Commentary Back in 2018, things looked hopeful on the education file in Ontario. Newly elected Premier Doug Ford had campaigned on a platform that included scrapping discovery math, strengthening curriculum standards, and focusing on the academic basics. Given his bulldog reputation, there were excellent reasons to believe that Ford would stand up to the typical special interest groups, especially the teachers’ unions. It helped, of course, that Ford was taking over from the deeply unpopular Kathleen Wynne. Ontarians were eager for change, and they gave Ford a strong mandate. Sadly, Ford failed to live up to expectations. After nearly four years in power, student literacy and numeracy scores remain stagnant. Moreover, Ontario’s education system is more unstable than ever. Even some much-needed revisions to the math curriculum turned out to be a bust. However, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Ford’s successive education ministers, Lisa Thompson and Stephen Lecce, genuinely …