income communities. Students may see delayed graduations, weaker credentials, and lower lifetime earnings. She points to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) research showing prolonged school closures create “learning loss” that echoes in employment and income.
Those effects ripple across generations. “When parents already face precarious work and high stress, a shutdown increases anxiety, caregiving demands, and lost income,” she said. For Indigenous families, interruptions to language, culture, and trust in schools can deepen historical trauma.
Community programs can only do so much
Community organizations, including Friendship Centres and Boys & Girls Clubs, help fill the gaps, offering food, safety, and belonging. But they can’t replace a school system. “They stabilize; they do not substitute,” she said. “They fill gaps but shouldn’t be the gap.”
Policy solutions within reach
While the professor acknowledges strikes are a labour right, she says governments can plan for continuity. She calls for “continuity guarantees” such as community-run learning hubs with meals, reliable internet access, and supervision. Other measures include small-group tutoring, broadband subsidies, caregiver benefits, and targeted funding for Indigenous-led programming that aligns with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Her core message for policymakers is to plan with communities, not for them. “If we take equity seriously, we stop treating school closure as just a pause in instruction,” she said. “We start treating it as a risk to children’s rights, family livelihood, language and culture, along with community wellbeing.”
The Alberta Teachers Association and the Government of Alberta are returning to the bargaining table this week, with both sides hoping to find a solution that ends the strike.
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