55 Percent of Canadians Say Public Education System Going in ‘Wrong Direction’: Survey

High school students in London, Ont., in a file photo. Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images

More than half of Canadians say the public education system is heading in the “wrong direction” in its discipline practices, curriculum, and teaching methods, according to a newly released report.

Fifty-five percent of people polled in SecondStreet.org’s latest school system survey said Kindergarten to Grade 12 education has been headed in the “wrong direction” in the past two decades. That’s a 72 percent increase in the number of people who disapprove of what is happening in the classroom since 2020, when only 32 percent were critical of the system.

Twenty-five percent said it was headed in the “right direction” while the remainder didn’t have an opinion either way, according to the May survey results.

“These new polling numbers should be of concern for school boards and provincial governments,” said SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig in a May 21 press release.

“Clearly, Canadians have serious concerns with discipline issues, what schools are prioritizing in terms of lessons and new teaching methods, to name a few. The question now becomes, what is the school system going to do about it?”

Of the Canadians who believe the system is flawed, 82 percent identified discipline and accountability as an issue. School curriculum and lesson priorities were a concern for 74 percent while new teaching methods were identified as an issue by 60 percent of those surveyed.

Discipline and Accountability Concerns

Even respondents who thought the system was heading in the right direction overall, had concerns, according to the findings. Respondents were critical of the school system in six out of seven categories.

Discipline and accountability was the topic identified as the most concerning. Sixty-three percent  of respondents said it was headed in the wrong direction compared to only 17 percent who were satisfied with current practices and 19 percent who were unsure.

It was a top concern right across the country and was especially true for those 55 and older at 70 percent, and Canadians living in rural parts of Canada at 71 percent.

“Teachers have very little control in the classrooms, where poor behaviour is tolerated,” one respondent said. “Children are promoted to a higher grade level without passing grades; failure is not admitted.”

The second-most common area of concern is what is being taught in the classroom and what skills are being prioritized. The poll found that 50 percent of Canadians believe schools are failing when it comes to prioritizing lessons and skills for students to learn compared to only 26 percent who said they are headed in the right direction. Twenty-five percent were uncertain.

Content related to sexual education and gender was identified as a problem by 43 percent of respondents, while 31 percent were pleased with the content and 26 percent were unsure.

Report cards, teaching methods, and the quality of teachers were also identified as problems to be addressed.

Another issue on the minds of Canadians was the amount of time students receive off school for teachers’ professional development days. Forty-three percent said students are off too frequently.

“Officials in the public education system—provincial governments and school boards especially—would be wise to delve deeper into the issues raised in this brief and examine how to improve satisfaction with the public system,” Mr. Craig said in the report.

“Greater choice outside of the government-run system is another option to consider.”