Overview

We consulted with people across the province to solicit feedback on all components of the education system. We encouraged feedback on the topics listed below to help shape decisions in these areas:

  1. Improving student performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
  2. Preparing students with needed job skills, such as skilled trades and coding
  3. Improving provincial standardized testing
  4. Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, including financial literacy
  5. Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cell phones
  6. Building a new age-appropriate Health and Physical Education curriculum that includes subjects like mental health, sexual health education and the legalization of cannabis
  7. Developing the first-ever Parents’ Bill of Rights

During the course of the consultations, the Ministry of Education heard from people in all parts of the province. They gave us robust feedback on the education system through the open submission form, online survey and telephone town halls that will be used for many years.

Thank you for participating.

If you would like to contact the Ministry of Education, please use the contact form.

Participation data for

Aggregate report of quantitative data

Introduction

This report includes a full overview of the aggregated quantitative inputs collected over 37 telephone town halls, conducted between October 19 and December 6, 2018.

The data is presented by topic, and polling results include the aggregate numbers and percentages of responses across all calls where each polling question was asked.

Notes on data collection

Over the course of each telephone town hall, observers collected and recorded data on participation numbers, including total number of participants on the call, number of participants in polling questions and participants who provided oral comments.

Participants on every call were advised by the call moderator that the polls were not scientific and were intended to be a snapshot of the participants in the call; participants were also advised that the polling results would be included as part of the overall consultation process.

Overall participation numbers and polling data are included in this report. Not all polling questions were asked on all calls; the number of calls where each question was asked is also noted.

Due to the variable structure of the calls, commenter numbers are not included in this aggregate report, as they cannot be accurately segmented by topic.

The polling data provided in this report was manually recorded by observers. Complete data collected by the call administration system has been provided directly to the Ministry of Education; the numbers in this report may vary slightly from the official system data.

Provincial regions represented during telephone town halls:

  • Central Ontario
  • Eastern Ontario
  • Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
  • East
  • North
  • West
  • Hamilton
  • Niagara
  • Northeastern Ontario
  • Northwestern Ontario
  • Ottawa (English and French)
  • Southwestern Ontario (English and French)
  • Toronto (416 area code)
  • Provincewide (French)

Total number of telephone town hall participants: 2,763

Summary of telephone town hall responses

Introductory polls

Participants were asked a few introductory questions to ensure everyone was comfortable using the polling technology before moving into consultation-specific polling questions. These introductory questions were a modification introduced to the telephone town halls in the second week. For all polling questions, participants were advised to press one on the telephone touchpad to answer 'yes', press two for 'no', or press three for 'I don't know'.

Question 1: Have you filled out the online survey or open submission form yet?

This question was asked on 28 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,557 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes595
No874
I don't know118

Question 2: Have you ever participated in a tele-town hall before?

This question was asked on 21 telephone town halls, and a total of 887 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes214
No648
I don't know22

Topic 1: Improving student performance in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects

There were two polling questions on this topic.

Question 1: Are Ontario’s schools doing enough to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects in elementary school?

This question was asked on 37 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,868 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes482
No969
I don't know417

Question 2: Do you believe students should be learning more about STEM topics at an earlier age?

This question was asked on 13 telephone town halls, and a total of 484 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes314
No111
I don't know59

Topic 2: Preparing students with needed job skills, such as skilled trades and coding

There were four polling questions on this topic, including two variations on a computer coding question.

Question 1: Do you believe schools are doing enough to promote the skilled trades or apprenticeship opportunities?

This question was asked on 35 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,663 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes312
No1,005
I don't know346

Question 2: How about computer coding? Do you believe it is important for students to learn coding in school?

This question was asked on 20 telephone town halls, and a total of 898 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes450
No280
I don't know168

Question 3: Do students need to learn computer coding in elementary school to be prepared for their future?

This question was asked on 3 telephone town halls, and a total of 61 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes33
No13
I don't know15

Question 4: Do you agree that the most important job skill that employers look for is communication abilities?

This question was asked on 1 telephone town hall, and a total of 67 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes38
No19
I don't know10

Topic 3: Improving provincial standardized testing

Question 1: Does Ontario need more standardized tests for its students?

This question was asked on 36 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,804 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes378
No1,234
I don't know192

Question 2: Do you value the results of how our students perform in provincial standardized tests?

This question was asked on 11 telephone town halls, and a total of 465 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes127
No290
I don't know48

Topic 4: Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, including financial literacy

Question 1: Do you think students in Ontario have the knowledge, skills and confidence to be considered financially literate?

This question was asked on 34 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,719 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes142
No1,347
I don't know230

Question 2: Do you agree with this statement: While financial literacy is important, I believe technology will soon solve most of our current concerns.

