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For many Canadians, memories of childhood unfold at school—at recess in the primary grades, in the biology labs of high school, or the cavernous lecture halls of post-secondary institutions. Indeed, schools play such a pivotal role in the lives of children and youth that their experiences in formal education can spell the difference between lifelong failure and success.
Fortunately, most Canadian youngsters in school today have good experiences. They are in fine health, well adjusted and socially engaged. They perform well and acquire skills that will stand them in good stead in the workforce and life in general.
But all this is not universally true. Many children are bullied. Others feel disengaged from their peers and society. Health problems such as obesity are on the rise. And too many children arrive at school hungry. The result is that while Canadian youth do well by international comparisons, we cannot afford complacency.
In its first State of Learning in Canada report, the Canadian Council on Learning has put school-based learning under the microscope. We have snapped five different lenses into place, in order to examine what is happening to Canadian children and youth, from kindergarten through to post-secondary graduation.
Below is a summary of our findings with respect to five indicators of school-based learning:
Student skills—In reading, math, science and problem-solving skills, 15- year-old Canadians scored above the OECD average in 2003. Canadians were stronger in reading and weaker in science. Girls outperformed boys in reading, while boys scored slightly higher in mathematics. There were substantial differences among provincial results, and students in French-language schools outside Quebec had among the lowest scores in reading and science. Citizenship education—Over the past half-century, the political knowledge of Canadian youth appears to have declined. And while Canadians recognize the importance of history, their familiarity with the past seems to be lacking. In fact, only half of Canadians could name Sir John A. Macdonald as Canada’s first prime minister. Declining knowledge appears to be tied to shrinking civic engagement. Voter turnout, among the lowest in the industrialized world, has been dropping steadily since the 1950s. Healthy schools—Two-thirds of 12- to 19-year-old Canadians rated their health as excellent or very good in 2005; another 28% called it good. Even so, only one in five is active enough for optimal growth and development. Girls are half as likely as boys to be as active as they should be. In 2004, nearly one in three youth aged 12 to 17 was overweight or obese, a rate that has more than doubled in the past 25 years. The obesity rate tripled from 3% to 9% over this period. One in four children aged six to 11 was overweight or obese in 2004—twice the rate in 1978–1979. About three-quarters (77%) of 11-year-old Canadian boys ate breakfast every school day in 2001–2002, while only 66% of 11-year-old girls did. By age 15, just over half of the boys and two of five girls were eating daily breakfasts. In 2000, 57% of Canadian 10- and 11-year-olds reported that they always felt safe at school—a slight increase from 53% in 1994. However, 18% of 11-year-old girls and 17% of boys reported being bullied at school, among the highest rates of OECD countries surveyed. By age 15, bullying rates drop in Canada: 8% of girls were victimized, compared to 14% of boys. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Canadian youth aged 12 to 15 felt very engaged in their schools in 2000–2001, a high rate by international standards. However, the proportion of 15-year-old Canadians who failed to attend classes or were routinely late for class (26%) was higher than the OECD average (20%). For more information on postsecondary education, please see the Canadian Council on Learning’s December 2006 report, Canadian Post-secondary Education: A Positive Record – An Uncertain Future. High-school dropouts—Nine per cent of students dropped out of high school in 2005–2006, down from 17% in 1990–1991. Still, Canada’s dropout rate is higher than many other OECD countries; it is more than twice Norway’s. The dropout rate, often tied to dissatisfaction with school or a desire to earn money, is higher among males (11%) than females (7%). It is also seven percentage points higher in small towns and rural villages than in urban centres. Post-secondary education—The proportion of Canadians aged 20 to 24 attending post-secondary institutions increased from 25% in 1990 to 37% in 2005. Between 1993 and 2003, there was also a 38% increase in the number of master’s degrees awarded to Canadian students, and a 50% rise in doctoral degrees.
Student skills—In reading, math, science and problem-solving skills, 15- year-old Canadians scored above the OECD average in 2003. Canadians were stronger in reading and weaker in science. Girls outperformed boys in reading, while boys scored slightly higher in mathematics. There were substantial differences among provincial results, and students in French-language schools outside Quebec had among the lowest scores in reading and science.
