2025 Focus on Teaching Report Now Available

The 2025 Focus on Teaching report is now available, featuring insights from the 36,749 OCTs who participated in the survey. Thank you to everyone who shared their responses in support of shaping the future of the teaching profession.

In case you missed it, the executive summary was shared in April’s issue of Your College and You. As highlighted there, the data and analysis presented in the report are detailed and extensive.

The 2025 Focus on Teaching survey was designed to gather information about the teaching workforce and the profession, including data related to employment, demographics, equity, diversity and inclusion, career progression and labour mobility.

In addition to the survey findings, the final report includes selected extracts of aggregated and anonymized College registration data, providing a more complete picture of Ontario’s teaching profession. Together, this data is made available to help education system leaders make informed decisions that strengthen the profession and, in turn, benefit every student in every classroom across Ontario.

Please Note: All data collected has been aggregated and anonymized by our research partner, Forum Research. The College cannot identify individual survey respondents.

Reducing Barriers and Certifying More Teachers

When the College introduced our Strategic Plan in 2024, it included a clear objective we refer to internally as Goal One: Accountable and agile processes to certify educators to teach in Ontario classrooms.

Since then, our Membership Services team has been dedicated to advancing Goal One while receiving higher application volumes and implementing a series of policy changes related to processing times and labour mobility.

As a result of their efforts, the College has certified 1,140 internationally educated teachers between January 1 and June 30. That represents a 78 percent increase in internationally educated teacher certifications when compared to the first six months of 2023.

Furthermore, average timelines to render a decision after receiving a complete application from an internationally educated teacher dropped from 146 calendar days to 36 calendar days — a 75 percent reduction since 2023.

How did we do it? A collective effort that maintains high professional standards, is supported by considerable investments in staffing and resources, and anchored by three key process improvements:

• Optimized credential assessment workflows

• Increased recognition of successful teaching experience

• Expanded options to satisfy language proficiency requirements

This year’s certification totals are a clear demonstration that our enhanced experience for internationally educated teachers is effective. The broader benefit is a smoother application process and quicker certification decisions for all teacher candidates.

Certification totals and timelines are publicly available in the Registrar’s Reports to Council.

2026 Annual Meeting of Members is October 20

Join College leadership for our Annual Meeting of Members on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The online meeting is open to OCTs, applicants, interested education partners, and members of the public. Registrar and CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, the Chair of College Council, Joseph Fiorino, and Chair of the Audit and Finance Subcommittee, Valerie Fontenelle, OCT, will provide updates on how the College works within its mandate to protect the safety and well-being of Ontario students.

The meeting will be hosted on Zoom with simultaneous French and English interpretation. Optional closed captioning will also be available. The session will conclude with a Q&A period, and questions can be submitted in advance when you complete your registration form. Registration details will be available soon.

It’s Not Too Late to Get Involved in College Governance

Did you miss the July 15 deadline to apply to serve on Council or one of the College’s statutory or regulatory committees? Don't worry, there’s still time to get your application in!

The College is looking for qualified and dedicated OCTs (and members of the public), reflecting Ontario’s linguistic, geographic, and demographic diversity, to govern the teaching profession in the public interest.

Build your professional and regulatory expertise, advance your career and broaden your impact on Ontario’s education system to support student protection and well-being across the province.

Your application* will be considered by the Selection and Nominating Subcommittee for current and upcoming vacancies. Individuals appointed to fill a vacancy will be appointed for a one- or two-year term, subject to renewal.

More information about eligibility criteria and the benefits of getting involved can be found on the College’s website.

Apply as soon as possible to be considered for a term starting January 1, 2027.

*Service on Council or Committee is a voluntary position. This is not a teaching position.

Taking an AQ Course This Summer?

Additional Qualification (AQ) courses are one of the many ways OCTs engage in ongoing professional learning to strengthen their knowledge, skills and teaching practices, a commitment reflected in the refreshed Professional Standards.

If you’re taking an AQ course this summer, the Margaret Wilson Library can be a valuable research partner.

Explore education collections thoughtfully curated by our Library team, covering subjects such as special education, mathematics and reading.

You can also access research databases with thousands of full-text journals, magazines and professional publications to support coursework and assignments.

Sign into the Library through your College account to start searching.

For research assistance, contact the Library team at library@oct.ca.