Public attitudes toward education in Ontario 2015: The 19th OISE Survey of Educational Issues

Abstract

Despite the political challenges regarding Ontario’s publicly funded education system, there remains general satisfaction among the public as a whole, and parents more specifically. This is according to the 19th OISE Survey of Educational Issues, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s bi-annual survey of public attitudes towards education, released today. “A majority actually favours increased spending on schools, and most of them are willing to pay higher taxes to support this,” according to report’s co-author Arlo Kempf. Findings also note support of provincial testing along with the important role that teachers play in assessing students. Also evident is strong support for full-day kindergarten and its emphasis on inquiry/play-based learning. Public opinion gridlock remains when it comes to funding both public and separate schools versus a single system, according to the survey. “We weren’t surprised by the strong interest in more technology in the schools, but we were surprised that most favoured greater opportunities for students to earn credit for learning outside of the school setting, given this issue has not received much media attention,” says co-author Doug Hart. “We are hopeful that parents, educational leaders, policy makers and the media will find this 32 page report of significant use for informed dialogue about issues facing Ontario’s fine publicly funded system,” observed OISE interim Dean Glen Jones.