People for Education and the Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE) at Wilfrid Laurier University are proud to announce the launch of the Annual Canadian School Survey (ACSS), a first-of-its-kind national survey to track the real-life impacts of education policy and funding decisions in schools across the country.
The ACSS was developed in partnership with the Canadian Association of Principals, and other principal and vice-principal organizations across Canada. The survey will provide evidence on differences and similarities across the country on things like staffing issues, student and staff mental health, schools' policies on AI and phones, and classroom complexity.
For more than 25 years, People for Education conducted the Annual Ontario School Survey, which allowed more than 1,000 principals each year to tell the stories of their schools. Over the years it became a vital resource for policymakers, educators, researchers, and the public. Building on that success, the new Annual Canadian School Survey replaces the Ontario survey, expanding it to every province and territory.
Why a national survey matters
Canada is facing unprecedented challenges from climate change to polarization, mental health crises to technological disruption. Public education is one of the country's most important assets in preparing the country and the next generation to meet these challenges. But as the What Do We Know About Canadian Schools? report highlights, Canada lacks accessible, timely, and comparable pan-Canadian data about its schools.
In its first year, the ACSS will provide insights into key areas that matter to school leaders, educators, students, families, and communities, including staffing and resources; complex classrooms; mental health and well-being; nutrition; cell phone restrictions, technology access and workplace learning opportunities in secondary schools.
New report reveals gaps in Canadian data
The launch coincides with the release of a new report, What Do We Know About Canadian Schools?, co-authored by ACSS co-directors Dr. Christine Corso and Dr. Kelly Gallagher-Mackay of Wilfrid Laurier University, and Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education.
The report - based on a scan of available Canadian health and education data related to children and youth and publicly funded K-12 school systems - found that that while Canada has some strong examples of provincial, territorial, and national data collection, significant challenges persist in ensuring that education data is complete, timely, comparable, and accessible. The authors suggest that to fully realize the potential of public education as a driver of equity, health, and prosperity, Canada requires a more coherent and coordinated approach to collecting, publishing, and linking education data.
Building a pan-Canadian dialogue
The new survey and the data scan are designed to foster evidence-based policy and to support cross-country learning at a time when Canada's 13 education systems often operate in silos.
Too often, Canadian policy decisions are informed by research from other countries. With the Annual Canadian School Survey, we are creating a tool that reflects Canada's unique context and contributes directly to a national dialogue about public education.
Dr. Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, Co-Director of the ACSS and Associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University
Earlier this year, People for Education launched The Education Promise - a bold five-year, pan-Canadian initiative grounded in the belief that public education is one of Canada's greatest, but under-recognized, assets for long-term resilience and prosperity.
The Annual Canadian School Survey is a powerful step in delivering on The Education Promise. By generating pan-Canadian, evidence-based insight, the ACSS will build our shared understanding of the strengths and challenges being experienced in Canadian schools and, in turn, the kinds of policy needed to support change.
Paris Semansky, People for Education's Director of Systems Change.
The Annual Canadian School Survey and What Do We Know About Canadian Schools? are supported thanks in part to multi-year support from RBC Foundation. Ongoing and multi-year funding from The O'Neil Foundation.
Call to principals
Principals in publicly funded schools across Canada are invited to participate in the first Annual Canadian School Survey, helping to ensure their schools' realities are part of this important national picture. To receive the survey, please email the team at: CanadianSchoolSurvey@peopleforeducation.ca
