worse in Ontario, despite all the talk and atten- tion, in part due to the failure of school boards and the Ford government to take the necessary steps to fix the issues that lead to fail-to-fills.
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ISSUES
Te COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. Students have greater needs than ever before. Members are dealing with the dysregulation of learners and the long-term impacts of isola- tion and virtual learning. Everyone, including teachers and teacher candidates, came out of the pandemic re-evaluating their priorities. For educators, this reality has been com- pounded by poor decisions made by the On- tario government and continued underfund- ing of public education. When considering the legislation and reg-
ulatory changes, there is evidence of a pattern that is not only making the public education system weaker but also making the teaching profession less attractive. For example, some may argue that
the
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current teacher crisis is partially a long-term result of the former Ontario Liberal govern- ment’s decision to lengthen the initial teacher education program from one year to two years in 2015, cutting the number of teacher candi- dates graduating per year and increasing the cost of the degree. Add to that Bill 124, the Ford government’s
unconstitutional wage suppression legislation, which may have further eroded interest in the teaching profession. Te bill led to teachers and education workers being underpaid and undervalued for years. Shortly aſter Bill 124 passed, in October
2020 the Ford government revoked Regula- tion 274, which drastically changed occasional teacher hiring practices in the province. Tis leſt many teachers feeling that there is no lon- ger a clear path into long-term occasional and permanent teaching positions. Additionally, poorly implemented curricu-
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lum policy changes, such as to Mathematics in 2020 and Language in 2023, made without necessary job-embedded professional learn- ing and resources, have burdened educators with the need to meet ministry expectations and the needs of their students without proper supports. Tese unsupported education poli- cies, in conjunction with the heavy workload associated with large class sizes and a lack of paraprofessionals in schools, are further exac- erbating issues with respect to teacher attrac- tion and retention. Finally, Ford’s re-introduction of a math proficiency test for teachers is yet another
example of policy that may continue to de- ter people from entering a teacher educa- tion program. Local surveys of occasional teachers con-
tribute to our understanding of why, even aſter completing a bachelor of education, teachers are leaving the profession:
• dealing with dysregulation or violence without the support of administration
• poor working conditions
• not being paid enough for the incredible re- sponsibility and demands in these situations
• having their collective agreement entitle- ments infringed upon by school admin- istrators, such as loss of preparation time, excessive supervision duties, and reassign- ment from the assignment they selected and booked
Even the Ontario College of Teachers
(OCT) has echoed the issues our members and local leaders are reporting. In a 2023 sur- vey of its members, the OCT asked teachers for reasons they would opt for early retire- ment. Te majority cited challenging working conditions, including work volume and com- plexity, lack of respect and recognition, safety, mental health and lack of work-life balance. Globally, the UN Secretary General's
High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession identified several key factors contributing to worldwide teacher shortages, which echo what we are experiencing in Ontario. Te main causes are:
• high attrition rates • insufficient recruitment and training • poor working conditions and low pay • lack of professional development • the impact of socioeconomic factors
Te UN report also indicates that there
needs to be greater emphasis on professional development, support, resources, and more focus on equity and inclusion. Recommen- dations are aimed at ensuring that world- wide, every learner has access to profession- ally trained, qualified, and well-supported teachers, which is vital for improving educa- tional outcomes and achieving global educa- tion goals. Despite Ontario’s relative wealth, our pub-
lic education system is experiencing many of the issues reported by the UN. Tis crisis could have been mitigated by informed, col- laborative and focused public education sup- ports from the provincial government and education stakeholders.
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