This question was asked on 11 telephone town halls, and a total of 498 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes29
No436
I don't know33

Topic 5: Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cell phones

Question 1: Should recreational cell phone use be banned during class time?

This question was asked on 33 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,620 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes1,288
No260
I don't know72

Question 2: Do you believe that while cell phones may be valuable devices, students don’t really need them until high school?

This question was asked on 5 telephone town halls, and a total of 204 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes150
No44
I don't know10

Question 3: Are you concerned by the amount of time children spend on tech devices?

This question was asked on 3 telephone town halls, and a total of 146 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes110
No25
I don't know11

Question 4: Do you think classrooms are adequately equipped with the tools required to support student success?

This question was asked on 1 telephone town hall, and a total of 56 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes12
No20
I don't know24

Topic 6: Building a new age-appropriate Health and Physical Education curriculum that includes subjects like mental health, sexual health education and the legalization of cannabis

Question 1: Do you believe that the Health and Physical Education curriculum should be developed with greater input from parents?

This question was asked on 35 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,690 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes1,033
No579
I don't know78

Question 2: Do you believe that schools provide sufficient support to address student mental health needs?

This question was asked on 12 telephone town halls, and a total of 457 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes233
No172
I don't know52

Question 3: Do you believe that our students are maturing earlier than they did 20 years ago?

This question was asked on 8 telephone town halls, and a total of 182 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes112
No46
I don't know24

Topic 7: Developing the first-ever Parents' Bill of Rights

Question 1: Do you feel it is important to have a Parents' Bill of Rights?

This question was asked on 30 telephone town halls, and a total of 1,228 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes723
No417
I don't know88

Question 2: Do you agree with the statement: The most important principle in a Parents' Bill of Rights is ensuring the academic success of my child.

This question was asked on 5 telephone town halls, and a total of 115 participants provided a response. Responses were as follows:

ValueCount
Yes20
No77
I don't know18

Summary of online survey responses

Aggregate report of quantitative data

Demographics

Tell us about yourself.

Figure 1: Are you a ... Select all that apply.

Respondent typeValue
Adult with no children4,581
Educator, early childhood educator, principal, vice-principal6,828
Employer881
Other2,731
Parent or guardian25,244
Student attending an elementary or secondary school1,268

Figure 2: Are you a parent with school aged children?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes19,70478%
No4,23917%
I prefer not to say1,3005%

Figures 3 and : Surveys by postal district

Postal districtSum of count
Grand total33,362
K5,129
L11,012
M5,881
N6,218
P1,526
I prefer not to say3,339
Invalid257

Figure 5: If you are a parent with school aged children, how many of the children living in your home are in each grade range?

Group1 child2 children3 children4 or more children
Kindergarten or younger4,4901,89836951
Grades 1-36,3291,090659
Grades 4-66,0879793585
Grades 7-84,279248853
Grades 9-124,3981,32211481
Beyond secondary school1,58263416274

Figure 6: If you are a parent with school aged children or a student attending school, what school type are you / your child(ren) currently enrolled in? Select all that apply.

School typeValue
English–Catholic4,286
English–Public11,581
First Nation operated or federally operated school9
French–Catholic974
French–Public1,640
Home school579
I don't know17
Independent / Private2,084
I prefer not to say442

Figure 7: If you are a parent with school aged children, does your child have special needs or accessibility requirements?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes2,75014%
No16,55884%
I prefer not to say39620%

Figure 8: If you are a student attending school, do you have special needs or accessibility requirements?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes706%
No1,17393%
I prefer not to say252%

General

Figure 9: We know that parents are children’s primary educators. To support the education process, what would you be willing to do?

GroupLikelyUnlikelyI'm not sure
Have a discussion with your child's teacher96%2%2%
Read fact sheets about the curriculum89%8%4%
Use online resources to enhance your child's learning in a specific topic87%7%6%
Visit websites to learn more about the curriculum and school programs86%9%>5%

Figure 10: Do you participate in parent-teacher nights at your children's school?

ValueCount
Always15,990
No, because I am not aware of them260
No, but I am aware of them382
Rarely284
Sometimes2,788

Figure 11: Are you willing to do a consultation like this about Ontario's education system every 5 years or so?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes28,88087%
No1,1363%
I'm not sure3,34610%

Figure 12: The Ontario College of Teachers has been regulating the teaching profession in Ontario since 1997, including conducting investigations and communicating with the public on behalf of the teaching profession. Before taking this survey, were you aware of the Ontario College of Teachers?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes28,64486%
No4,71814%

Figure 13: How important is it to you that the Ontario College of Teachers exists?

ValueCount
1 - Not important2,440
21,316
33,704
46,577
5 - Very important15,182
I'm not sure4,143

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

Figure 14: Ontario needs to improve student achievement in math. Where should we focus?

