Ontario's schools, the gap between policy and reality : People for Education annual report on Ontario's publicly funded schools 2015

We also receive support from the Atkinson Foundation, Chawkers Foundation, the Counselling Founda- tion of Canada, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, the R. Howard Webster Foundation, the Laidlaw Foundation, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Toronto Foundation, and the Ontario Ministry of Education. [...] While local school boards and schools might recognize the thE gaP bEtwEEn Policy anD rEality importance of broader skills and quality learning environ- ments,8 they continue to be held accountable to the public One of the themes that emerges from this year’s report is the and the Ministry of Education based on narrow measures of disparity between the goals identified in Ontario’s policies success [...] Our challenge issues’ and ‘Responding to system/Ministry initiatives and is the size of the school related to the amount of support communications’.15 in the school. [...] In her 2013 report, the Auditor said that teachers and principals •. 42% of elementary schools report that they have a health cite a lack of time, a focus on literacy, and a lack of space as and physical education teacher; just over three-quarters reasons that it is difficult to implement the DPA policy.25 of those are full-time. [...] In contrast to elementary schools, secondary schools in the •. 16% of elementary schools in the province have no access province are much more likely to have guidance counsellors: to a social worker and no guidance counsellor.