Research in Education

2009 Ontario Education Research Symposium

The Ministry of Education held its fourth annual Education Research Symposium in Toronto from February 4-6, 2009. The theme of the symposium was “closing gaps in student achievement” and the content focused on five key sub-groups: Aboriginal students; gender gaps (particularly boys' literacy); students living in poverty; English- /French-language learners; and students identified as having special education needs.

As always, the Symposium's goals were to foster and support a collaborative relationship among educators, researchers and policy makers, and to profile and develop connections among research, policy and practice at all levels of the education system. This fourth symposium put a new twist on developing partnerships that advance education research by showcasing some colleagues' recent research and evaluation activities via posters at a “Research Fair.”

The Summary Report (PDF, 306 KB) provides an overview of the Symposium, the compiled breakout discussions, a list of the Research Fair participants, followed by the contact information of those who attended the event.

We've provided links below to view either streaming video or PowerPoints of segments of the symposium. Five discussion papers are also accessible where noted.

Symposium Highlights

Program (PDF, 415 KB)

Introduction [Windows Media, 02:22]
David Fulford, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education

Opening Remarks: Setting the Context
Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education [Windows Media, 14:42]
Ben Levin, Deputy Minister of Education [Windows Media, 06:36]
Carol Campbell, Chief Research Officer, Ministry of Education [Windows Media, 03:55]
Doris McWhorter & Mario Lajoie, Ontario Education Research Panel (OERP) [Windows Media, 09:40 | PowerPoint, 380 KB]

Keynote Address – Raising and Levelling the Learning Bar in Ontario [Windows Media, 01:03:38 | PowerPoint, 1.40 MB]
J. Douglas Willms, Professor and Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy (CRISP)
at the University of New Brunswick

Closing Gaps in Achievement for Aboriginal Students

Closing the Gap for Aboriginal Students [Windows Media, 11:38 | PDF, 54 KB]
Emily Faries, Laurentian University

NOEL (Northern Ontario Education Leaders) Oral Language Project [Windows Media, 16:10 | PowerPoint, 2.43 MB]
Jeannie McMaster, Kenora Education Centre
Larry Hope, Keewatin-Patricia District School Board
Jack McMaster, Rainy River District School Board

Aboriginal Education in Ontario: The Power to Heal [Windows Media, 18:13 | PowerPoint, 5.80 MB]
John Hodson, Brock University

Closing Gender Gaps in Student Achievement

Boys' Literacy Attainment: Research and Related Practice [Windows Media, 14:33 | PDF, 108 KB]
David Booth, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

The Road Ahead: Boys' Literacy Teacher Inquiry Project 2005-2008 [Windows Media, 20:20 | PowerPoint, 557 KB]
Barbara Bodkin, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Grant Clatworthy, Halton District School Board

Gender and Underachievement: A Question of Which Boys and Which Girls? [Windows Media, 14:02 | PowerPoint, 87 KB]
Wayne Martino, University of Western Ontario
Goli Rezai-Rashti, University of Western Ontario

Poverty and Education: Closing Gaps in Student Achievement

The Social Consequences of Economic Inequality for Canadian Children: A Review of the Canadian Literature [Windows Media, 12:20 | PowerPoint, 313 KB | PDF, 91 KB]
Charles Ungerleider, Canadian Council on Learning

School and Community-Engaged Education in Lower-Income Neighbourhoods [Windows Media, 18:08 | PowerPoint, 215 KB]
Sarah Barrett, York University
Donna Ford, York University

The Relationship Between Children's Readiness-to-Learn at School and Early Risk Factors [Windows Media, 11:30 | PowerPoint, 371 KB]
Carrie Seward, Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Shelley Lothian, Region of Halton

Closing Gaps in Student Achievement for English-/French-Language Learners

Understanding the Academic Trajectories of ESL Students [Windows Media, 14:22 | PowerPoint, 248 KB | PDF, 260 KB]
Bruce Garnett, School District No. 36 (Surrey), British Columbia

Effective Strategies that are Conducive to the Development of Literacy and Self-Concept among Students at the Primary and Junior Levels [Windows Media, 15:03 | PowerPoint, 1.68 MB]
Yves Herry, University of Ottawa
Claire Maltais, University of Ottawa

Story Writing in Monolingual and ESL Students with Different Reading Profiles [Windows Media, 15:16 | PowerPoint, 18.78 MB]
Esther Geva, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Closing Gaps in Achievement for Students with Special Needs

Closing the Gaps for Students with Special Education Needs in Ontario: Research Trends and Capacity Building [Windows Media, 10:22 | PowerPoint, 1.43 MB | PDF, 81 KB]
Barry Finlay, Special Education Policy and Programs Branch, Ministry of Education

Children's Mental Health and Student Achievement Gaps: Research and Knowledge Mobilization [Windows Media, 15:42 | PowerPoint, 867 KB]
Scott Davies, McMaster University
Kathy Short, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) Student Assessment Project: Kindergarten to
Grade 4 [Windows Media, 15:06 | PowerPoint, 251 KB]
Margaret Peppler, Ontario Psychological Association
Beverley Terrell-Deutsch, Ontario Psychological Association

Summary of Workshop Discussions [Windows Media, 27:51 | PowerPoint, 786 KB]
Doris McWhorter, Mario Lajoie and Joan Green – Ontario Education Research Panel

Update on Ontario Education Research and Evaluation Strategy [Windows Media, 24:57 | PowerPoint, 2.29 MB]
Carol Campbell, Chief Research Officer, Ministry of Education

Wrap-up and Closing Remarks [Windows Media, 03:56]
Carol Campbell, Chief Research Officer, Ministry of Education