Attention News/Education Editors:

Intense marketing needed to attract men to teaching, Ontario educators say

    TORONTO, Nov. 12 /CNW/ - A study into the declining numbers of male
teachers in Ontario suggests provincial government intervention is needed to
reverse the trend.
    Narrowing the Gender Gap: Attracting Men to Teaching recommends that the
province champion a multi-year marketing campaign, research and possible
incentives to bring men into the profession and retain them.
    The report follows months of consultation with students, teachers,
administrators, parents, education stakeholders and community groups, and an
examination of trends across Canada and around the world.
    Ontario educators launched the study in February in response to school
board hiring concerns and the lack of available male teachers. The research
project was undertaken by Jean-Luc Bernard, Directeur de l'éducation, Conseil
scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest (CSDCSO); David Hill, Director of the
Trillium Lakelands District School Board; Pat Falter, Consulting Director,
English Language School of Education, Laurentian University; and Doug Wilson,
Registrar, Ontario College of Teachers.
    Fewer than one in three Ontario teachers are men. The shortage is acute
at the primary-junior levels where, according to Ontario College of Teachers
data, only one in 10 teachers under the age of 30 are male.
    "Finding, hiring and retaining quality teachers -- male or female -- is a
priority in education, particularly in high need subjects such as French, math
and science," says College Registrar Doug Wilson. "Unfortunately, young men
are choosing other career paths."
    "We wanted to identify the barriers that keep men from becoming teachers,
talk about it with students, teachers, parents and system partners and come up
with a practical, forward-looking plan," said CSDCSO Education Director    
Jean-Luc Bernard.
    The project uncovered a number of perceived barriers to men entering
teaching, among them: low salaries; negative stereotypes; and fears of
allegations of sexual misconduct.

    As a result, the project partners recommend:

    -  a provincial government sponsored three-year marketing campaign
    -  providing materials to education faculties, district school boards
       and other employers and organizations to complement provincial,
       regional and local recruitment campaigns
    -  showing the benefits of teaching and working with children and
       dispelling myths that discourage men from entering the teaching
       profession
    -  investigating further incentives
    -  increasing alternative and part-time programs at faculties of
       education
    -  encouraging school boards to offer co-operative education and peer
       tutoring placements for male high school students in elementary
       schools
    -  developing mentoring programs for male teachers
    -  conducting research to see whether there is a correlation between the
       academic achievement of boys in the presence of male teachers.

    Changing teacher salaries -- a suggestion that came up repeatedly during
consultations -- was an issue deserving further discussion among school
boards, teacher federations and the Ministry of Education, the project
partners decided.
    The number of men in the national teaching workforce dropped to 35 per
cent in 1999-2000 from 41 per cent in 1989-90, according to Statistics Canada.
The percentage of male teachers was even lower among younger educators. In
countries such as Ireland, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy and
Germany, women make up 80 per cent or more of teachers at the primary level,
the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in
2001.
    "The sharp decline in the presence of male teachers is not only an issue
for Ontario, but it's part of an international phenomenon," says Laurentian's
Pat Falter.
    "Everyone we spoke with -- students, teachers, parents -- would like to
see a greater balance of teachers in Ontario's schools," says Trillium
Lakelands Education Director David Hill.

    To see the full report, please visit www.oct.ca

For further information: contact: Brian Jamieson, Senior Communications 
Officer, Ontario College of Teachers, (416) 961-8800, ext. 255, 
1-888-534-2222, ext. 255; Gabrielle Barkany, Communications Officer, Ontario 
College of Teachers, (416) 961-8800, ext. 221, 1-888-534-2222, ext. 221