Teacher Education in Ontario: A History, 1843-1976.

Overview & Synopsis

The development of teacher education in Ontario for the last century has largely been determined by the forces of supply and demand. By 1950 the province had a well-structured, highly centralized, and comprehensive system of teacher education, although progress in the raising of standards was slow due to war-time expedients and the teacher shortage throughout the 1950s and 1960s. During the past 15 years, teacher education has experienced unprecedented quantitative and qualitative growth. Faced with declining enrollment, educators must now refine past achievements in both theory and practice. Limited job opportunities in teaching provide the chance, through careful screening, to develop a highly competent and deeply committed teaching corps. For the first time in many years, policies and programs of teacher education need no longer be governed by a chronic shortage of adequately qualified candidates. (Author/WD)