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Value Changes in Ontario Education Act: A Narrative and Discussion

Xiaobin Li
The purpose of this article is to examine value changes in the Education Act (1990) of Ontario, Canada, since 1807 when the Public Schools Act (1807) became the first education legislation in the province. With three main sections in the article, the first section offers a brief historical background of the Education Act (1990) from its beginning in 1807 to 1995, when the Conservatives reformed the governance of education in Ontario following their political values. The second section describes the value changes in the Education Act (1990) and related legislation that the Conservatives, the Liberals, and the Conservatives again have made since 1995. The third section discusses and reflects on the value changes described. The methodology of the study was document analysis, focusing on values reflected in legal documents and the relevant literature. The paper attempts to provide an interpretation of the value changes reflected in the Education Act (1990), its predecessors, and related legislation, as well as their implications for educational administration.

A Modified Administrative Internship: Can It Meet the Objectives of a Traditional Internship for Preparing Future Leaders?

Patricia Briscoe
Administrative internships providing field-based experiences are identified as an effective practice in school leadership preparation programs. However, including internships of 15 weeks with full-time on-the-job requirements is problematic in programs where students primarily work full-time. This study investigated the capacity of a modified internship approach—field-based activities and fewer hours—to achieve similar outcomes as a traditional internship. The longitudinal qualitative study involved five cohorts (n = 60) of graduate students in a Master of Educational Leadership program in Canada over five years (2019-2023). Participants completed a qualitative survey after their required internship course, and the data were analyzed using a conventional and summative qualitative content analysis approach. The findings determined that participants overwhelmingly agreed that the modified administrative internship structure effectively provided authentic experiences about the reality of school leadership roles and responsibilities and prepared them better for the role. The consistent findings spanning over five years support the validity of the modified approach, aligning with traditional internships’ goals. Leadership preparatory programs seeking to enhance the preparation of future school leaders may benefit from adopting a similar field-based course structure as the modified internship approach.

Exploring Inbound International Students’ Choice Architecture through University Webpages

Chris D. Craig, Joe Stokes and Catherine Drea
Shifting funding models have made Ontario universities increasingly reliant on international students for economic viability. However, recent federal study permit caps have intensified an already competitive recruitment landscape. This study aimed to identify the key factors—or determinants—that inform international students’ university applications and to assess how effectively Ontario universities communicate this information on their websites. Furthermore, we sought competitive intelligence into whether universities communicated the determinants effectively through international studies webpages. The research followed a four-phase systematic inquiry to gather actionable insight through environmental scanning, grouping, competition analysis, and findings. Environmental scanning involved gathering industry trends and implications, forecasting potential issues, outlining a focal point, and establishing a database. The database informed the grouping phase, resulting in the selection of 12 university international studies websites for further review. Additionally, we derived 15 determinants and four emergent themes—geography, employment & finance, institutional information, and student perspectives—from a systematic report review outlining perceptions from over 171,000 students and 1,399 international degree-granting institutions. Competition analysis involved scanning and evaluating selected university webpages for effectiveness and the determinants. The findings indicate diverse approaches and varying abilities to communicate determinants. Also, higher-ranked universities transmit information more effectively. Study limitations include focusing on two English-language provinces and using secondary aggregated data to source determinants. The study addresses two research gaps: First, we foster awareness of higher education organizational practices, and second, we detail a Canadian perspective on inbound university student mobility.

Leaves of Absence and Presenteeism Among Canadian Teachers: Mental Health Challenges, Frequency, Impact, Facilitators, and Barriers

Kristen Ferguson, Christine Tulk, Melissa Corrente, Susan Rodger and Ivy Lynn Bourgeault
Using survey data from 733 teachers, we explored leaves of absence and presenteeism due to mental health challenges among Canadian teachers. Almost 40% of teachers had taken a formal leave of absence due to mental health concerns, with no significant difference by gender or grade-level taught. Having a supportive partner/family was the most cited facilitator of taking a leave, followed by having financial coverage. The most cited barrier to taking a leave was the impact it would have on students, followed by an unsupportive supervisor. The majority of teachers in our study experienced sickness presenteeism due to mental health challenges.

