The New Brunswick Teacher’s Association (NBTA) says a new pilot program giving teachers 10 additional days for professional practice is having a positive impact on educators. The 2025-2026 academic year was the first to include the pilot program, with 37 Anglophone sector schools taking part. Surveys were conducted in June 2025, the year before the program began, and again last June after the project’s inaugural campaign from both participating and non-participating schools in the program. “The data is clear, the additional professional practice time is making a difference,” says NBTA president Heidi Ryder. “Teachers in the 37 schools have more time to collaborate with colleagues around student needs, analyze assessment information and identify gaps, plan for individual students, prepare for instruction, work with colleagues and allied health professionals, communicate with families, and engage in associated professional learning.” The survey found 68.5 per cent of teachers in pilot schools agree or strongly agree that they feel more confident bringing new teaching strategies to the classroom. The number was 56.6 per cent for educators who were not part of the pilot. Additionally, 77.8 per cent of pilot teachers say the extra development days allowed them to engage in professional learning, compared to just 49.7 per cent for those teaching the additional days. Teachers who were part of the pilot also felt their workload was more manageable and had more confidence to meet the learning needs of students. “The experiences of teachers in non-pilot schools gives us an important point of reference and for us confirms the value that dedicated time for professional practice can bring to our classrooms and schools,” says Ryder. “The results released today are early indicators that the pilot is already achieving its intended outcomes.” Ryder says the impacts are most notable in three key areas, which are teacher collaboration, professional practice and teaching/learning preparation. She says when teachers have more time to prepare, students benefit. Last month the 2025-26 school year provincial assessment results showed stable or decreasing rates in key areas like math and literacy. When asked if there was a difference in scores between pilot school students and non-pilot school students Ryder says that work is underway by DataNB. “Global research will tell you that the single most powerful driver of student achievement is what they call collective teacher efficacy,” says Ryder. “[That] really just means that teachers have that that confidence as a team, that they can unite behind every single child and help them succeed, and it even outperforms socioeconomic factors.” She says the true impact on student success as it relates to the pilot program will likely take a few years of data to fully understand. While there are no timelines, Ryder hopes to see the pilot project one day fully implemented across the province based off the early approval from teachers. CTV News Atlantic has reached out to New Brunswick’s Education Department for comment, and is awaiting a response. Critic concerns Paul Bennett, director and lead researcher at the Halifax-based Schoolhouse Institute, says the pilot project is essentially the slow introduction of a four-day school week, which he says does little to improve the quality of education. “The survey that has just been released by the NBTA lacks credibility because you’re asking teachers whether they appreciate having extra days free from teaching,” Bennett says. “It’s rather predictable that they would like the results.” Bennett has been against the idea of the additional development days for teachers since the idea was first brought about in New Brunswick. While teachers are saying they feel more prepared for classes, he says there is no evidence that it is translating to improved student achievements. “It’s incredible to me that with the state of the school system, as documented in Struggling in Class, they would even be considering less teaching time and see any benefits in that.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
