The promise
Ontario's Liberals have pledged to double the time it takes students to earn a teacher's degree, from one to two years, if re-elected. The Liberals say the change would give teachers in training more time to hone their skills, especially with hands-on practice, while helping them stay competitive with their international counterparts and easing an overcrowded job market. But it is also an inexpensive promise offered just days before the official start of a provincial election, and the plan has already generated skepticism.
Are our grads ready?
The idea rests on the notion that more training equals better training. John Milloy, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, noted most teachers in Ontario get a year of schooling (it's actually about eight months), 40 days in the classroom with real students, "and then they're on their own." Meghan Benson, 26, graduated from the University of Western Ontario's teachers college in 2009, and agrees more "practicum" time would be helpful. But she questions how much more instruction is productive, especially where teaching theory is concerned.
"The vast majority of the learning I did occurred during our in-class placements," said Ms. Benson, who now teachers at a high school in Brampton. "I really just think that an entire additional year is a waste of time."
Keeping up globally
Ontario is recognized for producing strong teachers, as their students excel in international standardized tests and graduation rates are on the rise. The Liberals agree, but warn that the province cannot rest on its laurels if it hopes to continue competing globally. Mr. Milloy noted that education leaders like Finland, Japan and Singapore tend to have longer teacher certification programs, and that Ontario's year-long structure is short even compared with other provinces, where two-year degrees are common.
But teachers federations warn that drawing a link between the length of a program and its success is too simple, especially as Ontario's programs are highly targeted at teaching narrow age groups and subjects rather than general preparation. "I don't think that comparison stands," said Francine Leblanc-Lebel, president of the Ontario Teachers' Federation.
Supply and demand
The province seems overstocked with teachers. An Ontario College of Teachers study shows that between 2006 and 2010, involuntary unemployment rates for first-year graduates of teaching programs rose from 3 per cent to 24 per cent. Underemployed graduates spiked from 27 to 43 per cent in the same period, with many young teachers cobbling together part-time and supply-teaching jobs at multiple schools.
The Liberal government has already begun curbing enrolments, but the new plan would halve the number of annual graduates from 9,000 to 4,500 – a step many have welcomed. Still, those same supporters point out the change will not reduce job applicants from private colleges, other provinces or other countries, and the market could remain crowded.
The political lens
With the Progressive Conservatives promising a more laissez-faire approach that frees teachers to do their jobs as they see fit, the Liberals are showing a contrasting instinct to take control of teaching quality, a primary focus of the party's new framework for the coming years. But with a substantial deficit and a struggling economy, they cannot afford to be spendthrift. By halving enrolment, the government can double the time students spend in teachers college without adding a dime to the $77-million they spend on teacher training.
The plan will require students to pay a second year of tuition fees, however. And while the government argues that students will welcome a chance to be better prepared, the cost may be a tough sell at a time when student groups are warning that their members' votes could hang on promises of tuition restraint.
"Another year of education is not cheap for students, so there's that dynamic to it, especially because there's no guarantee you'll get a job," said Nora Loreto, a spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario.
James Bradshaw