Les avantages et les désavantages de la profession enseignante : perceptions des élèves du secondaire francphone au Nouveau-Brunswick

Robert Levesque and Marc Basque
The problem of recruitment and retention of teachers in the school system is a provincial, national and even international phenomenon. This can be explained by various causes such as teachers leaving the profession at the start of their careers, the high number of students experiencing difficulty in the classroom and the drop in the number of enrollments in post-secondary education. In connection with these causes, this study attempts to clarify students' perceptions of the teaching profession to better understand the causes of the low enrollment rate in education programs. More specifically, this research analyzes students' responses to assess their interest in the field of education and to identify the main advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in education. Methodologically, 424 semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11th and 12th grade students in 7 French-speaking high schools in New Brunswick (Canada). From the thematic analysis carried out with the NVivo software, three main advantages of a career in teaching emerged: vacations, being able to help young people and the social aspect of the profession. From these interviews, the three main disadvantages retained were: behavior management/discipline, additional work, and salary. The results of this study represent tangible avenues to rectify students' false perceptions and thus optimizing their recruitment into the teaching profession.

Impact of Program Review in Canadian Post-secondary Education: A Qualitative Case Study

Claire Sauvé, Alana Hoare and Gloria Ramirez
Using a qualitative case study research design, this study examined the phenomenon of program review at a mid-sized vocational college in British Columbia, Canada, and the experiences of five department leaders and program coordinators engaging in program review. The study sought to answer the following questions: What is the experience of faculty and program coordinators leading the program review process? Is the program review meaningful? Is the program review manageable? Can a program review process be both meaningful and manageable? Are the meaningfulness and manageability of program review in conflict with one another? Participants recognized the potential impact of program review in terms of creating space for analytic and critical reflection to interrogate the influence of reviews on institutional strategic planning, advocacy for departmental and institutional resources, and assessment of program viability within the broader academic mission of the institution. However, complex power dynamics at play within program review for improvement versus for accountability were highlighted as a point of tension and resistance that prevents the realization of the ideals of program review.

Occupational Health and Safety of High School Dual-Training Students: School Principals’ Perceptions of Their Role

Myriam Bérubé, Nadielda Pastor-Bédard, Céline Chatigny, Aurélie Tondoux and Marie Laberge
Dual-training programs aim to develop students’ employability while enabling them to continue their education. These programs are often offered to adolescents experiencing educational challenges. They are particularly vulnerable to occupational health and safety (OHS) risks due to learning difficulties and the predominantly manual nature of the trades involved. While various stakeholders support students in acquiring OHS skills, the role of school administrations in OHS prevention is less understood. This article explores high school principals’ perceptions of OHS management in dual programs for students with limited formal education. Through a thematic analysis of 17 interviews with principals, this exploratory study identifies four central themes reflecting their approach to OHS: (a) general roles self-reported by principals, (b) student placement in traineeships, (c) supervision of traineeships, and (d) allocation of OHS responsibilities. Findings reveal that while principals approve of OHS initiatives, they primarily depend on teaching staff to handle day-to-day safety activities. Principals’ roles in that matter are largely supportive and informational. Comprehensive OHS training for all program participants, including principals, appears essential for encouraging a proactive approach across all levels.

Positive Leadership and its Impact on Improving the Climate in Chilean Schools. A Comparison between Teachers and School Leaders

Luis Lacourt Suárez
This article analyzes the opinions of teachers and principals regarding relationships and the presence (or absence) of relational trust and positive leadership in Chilean public schools in the Metropolitan and O’Higgins regions. The development of positive school climates, where respect and relational trust are key factors in promoting improvement strategies, aligns with coexistence, democracy, and equity. Leaders’ actions are central to this, making resilience and relational trust key professional competencies, especially in complex and disadvantaged contexts. The study employs a mixed-methods, procedural design, combining a Google Forms questionnaire, validated by experts, to obtain an overview of the topic (with 95 responses), and six in-depth interviews with three principals to contextualize and understand the scope and meaning of the data. The results indicate that relational trust impacts the work climate, emotional well-being, teamwork, and the achievement of institutional goals. This highlights the importance of training in active listening, the development of multilevel relational trust, and democratic decision-making. In turn, leaders and teachers must be competent in interpersonal skills, perceiving the needs of the community. Furthermore, the following emerge: A demand for initial and ongoing teacher training in the development of interpersonal skills; and the importance of interpersonal relationships and trust as professional competencies. At the same time, it concludes that schools must create spaces of care, safety, and interaction as a necessary condition for generating spaces for dialogue and mutual institutional reciprocity. This is relevant for achieving a shared vision and purpose for improving outcomes for all members of the educational community.

