Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective 2016
Chapter D
The learning environment and organization of schools Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective 2016
Chapter D
The learning environment and organization of schools

D1 Instruction time

Context

This indicator examines the amount of time, as established in public regulations, that Canadian students aged 6 to 17 must spend in class. More precisely, this indicator shows the annual number of hours of intended instruction time in the curriculum for students by single age (ages 6 to 17). This information is for Canadian public institutions for the 2015/2016 school year. Data are presented for Canada, and for the provinces and territories.^Note 1

Instruction time in formal classroom settings accounts for a large portion of the public investment in student learning and is a central component of effective schooling. The amount of instruction time available to students is the amount of formal classroom teaching they receive and can therefore determine their opportunities for effective learning. It is also central to education policy decision-making. Matching resources with students’ needs and making optimal use of time are major challenges for education policy. The main costs of education are the use and deployment of teacher resources, institutional maintenance and other educational resources. The length of time during which these resources are made available to students is thus an important factor influencing the budget in education.

In combination with the information on teachers’ salaries presented in Indicator D2 and teacher working time in Indicator D3, this indicator on instruction time contributes to the development of a set of key measures for full-time teachers in public institutions that, in turn, contribute to expanding the context for discussion of quality of instruction and understanding certain aspects of education processes.

Observations

Intended instruction time by level of education

• In Canada^Note 2, total cumulative intended instruction time was highest in the Northwest Territories at 12,252 hours.  It was lowest in Prince Edward Island at 10,514 hours.
• The average total cumulative intended instruction time in formal classroom settings for primary level education (ages 6 to 11) and lower secondary level education (ages 12 to 14) was 5,517 and 2,790 hours, respectively.
• In comparison, average total intended time was lower for the OECD countries on average with 4,739 hours at the primary level and 2,738 hours at the lower secondary level.
• The total intended instruction time for students in upper secondary institutions (ages 15 to 17^Note 3) varied from 2,420 hours in Ontario to 3,135 hours in the Northwest Territories. 

Definitions, sources and methodology

Data on instruction time are from the 2015 OECD-INES, Eurydice – OECD Instruction Time Data Collection 2015 and refer to the 2015/2016 school year. Instruction time for 6- to 17-year-old students refers to the formal number of 60-minute hours per school year organized by the school for class instructional activities in the 2015/2016 reference year. Hours lost when schools are closed for statutory holidays are excluded.

Intended instruction time refers to the number of hours per year during which students receive instruction in the compulsory (this refers to the amount and allocation of instruction time that every public school must provide and all public-sector students must attend) and non-compulsory parts of the curriculum. The total compulsory curriculum comprises the compulsory core curriculum, as well as the compulsory flexible curriculum and non-compulsory parts of the curriculum. Intended instruction time does not include non-compulsory time outside the school day, homework, individual tutoring, or private study done before or after school.

Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every Canadian jurisdiction, except for Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nunavut, where education is compulsory up to the age of 18.

The average for Canada is calculated by weighting the figures for provinces and territories by the population of children as of July 1, 2015 by single age (6 to 17) in each jurisdiction. All jurisdictions except Yukon and Nunavut are taken into account in the Canada-level average.

Note: The corresponding OECD indicator is D1, How much time do students spend in the classroom?

Tables for D1 Instruction time

D2 Teachers’ salaries

Context

This indicator presents annual statutory salaries for teachers at the start of their careers, after 10 and 15 years’ experience, and once they have reached the top of the salary scale. These categories reflect salaries for teachers with the most common or typical minimum level of training required for certification in public elementary and secondary educational institutions. All data on these salaries are presented for teachers teaching at the three levels in the International Standard of Classification (ISCED) categories: primary (ISCED 1); lower secondary (ISCED 2); and upper secondary (ISCED 3) education.^Note 4

Teachers’ salaries represent the single largest expense in education (see Indicator B3 in this report). A comparison of salary figures at different points reveals some useful information on basic salary structures and the points of salary advancement in a teaching career. Salaries and the accompanying working conditions contribute towards developing, attracting and then retaining qualified teachers. Thus any compensation issue should be a major consideration for policy-makers or others in the education field who want and need to maintain a high quality of instruction while balancing their education budgets. At the same time, any interpretation of international comparisons of teacher compensation, including salaries, should be considered with several other factors in mind. While the salary figures for this particular indicator have taken differences in cost of living for Canada and its fellow OECD countries into account, it is not possible to capture all differences in taxation, social benefits and allowances, or any other additional payments that teachers may receive.

In combination with the information on instruction time and teachers’ working time, presented in Indicators D1 and D3, respectively, this indicator on teachers’ salaries contributes to the development of a set of key measures for full-time teachers in public institutions that, in turn, contributes to expanding the context for discussion of quality of instruction and understanding certain aspects of education processes.    

