The survey commissioned by the Ontario Public School Boards Association, found that Ontarians are twice as likely to say spending money on public education is more important than eliminating the deficit.
On March 15, 2019, the Government of Ontario announced that the average class size funding benchmark for secondary schools will rise from 22:1 to 28:1.
Similar to research by Charles Achilles and William Mathis, this report provides an overview of the main findings of the research on class sizes.
In this report, OSTA-AECO uses past OSTA-AECO survey results and consultation with student trustees across Ontario to articulate a strategic vision for public education.
The author provides an overview of the research on class size. As other authors have acknowledged, Mathis notes that class size studies vary both in method and in quality.
Policy-makers who support larger class sizes as a cost-savings measure often cite a series of meta-analyses published by Eric Hanushek between 1997 and 2003.
In this study, the authors contribute to research on class size by focusing on two under-researched areas: secondary-level classes and learning processes.
This policy brief provides an overview of the most important research on class sizes.
The authors argue that research on class sizes should shift focus away from academic outcomes such as standardized tests and toward classroom processes.
OSSTF/FEESO simulated the class size increases in 60 schools across Ontario to determine the estimated impact on classroom sections. Further, OSSTF/FEESO estimated the potential shortfall of teachers with particular qualifications who retire and are not likely to be replaced.
OSSTF/FEESO developed a methodology to estimate effects on individual schools by the end of the 2022-23 school year based on the impact from increasing the average funding benchmark from 22:1 to 28:1.
An analysis of 2017-2018 outcomes in Michigan illustrates that virtual learning is not a good fit for all students. The pass rate for on-line courses was 55% compared to 79% for face-to-face courses. Although enrolment in virtual learning increased by more than 500% since 2010, the virtual learning pass rate dropped from 66% to 55% over the same period.
In today’s society, technology has become an integral part of Ontario’s publicly-funded education system. The manner in which technology is used in the classroom is constantly evolving to fit the needs of this 21st century approach to education.
This report provides an introductory overview of research that supports the value of in-school learning, and the impact of e-learning on students, staff and education in general.
This research study, commissioned by OSSTF/FEESO, provided detailed insight on the current realities, benefits, challenges and impacts of e-learning on OSSTF/FEESO members.
This study relies on a sophisticated mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) research design to provide a close look at online learning in an unnamed urban school district.
Despite evidence that requiring all students to earn credits online is bad policy, the Provincial Government appears to be moving ahead with a 95% expansion of its e-learning program.
On the Impossible Promise of E-Learning in the Toronto District School Board
In this study and its accompanying study summary (Promises and pitfalls of online education), the authors compare learning outcomes for students in online learning and face-to-face classes at a large, for-profit college.
In this study, the authors use a randomised sample of students taking Algebra I credit recovery courses online and face-to-face.
This report shows that there has been a seven-fold increase in violence against educators in the past 12 years. Educators identified the importance of more and better supports as key to preventing violence.
This study examined how educational personnel in an exemplary school ensured students with severe disabilities were given access to the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum taught to students without disabilities). The authors identify specific instructional and curriculum practices and highlight the importance of collaboration among various educational professionals.
The author of this study used interviews of elementary education workers to identify what practitioners consider to be essential elements of promoting full inclusion for students with special education needs. A key finding is the importance of collaborative practice.
This report by the Commission on Inclusive Education articulates a comprehensive strategy for ensuring all students have access to the education system, including significant funding shifts that are required to ensure full support for students with disabilities.
In March 2008, OSSTF/FEESO released its final report of Enhancing Services: Enhancing Success, an independent research project on improving student success through the provision of services by school board employed professionals such as psychologists, social workers and speech and language pathologists.
The plight of the teaching profession is a narrative that’s made headlines over the last two years, as educators have become more vocal about the state of their profession, including how their low pay stands in stark contrast to the high expectations placed on them.
This briefing document examines fifteen years’ worth of salary data for OSSTF/FEESO teachers in public secondary schools.
This briefing document provides an analysis of salary trends for seven OSSTF/FEESO support staff classifications in the Kindergarten to grade 12 sector over the past fifteen years.
In an update of its 2007 report, this McKinsey & Company paper examines how education systems throughout the world continue to make improvements. The report identifies Ontario as a “sustained improver” and places our education system in the top-tier of global systems.
For the second year, The Economist has published an index ranking education systems on how well they prepare students for the demands of work and civic awareness in the future. In this year’s index, Canada was ranked 5th out of fifty economies, ahead of Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
In the most recent round of international Pisa tests, Canada was one of a handful of countries to appear in the top 10 for maths, science and reading.
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario provides independent analysis of Ontario’s financial trends and the Government’s budgetary projections.
The provincial government has argued that Ontario’s budget deficit represents an urgent fiscal and economic crisis. Their response has been significant cuts to education, health care, services to youth with autism, environmental protection and municipal infrastructure.
The government has consistently – and misleadingly – argued that its 2019-2020 budget puts more money into the education system.
This report looks at two under-researched aspects of education investment: the overall economic impact of investing in public education; and the long-run savings in government expenditures that can be achieved by improving education outcomes.
In the current climate, open and transparent labour negotiations are good for Ontario Teachers and Educational Workers, Ontario students, parents and Ontario Schools. The purpose of this website is to freely and transparently distribute materials related to current labour negotiations between the Ontario’s Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Ontario Government/School Boards.
Des négociations collectives ouvertes et transparentes sont favorables au personnel enseignant de l’Ontario, aux élèves de l’Ontario, aux parents et aux écoles de l’Ontario. Ce site Web vise à distribuer librement et en toute transparence du matériel connexe aux négociations collectives entre le personnel enseignant des écoles secondaires de l’Ontario et le gouvernement de l’Ontario/les conseils scolaires.