Citizenship education—Over the past half-century, the political knowledge of Canadian youth appears to have declined. And while Canadians recognize the importance of history, their familiarity with the past seems to be lacking. In fact, only half of Canadians could name Sir John A. Macdonald as Canada’s first prime minister. Declining knowledge appears to be tied to shrinking civic engagement. Voter turnout, among the lowest in the industrialized world, has been dropping steadily since the 1950s.
Healthy schools—Two-thirds of 12- to 19-year-old Canadians rated their health as excellent or very good in 2005; another 28% called it good. Even so, only one in five is active enough for optimal growth and development. Girls are half as likely as boys to be as active as they should be.
In 2004, nearly one in three youth aged 12 to 17 was overweight or obese, a rate that has more than doubled in the past 25 years. The obesity rate tripled from 3% to 9% over this period. One in four children aged six to 11 was overweight or obese in 2004—twice the rate in 1978–1979.
About three-quarters (77%) of 11-year-old Canadian boys ate breakfast every school day in 2001–2002, while only 66% of 11-year-old girls did. By age 15, just over half of the boys and two of five girls were eating daily breakfasts.
In 2000, 57% of Canadian 10- and 11-year-olds reported that they always felt safe at school—a slight increase from 53% in 1994. However, 18% of 11-year-old girls and 17% of boys reported being bullied at school, among the highest rates of OECD countries surveyed. By age 15, bullying rates drop in Canada: 8% of girls were victimized, compared to 14% of boys.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Canadian youth aged 12 to 15 felt very engaged in their schools in 2000–2001, a high rate by international standards. However, the proportion of 15-year-old Canadians who failed to attend classes or were routinely late for class (26%) was higher than the OECD average (20%).
For more information on postsecondary education, please see the Canadian Council on Learning’s December 2006 report, Canadian Post-secondary Education: A Positive Record – An Uncertain Future.
High-school dropouts—Nine per cent of students dropped out of high school in 2005–2006, down from 17% in 1990–1991. Still, Canada’s dropout rate is higher than many other OECD countries; it is more than twice Norway’s.
The dropout rate, often tied to dissatisfaction with school or a desire to earn money, is higher among males (11%) than females (7%). It is also seven percentage points higher in small towns and rural villages than in urban centres.
Post-secondary education—The proportion of Canadians aged 20 to 24 attending post-secondary institutions increased from 25% in 1990 to 37% in 2005. Between 1993 and 2003, there was also a 38% increase in the number of master’s degrees awarded to Canadian students, and a 50% rise in doctoral degrees.
Of Canada’s working-age population, 45% had completed some form of post-secondary education in 2004, with the numbers split evenly between university and college or vocational programs. This puts Canada among the top three countries in the world in terms of post-secondary attainment. Of Canadians aged 20 to 24, women are more likely (45%) than men (37%) to be attending school. The gender gap, which has been widening over the past 15 years, is more pronounced in universities than colleges. Although about 250,000 people registered for apprenticeship training in 2003—up from about 165,000 in 1996—the number of Canadians who completed apprenticeships before taking a job has remained constant at about 18,000 for the past decade.
Of Canada’s working-age population, 45% had completed some form of post-secondary education in 2004, with the numbers split evenly between university and college or vocational programs. This puts Canada among the top three countries in the world in terms of post-secondary attainment. Of Canadians aged 20 to 24, women are more likely (45%) than men (37%) to be attending school. The gender gap, which has been widening over the past 15 years, is more pronounced in universities than colleges.
Although about 250,000 people registered for apprenticeship training in 2003—up from about 165,000 in 1996—the number of Canadians who completed apprenticeships before taking a job has remained constant at about 18,000 for the past decade.
Much remains unknown about the factors influencing children’s health, the relationship between health and learning, and how to make schools safe, inviting places where children will want to stay until graduation.
At the post-secondary level, there are no direct, Canada-wide measures of quality, and it is difficult to gauge whether graduates are being equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a globally competitive economy.
The Canadian Council on Learning is monitoring research in a range of areas affecting student health, academic performance and social development. Key topics of interest include: the role of homework; integration of special-needs children in mainstream classes; instructional practices for primary-school children; immigrant students and second-language learning; risk factors for language and literacy problems; and predicting language, cognition and psychiatric disorders in adolescence.