Group1 - Least difference2345 - Most differenceI'm not sure
Early exposure to STEM disciplines3%4%15%27%49%2%
Improved standardized testing39%12%17%12%16%4%
Increased classroom time devoted to math5%8%26%27%30%3%
Math fundamentals6%7%15%20%49%2%
Practical examples that use math2%3%10%27%56%2%
Teacher resources3%5%14%28%47%3%
Teacher training4%5%16%27%46%3%
Other1%0%1%2%11%46%

Figure 15: Are you spending your own time to help your children learn math outside the classroom?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes16,62484%
No2,70514%
I prefer not to say3752%

Figure 16: If you are, how much time are you spending to help your children learn math outside the classroom?

ValueCount
Up to 2 hours per week11,688
2-5 hours per week3,881
More than 5 hours per week1,055

Figure 17: Are you spending your own money to help your children learn math outside the classroom?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes7,85440%
No11,14157%
I prefer not to say7094%

Figure 18: If you are, how much money are you spending to help your children learn math outside the classroom?

ValueCount
$0-$50 per week5,757
$51-$100 per week1,538
More than $100 per week559

Figure 19: Are Ontario’s schools doing enough to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines in elementary school?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes7,14621%
No15,26346%
I'm not sure10,95333%

Figure 20: What math skills are current students most lacking?

Group1 - Least lacking2345 - Most lackingI'm not sure
Academic skills: math skills that can be used in other subject areas such as science, engineering and technology1,4002,6508,2118,5089,1843,409
Job skills: evaluating contracts and managing finances8211,4245,2948,95512,7694,099
Life skills: making change with money and budgeting1,0331,6834,8797,99615,4292,342
Technological skills: computer literacy and coding3,7794,7869,1256,9555,1493,568

Figure 21: How will you know a student has the needed math fundamentals? Select all that apply.

Value

When they can understand and use numbers27,977
When they can apply math – including special fields like geometry – to workplace applications like measuring and building26,864
When they can do mental calculations for basic arithmetic and multiplication24,467
When they can show their work to explain their solutions23,763
None of the above493

Figure 22: At what level should students start learning about the following subjects?

TextGrades 1-3%Grades 4-6%Grades 7-8%Grades 9-12%I don't know%
Accounting skills2,0156%6,08418%11,04533%13,53741%6812%
Computer coding7,80723%10,28331%7,63923%6,14418%1,4894%
Economics2,1146%7,15021%10,52632%12,71438%8583%
Engineering8,80526%9,59329%7,54823%6,52420%8923%
Financial literacy6,08718%9,54629%10,61932%6,59120%5192%
Impact of technology6,40519%10,10130%10,04230%5,85518%9593%

Job skills

Figure 23: How important is it that schools teach each of these job and life skills?

Group1 - Not important at all2345 - Very importantI'm not sure
Computer coding4%10%32%28%23%2%
Employability skills like teamwork, communication, personal initiative, and good character1%2%7%17%72%1%
Entrepreneurship4%11%34%27%23%2%
Managing personal finances1%2%10%24%63%1%
Math skills0%1%7%22%70%0%
Problem solving0%0%2%14%83%0%
Skilled trades2%6%22%29%40%1%
Using technology1%3%16%29%50%1%
Writing and communicating0%0%2%11%86%0%

Figure 24: Do you believe schools are doing enough to promote the skilled trades/apprenticeship opportunities?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes4,97715%
No19,30758%
I'm not sure9,07827%

Figure 25: Do parents and students have enough information about job availability and rates of pay when choosing between post-secondary options like college, trades/apprenticeships, or university?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes5,09815%
No19,46358%
I'm not sure8,80126%

Figure 26: Ontario needs more skilled tradespeople. One option is to allow young people to begin apprenticeships and training earlier. Would you support this approach?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes25,56677%
No4,27513%
I'm not sure3,52111%

Figure 27: At what age should young people begin apprenticeship and training?

ValueCount
14-15 years old7,618
16-17 years old14,330
18-19 years old3,109
20-21 years old120
I'm not sure389

Testing

Standardized testing in Ontario is done by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in:

  • Grades 3 and 6 (reading, writing and math)
  • Grade 9 (math)
  • Grade 10 (literacy)
  • School-by-school EQAO results are made public on the EQAO website.

Figure 28: How should EQAO assessments be administered?

ValueCountPercentage
To all students in grades 3, 6, 9 and 1014,54044%
To a sample of students in grades 3, 6, 9 and 103,39810%
Not at all12,35937%
I'm not sure3,0659%

Figure 29: When should standardized testing take place?

ValueCountPercentage
Continue as it is currently (Grades 3, 6, 9 and 10)10,23331%
More frequently4,59514%
Less frequently5,85218%
Never9,69829%
I'm not sure2,9849%

Figure 30: What subjects should be the focus of standardized testing in Ontario? Select all that apply.

