The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

The funding situation stimulated the emergence of an alternative system of
monitoring education funding at the local level. A parental lobby group, People
for Education, was formed in the wake of Bill 160, and began carrying out annual
surveys of elementary and secondary education across the province. The surveys
inquires about class size, support personnel and services, school libraries, textbook
availability, school budgets, the fi nancial contributions of parents and teachers,
and how these funds are used among other topics. The survey reports contradicted
government claims that schools were adequately funded for required education
programs and services, and revealed school-level funding inequities, such as
wealthy communities having greater capacity to supplement school funds.
Policy Trends in Teacher Professionalism
The creation of the Ontario College of Teachers could be viewed as a signifi cant
step towards teacher professionalization. Perceived gains in professional autonomy
and control, such as the development of Standards of Practice and responsibility
for teacher education program accreditation, however, were offset by government
policies that superseded or constrained the College’s capacity to shape the
nature and context of teacher professionalism (e.g., the initial certifi cation test,
recertifi cation, and mandatory continuing education). While the Liberal government
suspended the qualifying test and repealed the re-certifi cation process adopted by
the Conservatives, entry requirements beyond the B.Ed. and teacher recertifi cation
remained a focus of ongoing policy debate.
The creation of the OCT opened a rift in teacher leadership, as the College
was granted powers that had been previously exercised by the teacher unions (e.g.,
disciplinary proceedings) and challenged the role of the unions as teachers’ chief
spokesperson. Now the organizations co-exist, but they do not act as partners in
their dealings with teachers, school boards, and the Ministry. In terms of teacher
professionalism, it is also noteworthy that non-teachers appointed by the government
to the OCT governing board outnumber certifi ed teachers elected by members of the
college. The legislation governing the OCT came under review when the Liberals
took power; by the end of 2004, however, it remained unclear what, if any, changes
might be made to teacher representation on the governing board.
Since Bill 160, the role of the Ontario teacher federations became more restricted
to labour advocacy. The Conservatives’ efforts to delimit union power through
more centralized control and regulation of funding and working conditions resulted
in a reduction in teacher autonomy that has not been offset by the establishment of
the College of Teachers. While the Liberals adopted a more cooperative approach
to working with organized teacher groups, they did not relax the more centralized
controls over funding, working conditions, and bargaining rights.
Conclusion
In this narrative, we have charted the major elementary and secondary education
policy initiatives undertaken by successive governments in the province of Ontario
from 1990-2004. In our description and analysis, we have attempted to show how
certain policy trends have persisted despite changes in provincial political leadership
Chapter 5: Ontario 93