Summary of June Council meeting

A meeting of Council was held online on Thursday, June 6.

Meeting highlights include receipt of a quarterly report from Registrar & CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, as well as a financial report for the period ending March 31, 2024.

Additionally, the Hon. Stephen Lecce, the then Minister of Education, delivered an address where he discussed the latest educational initiatives aimed at better protecting students across the province. Minister Lecce thanked the College for its dedication to students.

He highlighted the success of the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program and commended the College for its development of a new Additional Qualification on Holocaust Education and Countering Antisemitism. He emphasized how this initiative will help equip educators to effectively address and prevent incidents of discrimination in the classroom.

He also highlighted the College’s work in implementing Bill 98 to ensure efficient investigative and disciplinary processes for addressing these issues and other issues of professional misconduct.

Additionally, he thanked the College for addressing the teacher shortage by cutting certification timelines by successfully reducing the number of days to under 60 for IET certifications.

Do you want to help govern the teaching profession?

There are roles available in different areas of our governance structure, including Council, Committees and Rosters.

Governance candidates will be selected based on specified selection and eligibility criteria, and successful candidates will be reflective of the diverse geographic, linguistic, cultural, and Indigenous perspectives of Ontario.

Focus on Teaching: A survey of Ontario Certified Teachers

As we prepare the College's 2024 Focus on Teaching survey, we have now completed consultation sessions with a range of groups representing teachers and the wider publicly funded education system. Our goal is to gain perspectives and identify data gaps from across the education sector.

Consultations were held with groups including the Ontario Teachers’ Federations and its affiliates, Principals’ Associations, School Boards Associations, Directors of Education, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Their valuable input will inform the drafting of survey questions that will then be discussed during focus groups with individual teachers. Focus group sessions are expected to begin in July.

Membership outreach will prioritize diverse representation in the survey focus groups with the goal of providing a safe space for participant sharing. A College representative will be in contact with members who may be involved.

We are excited to include these diverse perspectives from the teaching profession in developing our 2024 survey.

“This inclusive approach in helping to build the survey is so important for finding good solutions to supply and demand issues in schools, ultimately benefiting students and their learning experiences,” said Joe Geiser, Executive Director of the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario.

In addition to wider participation in survey development, the College remains committed to ethical research practices. In line with this, the College has developed updated ethical guidelines to govern this year’s survey process. These guidelines have been vetted by an independent, external reviewer to ensure the interests of our respondents are maintained throughout the process.

Myth/Fact

Myth: As an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT), I can diverge from the curriculum without facing any repercussions.

Fact: Straying from the curriculum can have repercussions for OCTs, impacting both their professional standing and their students' education.

Members of the teaching profession recognize that their role is to facilitate learning within the framework set by the Ministry of Education and to create inclusive and supportive environments for their students.

They also recognize the importance of adhering to professional standards and boundaries with the recognition of how personal views and conduct can impact students. Teachers exercise their professional knowledge and practice by using the Ontario Curriculum to design learning activities and assess student progress.

Maintaining professionalism, respecting students' diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and upholding ethical standards are essential aspects of effective teaching practice.

Access to virtual hearings

A commitment to transparency is an integral pillar of the College's mandate to regulate the teaching profession in the public interest. That commitment includes ensuring that members of the public can observe disciplinary hearings online.

More information about the College's investigations and hearing process, including a hearing calendar and registration link, are available on the College website.