ValueCount
Math21,014
Literacy20,328
Science12,903
History6,433
Geography6,392
Social Studies5,836
Arts2,895
Other1,609
I'm not sure1,198
None796

Figure 31: Which of the following statements best describes your views about EQAO testing?

ValueCountPercentage
Testing helps improve education by ensuring accountability at schools across Ontario12,53638%
The testing disrupts education by requiring teachers to teach to the test17,32252%
I'm not sure3,50411%

Financial literacy

Canada’s Task Force on Financial Literacy identified that “financial literacy means having the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions at any stage of your life.”

Figure 32: How well is the current education system teaching students about the following life skills?

Group1 - Very poorly2345 - Very wellI'm not sure
Calculating interest and interest payments9,8506,1685,6492,4101,3407,945
Managing their own bank account11,3486,8854,5931,1761,1968,164
Protecting against financial fraud11,6386,1463,9031,1331,0349,508
Understanding savings, investing and planning for retirement12,4246,6654,0581,1291,0838,003
Understanding the concept of living within their means12,7026,5144,1271,1281,3257,566
Using a credit card responsibly13,2686,2083,3658771,1648,480

Cell phones

Figure 33: When should cell phones be banned in schools?

ValueCount
Always: they should not be permitted on schoolvproperty6,744
During instructional time unless directed by the teacher for an educational reason (and allowed during breaks)14,100
During instructional time: they should be allowed only during breaks such as recess and lunch11,449
Never: they should be allowed at all times1,069

Health and Physical Education curriculum

Figure 34: Ontario parents voted for consultation on the province’s Health and Physical Education curriculum. Which of the following topics should be covered in a revised Health and Physical Education curriculum? Please select all that apply.

TextYesNoDon't know
Consent91%8%1%
Contraceptive options86%13%1%
Gender identity and gender expression68%30%2%
Medical terms for body parts94%5%1%
Online safety96%4%0%
Sexual orientation73%26%2%
Sexual, physical and emotional abuse and how to seek support services if they occur94%5%1%
Sexually transmitted infections94%6%0%
The physical, emotional, and social changes that occur at puberty94%6%0%
The role of love and commitment in intimacy80%17%4%
Various forms of family structures75%23%2%

Figure 35: At what age should the following topics be first introduced?

Category5-78-1011-1213-1415+Not at AllI'm not sure
Consent45%14%15%11%6%8%1%
Contraceptive options2%10%36%27%11%13%2%
Gender identity and gender expression26%19%12%7%4%30%3%
Medical terms for body parts57%18%11%6%3%5%1%
Online safety27%43%18%6%2%4%1%
Sexual orientation26%20%14%8%5%26%2%
Sexual, physical and emotional abuse and how to seek support services if they occur40%22%16%10%5%5%2%
Sexually transmitted infections2%12%39%29%11%6%1%
The physical, emotional, and social changes that occur at puberty6%48%32%6%2%6%1%
The role of love and commitment in intimacy14%17%23%16%8%17%5%
Various forms of family structures55%10%5%3%2%23%2%

Figure 36: How much do you trust these sources of information on sexual health for students?

Category1 - Do not trust at all2345 - Completely trustI'm not sure
Academic experts3,2992,9245,4649,77810,7771,120
Children's friends and peers18,4969,0413,704769464888
Doctor or nurse1,1991,0433,12810,37416,988630
Internet and social media18,8948,1484,283809535693
Other media including TV, movies, music videos, magazines18,7128,6734,048731439759
Parents1,8794,3279,2338,3419,031551
Religious and community leaders12,4126,0515,8404,8132,6881,558
School curriculum / teacher3,5063,6196,96510,9397,2331,100

Figure 37: Are the following topics being effectively taught through the Health and Physical Education curriculum?

SubjectYesNoI'm not sure
Body image8,87713,67810,807
Body shaming6,44614,82012,096
Bullying16,56610,4486,348
Concussions and head injuries10,45811,20011,704
Importance of physical activity21,0117,2865,065
Mental health and addictions8,81915,0569,487
Nutrition18,9138,4615,988
The benefits and risks of social media8,86814,5509,944

Figure 38: Recreational cannabis use is legal in Ontario for ages 19+ as of October 17, 2018. Do you think students should learn about cannabis laws, safe cannabis use, and the risks of cannabis use?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes27,94184%
No3,60611%
I'm not sure1,8155%

Figure 39: At what age should students learn about cannabis laws, safe cannabis use, and the risks of cannabis use?

ValueCount
5-7 yo591
8-10 yo3,858
11-12 yo9,545
13-14 yo8,924
15+ yo5,023

Figure 40: Do you believe the curriculum teaches enough about the risks of alcohol consumption?

ValueCountPercentage
Yes8,36425%
No15,08545%
I'm not sure9,91330%