Public attitudes towards education in Ontario 1988: Seventh OISE survey

The OISE/UT Survey was conducted and published annually between 1978 and 1980, and biennially from 1980 to the present. It is the only regular, publicly disseminated survey of public attitudes towards educational policy options in Canada. Its basic purpose is to enhance public self-awareness and informed participation in educational policy-making.This seventh OISE survey finds that public satisfaction with the overall situation in Ontario schools has continued to decline. It should be noted that despite the increase in dissatisfaction with schools since 1982, the dissatisfied continue to constitute a minority--currently about one-third. Support for increased funding of the public education system, from the elementary through to the university level, has continued to grow. Support for increased funding for adult training programs continues to be even higher. People remain divided, however, in their personal willingness to pay increased taxes to fund increased educational spending. After "the basics" (reading, writing, and math skills), Ontarians appear to give priority to curriculum objectives emphasizing the personal development of students rather than knowledge of academic subjects. Participation in adult and continuing education remains an important phenomenon in Ontario.OISE/U