Observations

Salaries by ISCED level

• In Canada, salaries for full-time teachers in public elementary and secondary schools were fairly consistent across levels of teaching in 2013/2014, particularly after several years of teaching experience had been acquired.
• By contrast, in many of the countries that recently reported to the OECD, teachers’ salaries tended to rise with the level of education taught.

Salaries throughout career experience

• In all jurisdictions except Quebec, teachers at all three teaching levels had reached the top, or near the top, of the pay scales after 10 years’ experience, typically making around one and a half times their starting salaries.
• In Quebec, teachers did not reach the top of the pay scale until after 15 years’ experience.  Unlike other jurisdictions, in Quebec, the salary for 15 years’ experience/top of scale was about $14 035 more than for teachers who had reached the 10-year point on the on the salary scale. 

International comparison of salary levels

• Full-time teachers in public institutions in Canada receive higher salaries overall compared with those in most other OECD countries.
• In Canada, teachers in most provinces/territories reached the top of the salary range at 10 years of experience. This is, in general, sooner than teachers in other OECD countries whose salaries continued to increase beyond 10 and 15 years’ experience.

• Among OECD countries, Canadian full-time teachers in lower secondary institutions with 15 years of experience had the 4th highest salaries ($US 65,511), after Luxembourg ($US 112,760), Germany ($US 69,431) and the Netherlands ($US 66,366).
• In lower secondary institutions, teachers with 15 years of experience in Canada had the second highest average salaries ($US 65,511) among the G7 group of countries after Germany ($US 69,431).  Within Canada, equivalent teachers in the Northwest Territories ($US 81,591), Ontario ($US 71,369) and Alberta ($US 71,258) received higher salaries than the Canadian and German averages.

Definitions, sources and methodology

The data on annual statutory teachers’ salaries were derived from the 2015 OECD-INES Teacher’s Salaries and Working Time Survey and reflect the 2013/2014 school year. All information has been reported in accordance with formal policies for public educational institutions.

“Statutory salaries” refer to salaries according to official pay scales and schedules. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, the annual statutory salaries are based on 2013/2014 salary scales in collective agreements between each jurisdiction’s teachers’ unions/associations/federations and the provincial or territorial government. In some provinces, however, namely Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, these pay scales are established at the school-board level and there is no province-wide bargaining.^Note 5

The salaries reported are gross (total sum paid by the employer); i.e., they do not include the employer’s contribution to social security and pension (according to existing salary scales). It is gross salary from the employee’s point of view, since it includes the part of social security contributions and pension scheme contributions that are paid by the employees (even if deducted automatically from the employee’s gross salary by the employer). Salaries are “before tax” (before deductions for income taxes). Gross teachers’ salaries are presented in current Canadian dollars, to be compared with the averages for Canada, which were derived from the provincial values (Table D.2.1). The average salary for Canada was calculated as a weighted average of all provinces (the Northwest Territories^Note 6, Yukon^Note 7 and Nunavut^Note 7 are not included). Weights used depend on the salary calculated. For teachers at the beginning of their careers (starting salaries), the number of full-time educators younger than 30 was used. For teachers with 10 years of experience, the number of full-time educators aged 35 to 44 years was used. And, for teachers with 15 years of experience, as well as those at the top of the salary scale, the number of full-time educators aged 45 or older was used. The Northwest Territories are excluded from the Canada average because the Elementary-Secondary Education Survey (ESES) does not report a breakdown by age for the number of full-time educators. Salaries have also been converted to US dollars (Table D.2.2) using the purchasing power parity (PPP)^Note 8 for private consumption from the OECD National Accounts database.

“Starting salaries” capture the scheduled gross salary per year for a full-time teacher with the most common or typical level of training at the beginning of a teaching career. Salaries after 10 and 15 years of experience refer to the scheduled annual salaries of full-time classroom teachers who have the most common or typical training of teachers after 10 or 15 years of experience. The starting salaries and salaries for teachers after 10 and 15 years of experience reported for Ontario differ from other provinces and territories. The figures for Ontario are the midpoint of a range based on the provincially funded grid. They reflect the funded salary assuming the most common level of qualifications among teachers in Ontario at the relevant experience level. 

Note: The corresponding OECD indicator is D3, How much are teachers paid?

