Focus on Teaching

First published in 2023, Focus on Teaching is the only survey that is available to all Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs).

The survey’s questions are carefully designed to gather and analyze data about the professional experiences and demographics of educators. The College will own the resulting analysis and share relevant segments of it with our partners in Ontario’s publicly funded education system.

Reliable data encourages informed decision-making

There are more than two million students in Ontario’s school system. Providing safe and supportive learning spaces for them depends on the combined efforts of the many organizations and individuals who work within or in proximity to the system.

Each partner in our education system has their own role to play and key decisions to make. It is our belief that the College is uniquely positioned to provide a data-rich picture of the full range of OCTs and their professional experiences to key decision-makers. That data can then be used to inform choices that will shape the system in the future.

Mapping long-term trends in the teacher workforce

Focus on Teaching expands on data that was collected by the College’s previous annual survey, Transition to Teaching, which was available only on OCTs in the first five years of their career.

Distributing the Focus on Teaching survey to all OCTs allows the College to maintain Ontario’s only long-term record of the dynamics of the teaching profession.

Students benefit when learning spaces are led by qualified certified teachers. A better understanding of how and when OCTs enter and exit the profession can contribute to that goal.

How the 2024 Focus on Teaching survey was developed

The College worked in close collaboration with our trusted partners at Forum Research Inc. and TCI Management Consultants to engage with several organizations within the education system, such as federations, school board associations, the Ministry of Education, etc.

Outcomes from these consultation sessions coupled with the College’s goals and knowledge were used to develop a draft survey questionnaire.

We then organized focus groups with OCTs to review the draft questionnaire and whether it offered sufficient opportunity to accurately describe professional experiences.

Following this first round of reviews by OCTs, the survey questions were revised, and a second round of focus groups was held. In this round, participants were asked to provide feedback on their experience of using Forum’s tool as well as the clarity of the revised questions. This feedback was provided by a blend of OCTs who were seeing the survey for the first time, and some OCTs who had participated in the initial review.

The College also sought the advice of Amorell & Co. Consulting Inc. and D&D Inclusion Consulting to ensure that principles of equity, diversity and inclusion were observed in developing the survey questionnaire.

Individual privacy is assured

Data reports that Forum Research Inc. shares with the Ontario College of Teachers will be aggregated and anonymized. At no point will individual responses or information that could be used to identify individual respondents be shared with the College or with any other organization, including school boards, federations, and the Ministry of Education.

Prior to launch, the College will pursue an independent review of the Focus on Teaching survey to ensure alignment with best practices in ethical survey research. 

For more information about Focus on Teaching, please visit our FAQs.

Reports

Transition to Teaching Archive