Distrust, Relationality and Equity: A Response to Lacourt Suárez’s Trust, Learning and Social Growth Continuum

Gordon A. Martell
My encounter with Lacourt Suárez’s (2026) Positive Leadership and its Impact on Improving the Climate in Chilean Schools. A Comparison between Teachers and School Leaders (Lacourt Suárez, 2026), compelled me to raise considerations for the role of trust in leadership and implications for effective teaching, successful students, and the achievement of social democratic goals. I wondered about how this equation manifests in contexts characterized by power differentials and intergenerational distrust. By reframing from a linear cause-and-effect to a cycle of negotiating trust and its implications for effectiveness, learning, and equity, we can not only recognize and encounter distrust but also embrace it in dissonance. Considering distrust as an attribute of calibrating relationships informed by social conditions that lie beneath the veneer of the certainty of trust, school leaders can discover the liberating discourse that results from interrogating trust and embracing the complexity and conditions that instigate distrust. Accepting these conditions as norms in building relationships based on authenticity has the potential to disrupt lingering power relationships in schools and society.

Agentivité et rapports aux marchés scolaires montréalais : les choix des parents n’ayant pas fréquenté l’université

Marie-Odile Magnan, Véronique Grenier, Fabiola Melo and Frédéric Deschenaux
Au Québec, les études qui ont porté sur les marchés scolaires et leur contribution à l’accentuation des inégalités entre les élèves ont corroboré les résultats obtenus dans d’autres pays occidentaux. L’existence de ces marchés s’avèrerait être à l’avantage des parents les plus scolarisés ou favorisés au plan socioéconomique (Grenier, 2020). En effet, ces derniers s’informeraient davantage sur les différentes possibilités de programmes et d’écoles, s’adonneraient au magasinage et pourraient se permettre plus aisément de payer les frais exigés par les écoles privées ou par les programmes sélectifs des écoles publiques. Cette étude qualitative documente les discours des parents n’ayant pas fréquenté l’université et dont les enfants sont scolarisés dans une école primaire défavorisée à Montréal (n=13). Les entretiens ont porté sur leurs discours autour du choix de l’école secondaire de leur enfant. Les données soulignent leur connaissance des marchés scolaires et des injustices qu’il génère. L’analyse, menée à partir de la théorie de Giddens sur l’agentivité, met en exergue le déploiement de leur agentivité par trois types de rapports aux marchés scolaires : de résistance, de sacrifice et de résignation. Les différents rapports révèlent l’articulation entre leur conscience discursive en tant qu’agents compétents du système et les contraintes financières pouvant affecter leur liberté de choix. En conclusion, nous abordons des pistes pour déconstruire les impacts des inégalités de la structure des marchés scolaires québécois et, plus spécifiquement, montréalais.

Patten, R. M. (2023). Intentional leadership: The Big 8 capabilities setting leaders apart. University of Toronto Press

Erika Nelson, Marwa Younes and Leticia Nadler Gomez

Kress, M., & Horn-Miller, K. (Eds.). (2023). Land as relation: Teaching and learning through place, people and practices

Donna H. Swapp and Chioma Olumide-Ajibola

Baskatawang, L. (2023). Reclaiming Annishinaabe Law: Kinamaadiwin Innamaadiwin and the Treaty Right to Education. University of Manitoba Press

Nicole Brouwer, Lindy Phelps-Henderson and Scott Lowrey

Styres, S. D., & Kempf, A. (Eds.). (2022). Troubling truth and reconciliation in Canadian education: Critical perspectives. University of Alberta Press

Gordon A. Martell and Nicole Mercereau

Freeze, R., Fuchs, D., Lutfiyya, Z. M., Trudel, L. E., Bartlett, N. A., Freeze, T. B., Stephenson, T., Matanga, Z., Taylor, A., Wells-Dyck, A., Reimer, K., Voutier, A. R., Desmarais, M-E., Kokorudz, S. & MacLoed, G. (2023). Transformative Inclusive Education

Natalie Davey