Tables for D2 Teachers’ salaries

D3 Teachers’ working time

Context

This indicator focuses on the working time and teaching time of teachers in public institutions, by level of education taught, in the 2013/2014 school year. Although working time and teaching time only partly determine teachers’ workloads, they provide valuable insight into the different demands that provinces and territories place on their teachers. Together with teachers’ salaries (see Indicator D2), this indicator describes some key aspects of teachers’ working conditions. Data are presented for Canada, and for the provinces and territories.^Note 9

Similar to instruction time for students (see Indicator D1) and teachers’ salaries (see Indicator D2), the amount of time teachers spend teaching has an impact on education budgets. Moreover, teaching hours and the extent of non-teaching duties are major components of the working conditions and may have a direct bearing on the attractiveness of teaching as an occupation.

Of course, teachers also spend part of their working time on activities other than teaching, such as lesson preparation, marking, in-service training and staff meetings.

Observations

Teaching time and total working time

• For Canada in 2013/2014, the overall number of teaching hours per day was 4.4 hours for primary education, and slightly less (4.1 hours) for lower secondary and upper secondary education. 
• Teaching hours per day in Canada were slightly higher than the OECD averages of 4.2 hours for primary education, 3.8 hours for lower secondary and 3.6 hours for upper secondary education.

• In Canada, primary school teachers taught an average of 796 hours in 2013/2014 compared with the OECD average of 776 hours. Lower secondary school teachers taught an average of 743 hours in 2013/2014, compared with 694 hours for all OECD reporting countries.
• At the primary level, annual net teaching time varied from 700 hours in New Brunswick to 905 hours in Alberta. Total working time varied from 1,073 hours in Manitoba to 1,280 hours in Quebec.
• At the lower secondary level, British Columbia reported the most time teaching at 934 hours; the lowest amount (612 hours) was reported in Quebec.
• Total working time among lower secondary teachers in the provinces and territories was lowest in Manitoba (1,073 hours) and highest in Quebec (1,280 hours).

Proportion of total working time spent teaching

• In Canada in 2013/2014, the proportion of net teaching time to total working time was close to the OECD average for both primary and secondary education.
• Time spent teaching as a proportion of total working time varied widely from one province or territory to another. In 2013/2014, at the lower and upper secondary levels, the proportion of working time spent teaching ranged from 48% in Quebec to 75% in Alberta.

International comparison of teaching hours

• Within the G-7 group of countries and Finland, lower secondary teachers in Canada came in fourth place for the highest number of teaching hours per year at 743 hours.
• Lower secondary teachers in Finland (589 hours), Japan (611 hours), Italy (616 hours), and France (648 hours) spend less time teaching per year than their counterparts in Canada and the United States.
• Students in Finland generally score high in international academic assessments, yet their teachers spend the lowest number of teaching hours as compared to the G-7 group of countries and the OECD average.

Definitions, sources and methodology

The data are from the OECD-INES 2015 Survey on Teacher’s Salaries and Working Time and refer to the 2013/2014 school year.

All jurisdictions reported instruction time in weeks and days. The “number of weeks of instruction” and the “number of days of instruction” exclude the days per school-year the school is closed for holidays (public holidays and seasonal school holidays).

Only Quebec and Alberta reported statutory working time. For those two reporting jurisdictions, the figures for net teaching and working time required at school are set in provincial/territorial regulation or collective agreement with the provincial/territorial teachers’ union/association/federation. The remaining jurisdictions reported estimated teaching and working time of teachers based on the mandated instruction time set in regulation, legislation or collective agreement in each jurisdiction.

“Net teaching time” refers to the number of hours per day or hours per year that a full-time teacher teaches a group or class of students, as determined by policy. Net teaching time in hours per year is normally calculated as the number of teaching days per year multiplied by the number of hours a teacher teaches per day (excluding periods of time formally allowed for breaks between lessons or groups of lessons). At the primary level, short breaks between lessons are included if the classroom teacher is responsible for the class during those breaks. Apart from Quebec and Alberta, net teaching time was estimated by subtracting from mandated instruction time (as defined in Indicator D1), time allowed for teachers during the school day for marking and preparation as well as recess, if the latter was included in instruction time and if supervision of children was not mandatory.

“Working time required at school” represents the normal working hours of a full-time teacher. Working time may include the time spent specifically on teaching and the time devoted to teaching-related activities required at school, such as lesson preparation, counselling students, correcting homework and tests, professional development, meetings with parents, staff meetings and general school duties. Working time does not include paid overtime. In jurisdictions for which working time is not mandated, working time was estimated by adding supervision time, time for meetings and time for professional development to mandated instruction time.

“Total statutory working time” is the time that teachers are required to spend at work, including teaching and non-teaching time, as specified in regulation or collective agreements.

For all variables, the Canada level average is weighted by the number of full-time educators, for all levels of education combined,^Note 10 for all jurisdictions who submitted figures for both teaching time and working time.

Note: The corresponding OECD indicator is D4, How much time do teachers spend teaching?

Tables for D3 Teachers’ working time

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