Formed 1999 Employees 1,700+ | Jurisdiction Government of Ontario | |
Preceding Ministry Ministry of Education and Training Headquarters 14th Floor, Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Annual budget $24,742,056,114 (2012-13 fiscal year) | ||
The Ministry of Education (EDU) is the ministry of the Ontario government in the Canadian province of Ontario responsible for government policy, funding, curriculum planning and direction in all levels of public education, including elementary and secondary schools.
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This Ministry is responsible for curriculum and guidelines for all officially recognized elementary and secondary schools in the province and some outside of the province. The ministry is also responsible for public and separate school boards across Ontario, but are not involved in the day-to-day operations.
Notable ministers of education in the past have included Bill Davis, Dr. Bette Stephenson, Sean Conway and Kathleen Wynne. The current Minister of Education is Mitzie Hunter.
Approach to discipline
Ontario public schools use progressive discipline. Discipline is corrective and supportive rather than punitive, with a focus on prevention and early intervention. It is a whole-school, systemic approach, engaging students, families and the larger community, as well as classes, schools and boards. Schools are to recognize and respect the diversity of parent communities, and partner with them accordingly. Students are surveyed at least every two years about their experience of the school climate.
"For students with special education needs, interventions, supports, and consequences must be consistent with the student’s strengths and needs".
While the school principal is responsible for discipline, all board employees who come into contact with students are responsible for stepping in if inappropriate behaviour occurs. The principal may also delegate powers and duties related to discipline.
Hall-Dennis Report, 1968
The Hall-Dennis Report, officially titled Living and Learning, called for broad reforms to Ontario education, to empower teachers and the larger community, and put students' needs and dignity at the centre of education.
Fullan Report, 2013
The Fullan Report, officially titled Great to Excellent, calls for a focus on the 6 C's: Character, Citizenship, Communication, Critical thinking and problem solving, Collaboration and teamwork, and Creativity and imagination. The report also calls for innovation in how these areas are learned.
Ministers of Education
From 1993 to 1999 the Ministry was also responsible for Training, Colleges and Universities when the Ministries of Colleges and Universities and Skills Development were merged.