TIPS FOR PARENTS Who Does What in

In Canada, public education is a provincial responsibil- of Teachers ity. This tip sheet will help you understand the struc- The Ontario College of Teachers regulates the teaching ture of Ontario’s public education system and the roles profession. Its responsibilities include: played by schools, school boards, and the Ministry of • establishing the requirements for a teaching cer- Education. tificate and setting standards for teacher training The Provincial Ministry of Education programs • maintaining a provincial register of qualified The Ministry of Education is responsible for oversee- teachers ing all aspects of Ontario’s public education system. • investigating complaints against teachers Ontario’s Education Act sets out the duties and respon- You can contact the Ontario College of Teachers at sibilities of the Minister of Education, school boards, www.oct.ca or by calling 1-888-534-2222. supervisory officers (superintendents), principals, teachers, parents and . School Boards The Ministry is responsible for: There are 72 school boards in Ontario, including 31 • Setting policies and guidelines for school boards English public boards, 29 English Catholic boards, 4 • Allocating funding to school boards using the French public boards, and 8 French Catholic boards. Funding Formula There are also several ‘school authorities’ that oversee • Establishing the provincial (what stu- schools in hospitals, treatment centres, and in remote dents will learn in each grade) regions of the province. • Setting requirements for graduation (diplomas and certificates) School boards are responsible for: • Creating lists of approved text books and other • deciding how to spend the funds they receive learning resources from the province for things like hiring teachers The Minister of Education is appointed by the Pre- and other staff, building and maintaining schools mier, and is an elected Member of Provincial Parlia- and purchasing school supplies ment (MPP). • deciding where new schools should be built and when and if schools should close You can contact the Ministry of Education at www.edu. • providing programs in schools such as special gov.on.ca or by calling 1-800-387-5514. education, programs for newcomers and French Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) Immersion • developing local (eg. safe The EQAO is an independent government body that schools, homework) oversees the province-wide standardized testing in • setting an annual balanced budget for the school grades 3, 6, and 9 and 10. It is responsible for: board • developing and administering tests in , • ensuring schools follow the rules set out in the writing and Act • reporting standardized test results to the Min- • establishing a school council at each school and a istry and the public Parent Involvement Committee for the board • providing recommendations to improve test re- Trustees are elected to the school board during muni- sults cipal elections. They represent the interests of parents You can contact the EQAO at www.eqao.com or by call- and students in their area. Trustees sit on commit- ing 1-888-327-7377 tees regarding expelling students, and make decisions about the school board’s budget. You can find out who

Copies are available in several languages at www.peopleforeducation.com. For more information, call 416-534-0100 or email: [email protected] © People for Education 2009 Who Does What in Education

your trustee is by asking at the school office or check- cation system. Teachers are responsible for: ing your board’s website. • preparing lesson plans, teaching classes, and evaluating progress School superintendents or “supervisory officers” are • maintaining discipline in the classroom board staff responsible for groups of schools in each • running extra-curricular sports, clubs and activ- school board. Superintendents may be involved in sus- ities (voluntary) pension appeals, meetings, and re- • communicating with parents about students’ quests to attend a school other than the home school. progress Superintendents may also be assigned by the board to oversee board-wide programs (e.g. Superintendent for School Councils provide advice to the principal and special education). You can contact your school super- school board. Every school must have a school council, intendent if you can’t get the help you need from the and members include parents, the principal, a teacher, school principal. a student (in high schools), a non-teaching staff mem- ber, and a community representative. The majority of You can find a complete list of the province’s school members must be parents and the chair must be a par- boards at: http://esip.edu.gov.on.ca/english/core/Board- ent. Principals do not vote on school council decisions. Directory.asp School councils are responsible for: Schools • sharing information with parents and the com- munity and seeking their input on matters the Principals are responsible for the management of council is discussing individual schools. They may have one or more vice- • providing advice to the principal and school principals assigned to help them. Principals are re- board on issues such as school year calendars, sponsible for: strategies to improve school performance, codes • overseeing the teaching and curriculum in the of conduct and dress, selection criteria for princi- school and making decisions about the School pals, and board policies that will affect the school Improvement Plan Many school councils are also actively involved in or- • supervising teachers and other staff ganizing social events for the school community and • admitting students and making decisions about fundraising. special education placements • administering the school’s budget and ensuring For more information on school councils go to: the building is maintained http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/council/ • making decisions about the allocation of special- guide.html ized staff such as department heads, arts special- ists or library staff For More Information • maintaining student records and ensuring report To find out more about Ontario’s education system and cards are sent to parents how you can be involved in it, you can contact: • overseeing student discipline and making deci- sions about suspensions and possible expulsions People for Education at: www.peopleforeducation.com • working with the school council to encourage The Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Educa- parent involvement, assist in decisions about tion at: www.oapce.on.ca fundraising and develop new policy about things like homework and the school’s Code of Conduct The Ontario Federation of Home and School Associa- tions at: www.ofhsa.on.ca/ Teachers in Ontario must have a recognized teaching certificate in order to teach students in the public edu-

People for Education is an independent parents’ group working to support public education in Ontario’s English, French and Catholic schools. You can reach us at: P.O. Box 64, Station P, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2S6 Phone: 416-534-0100 • fax: 416-536-0100 • email: [email protected] or visit: www.peopleforeducation.com