Who's responsible for your child's education?
The following is a brief overview of the roles of some of the
individuals and groups responsible for publicly funded elementary and secondary
education in Ontario. The duties are legislated in the province's
Education
Act, Chapter E.2, Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1990, as amended.
The Ontario Government and the Education Act
Education is a provincial government responsibility in Canada. In
Ontario, education is governed principally by the Education Act and its
regulations. The Education Act and its regulations set out duties and
responsibilities of the Minister of Education and the duties and
responsibilities of school boards, school board supervisory officers,
principals, teachers, parents and students.
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The Minister of Education represents the interests of the ministry
at the provincial cabinet and assists in the development of education policy.
With the assistance of the Ministry of Education, the Minister also administers
the provincial statutes and regulations that concern education including those
that set the length of the school year and allocate funds to school boards in a
fair manner using the
education funding model.
The Minister is also responsible for:
- developing curriculum;
- setting policies and guidelines for school trustees, directors
of education, principals and other school board officials;
- setting requirements for student diplomas and certificates;
and
- preparing lists of approved textbooks and other learning
materials.
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Ontario's school boards operate the province's publicly-funded
schools. The boards administer the funding they receive from the province for
their schools.
Ontario's 72 District School Boards are made up of 31
English-language public boards, 29 English-language Catholic boards, 4
French-language public boards, and 8 French-language Catholic boards. As well,
a small number of Ontario schools are operated by School Authorities. The
School Authorities manage special types of schools, such as schools in
hospitals and treatment facilities, and schools in remote and
sparsely-populated regions.
School boards are responsible for:
- determining the number, size and location of schools;
- building, equipping and furnishing schools;
- providing education programs that meet the needs of the school
community, including needs for special education;
- prudent management of the funds allocated by the province to
support all board activities, including education programs for elementary and
secondary school students, and the building and maintaining of schools;
- preparing an annual budget;
- supervising the operation of schools and their teaching
programs;
- developing policy for safe arrival programs for elementary
schools;
- establishing a school council at each school;
- hiring teachers and other staff;
- helping teachers improve their teaching practices;
- teacher performance;
- approving schools' textbook and learning materials choices,
based on the list of approved materials provided by the Ministry of
Education;
- enforcing the student attendance provisions of the Education
Act; and
- ensuring schools abide by the Education Act and its
regulations.
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Trustees are members of the school board. They provide an important link between local communities and the school board, bringing the issues and concerns of their constituents to board discussions and decision making. Trustees are elected every four years during municipal elections.
Under the law, only the elected board has the power to make decisions. Trustees do not have individual authority, but do have an important role to play as members of the board, including:
- working in partnership with school councils;
- explaining the policies and decisions of the board to community residents; and
- supporting and encouraging public education
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Principals are responsible for the organization and management of
individual schools, including any budget assigned to the school by the school
board. They are also responsible for the quality of instruction at their school
and for student discipline. One or more Vice Principals may also be assigned to
the school to help the principal with his or her work.
Each principal is responsible for:
- determining the organization of the school and ensuring ongoing
maintenance of the school buildings;
- administering the school's budget;
- student admission and placement;
- maintaining student records;
- ensuring report cards are sent to parents;
- developing a school safe arrival program with the help of the
school council, parents, and the community (elementary schools);
- ensuring student supervision and school discipline;
- assigning teachers to classes and assisting and supervising
them;
- making recommendations to the school board on the appointment,
promotion, demotion and dismissal of teachers; and
- selecting textbooks and other learning materials from the
approved Ministry of Education list, with the help of teachers.
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Teachers are responsible for:
- preparing lesson plans and teaching classes;
- encouraging students in their studies and evaluating student
work and progress;
- supervising students behaviour and maintaining classroom
discipline;
- demonstrating good citizenship and respect for all groups of
people; and
- acting as teacher-advisers for students in Grades 7-11, e.g.
helping students complete their annual education plans and monitoring their
school performance and progress toward their career goals.
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Students are responsible for:
- attending classes and taking examinations; and
- exercising self-discipline and behaving courteously toward both
their teachers and their fellow students.
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Parents are responsible for:
- ensuring their children attend school. Generally speaking,
attendance is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16.
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School Councils advise principals and, where appropriate, school
boards on issues affecting the education programs and the operation of
individual schools. Their membership reflects both the school and the
community, and must include parents and guardians of students, the principal, a
teacher, a student representative (secondary school councils), a non-teaching
school staff member, as well as members from the community at large. Parents
and guardians must make up the majority of council members.
School Councils may advise the principal or the school board
on:
- school year calendars;
- codes of student behaviour;
- curriculum priorities;
- programs and strategies to improve school performance on
provincial and school boards tests;
- safe arrival programs (elementary schools);
- communications to parents and communications to the
community;
- community use of the school, and community programs and
services provided at the school through school-community partnerships;
- school board policies that will affect the school; and
- selection of principals.
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The Ontario College of Teachers
regulates the teaching profession and governs its members. The college was
established by the provincial government in September 1996.
The College of Teachers is responsible for:
- setting requirements for teaching certificates and maintaining
a provincial register of teachers;
- setting standards for teacher training programs at Ontario
universities, and monitoring the training programs to ensure they meet the
standards;
- developing codes of conduct for teachers; and
- investigating complaints against teachers and making decisions
about teacher discipline and fitness to practice.
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The Education Quality and
Accountability Office (EQAO) was established by the Ontario government in
1996 to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of elementary and secondary
school education.
The EQAO is responsible for:
- developing and administering tests to evaluate the achievement
of Ontario elementary and secondary school students;
- reporting test results to the Minister and to the public;
and
- providing recommendations to improve test results.
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