The Future of Public Education in Canada

Publicly funded education is fundamental to the maintenance and support of a democratic society that informs and engages all students in becoming active and well-informed citizens of Ontario and of Canada.

In Canada, education is the jurisdiction of each province and territory. While some of the information in this article likely applies throughout the country, I speak from the lens of Ontario’s publicly funded education system. Our system remains a high-quality one, despite numerous challenges. What makes it noteworthy is the people who work hard daily to put students’ needs first and ensure they are given opportunities to flourish. Despite this good work, our education system is beginning to show some cracks. There is still time to make the necessary repairs, but those repairs will require immediate and simultaneous action among all partners. With intention, commitment, adequate resources, engaged staff and common goals, we can work together to build a publicly funded education system that will help shape tomorrow’s Canadians, workers and leaders.

Everyone who contributes directly or indirectly to the work that is carried out in schools to help all students achieve their full potential must be involved in this work and this goal. Principals and vice-principals find ourselves at the centre of the system of education partners: ministry programming and policy, school board staff, school staff, students, families and communities.

Principals and vice-principals are critical to student achievement and well-being in the areas of engagement, safety, instructional learning and mentorship. In my experience, teachers move into the principalship to widen their circle of influence and to increase the number of students on whom they can make a positive impact. Research studies demonstrate that a principal’s impact is not only on students, but also on teachers and the school in general.

Impact on Student Learning and Achievement

Principals directly influence student learning outcomes, shaping achievement, monitoring student progress and promoting academic success. Effective school leadership significantly impacts high school graduation rates and provincial exam scores. Principals help close achievement gaps by creating engaging, culturally responsive learning environments and fostering differentiated teaching strategies.

Impact on Teachers

Principals support teachers by offering both autonomy and guidance, boosting morale and improving student outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students. Strong leadership enhances teacher self-efficacy, increasing motivation, resilience and effective teaching practices.

Impact on the School

Principals impact the entire school community, with the average principal influencing 483 students. We foster trust, collaboration and a positive environment that enhances teaching and learning. Strong equity lenses positively influence the performance of marginalized student groups, including improving outcomes for students of colour and those from low-income backgrounds. Equity-focused leadership, including community engagement and bias mitigation, leads to higher academic achievement, especially among diverse student populations.

Challenges and Opportunities

Our education system and our staff face many challenges: a growing lack of respect for public education and those who work in the system, underfunding, staff shortages, violence in schools, ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and shifting technologies.

None of these challenges exist in a vacuum. Rather, they are all interconnected. Underfunding leads to staff shortages, which may be a contributing factor to violence in schools, as there are fewer staff to adequately supervise students and ensure that students have access to at least one meaningful relationship with an adult in a school. The current realities in schools, without an understanding from the public about what this entails, can create a lack of support and distrust in the system, including a lack of respect for those who are working to try and make it better. Add to all of that that our education system has not dramatically changed in over 20 years, while our society and technology have undergone major transformations, and you have a recipe for an education system that is falling behind on the world stage.

The challenges are significant, but they are surmountable. We can have an education system that prepares students for adulthood in a strong Ontario and Canada. This can be achieved by creating opportunities for collaboration among education partners and cross-sector partnerships. Through a shared vision and purpose, we can rebuild Ontario’s education system so that it is no longer cracking, but is instead moving forward in a positive and productive way. Inasmuch as technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can pose challenges, they can also be a catalyst for change and a tool in this quest for a better tomorrow.

What Must Canada Do Now to Lead in Education

Our education system needs sufficient investments, respectful working conditions and a renewed vision for success. In 2023, the OPC hosted a Summit on Public Education in Canada. Through that event, we gathered the thoughts and ideas of educators from across the country, which were compiled into a report published in September 2023.

Summit participants identified three areas for change:

• Promote student growth (changing how and when formalized assessments are administered, providing more opportunities for students to self-direct their curriculum, re-considering the overall school timetable, addressing work intensification across positions).
• Prioritize anti-oppressive education (embracing diversity through strengths-based approaches, responding to increasing violence and mental health concerns; prioritizing diverse knowledge and perspectives, with a focus on Indigenous knowledge).
• Focus on technology (promoting online safety through engagement; providing adequate and ongoing training on technology; utilizing ChatGPT and other AI to relieve work intensification while prioritizing relational and social-emotional learning).

Even though two years have passed, these priority areas for change have remained the same. Now, it is up to all educators and to our system partners to prioritize these changes and goals for the success of all students.