About the Pan-Canadian Educational Indicators Program

Background

This document is the fourth edition of Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program.

The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program, or PCEIP, is a joint venture of Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC), Canada.

In the Victoria Declaration of 1993, the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for education and training agreed to create the PCEIP. The PCEIP mission is to publish a set of statistical measures on education systems in Canada for policy makers, practitioners and the general public to evaluate the performance of education systems across jurisdictions and over time.

The first indicators published under the PCEIP banner appeared in 1996. A consultation with provincial and territorial governments and other education stakeholders the following year led to the definition of a new set of indicators, designed to address key policy issues.

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What is unique about PCEIP

The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators are not the only indicators on Canadian education systems. Within Canada, many jurisdictions have developed education indicators, or are in the process of doing so.

The diversity of education systems in Canada and differences in definitions and data collection methods often restrict meaningful inter-jurisdictional comparisons. The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators incorporate extensive methodological work aimed at harmonizing data across jurisdictions. Indeed, the goal of the program is to provide consistent and high-quality information on education for all of Canada to support informed decision-making, policy formulation and program development.

Internationally, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development produces a set of education indicators called the Indicators of Educational Systems (INES). The INES compares education systems of OECD member countries. Results are published annually in Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Canada has participated in this project since its inception in 1988. PCEIP incorporates certain INES indicators to provide an international framework for pan-Canadian and jurisdictional indicators.

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Value of education indicators

Indicators combine discrete education statistics and give them context. Indicators permit comparisons—between jurisdictions, over time, and with commonly-accepted standards.

Future plans

The next PCEIP report is tentatively scheduled for 2007. Ongoing program priorities include:

• developing a Web site for PCEIP that will provide electronic access to more detailed underlying databases and make updated information readily available;
• updating existing indicators as new data become available;
• developing new indicators in response to priorities established by provincial and territorial ministries;
• continuing research to refine and select data in support of indicators;
• improving timeliness and cross-jurisdictional comparability;
• consulting with provincial and territorial governments and other education stakeholders to increase the relevance and usefulness of the PCEIP.

Committees and organizations

Download Committees and organizations in PDF format.

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