Registrar's Speaking Notes
September 07 2004
Good morning. Thank you for coming. My name is Doug Wilson and I am the Registrar
of the Ontario College of Teachers.
The purpose of this news conference is to release the results from our second
annual State of the Teaching Profession in Ontario survey.
The survey is part of our ongoing commitment to communicate with Ontario educators
and gauge their thoughts and feelings about teaching in the province. This
year, for the first time, we have also commissioned a similar survey of the
public.
We believe that frank, open communication about teaching with practising professionals
and the people they serve is healthy. We hope that this survey contributes
to that ongoing dialogue.
The College is responsible for licensing teachers and regulating the teaching
profession in the public interest. We set high ethical and practice standards
for teachers and ensure that educators in our publicly funded schools are qualified
and certified to teach and supervise.
Ultimately, we aim to improve the quality of teaching which results in better
learning for Ontario's students.
The College has the unique advantage of being able to speak with educators
from all systems at the same time about professional matters. Our 193,000 members
come from every English, French, elementary and secondary publicly funded school
system in Ontario. Many private school teachers also belong to the College.
Hearing the voices of parents and members of the public further enriches our
understanding of commonly held perceptions about teaching. These insights can
and should be discussed further and, where appropriate, acted on.
The back-to-school telephone survey of more than 1,000 teachers and 500 members
of the public explored teacher roles in inspiring and preparing students for
the future. It asked teachers where they find job satisfaction. It probed feelings
about the effectiveness of schools in the community and it sought opinions
on testing and evaluating students and whether those results should be used
to evaluate staff and schools or determine funding to schools and school boards.
Some answers will surprise you. Others echo long held and well-known perceptions.
Now, it is my pleasure to introduce Marilyn Laframboise, Council Chair of
the Ontario College of Teachers, and Conrad Winn, President of COMPAS Inc.,
the public opinion and customer research firm the College commissioned to conduct
the research.
Mr. Winn will present an overview of the findings and Ms. Laframboise will
provide a context for the study and its significance. All three of us will
be available afterwards to answer any remaining questions you may have.
Mr. Winn
Thank you Conrad. I'd like to ask Marilyn Laframboise now to comment on the
study and its importance.
Marilyn
Thank you Madam Chair.
At this time, we will take your questions. Please tell us your name and the
organization you represent.
Registrar moderates question and answer session with media.
