Good physical and mental health is critically important to students’ ability to learn. Health education provides students with the self-regulatory skills and competencies they need to make healthy decisions and engage in health promoting behaviours.
Health
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48%
of elementary schools have a health and physical education teacher.
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95%
of Ontario’s students attend public school.
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99%
of all secondary schools report having a guidance counselor.
Health research
Measuring What Matters: Phase 3 progress report
This report provides an update on People for Education’s Measuring What Matters (MWM) initiative, including some of the early findings coming out of the school field trials.
Measuring What Matters: Competencies in the classroom
This report includes preliminary findings from the Measuring What Matters field trials taking place in 26 schools across 7 Ontario school boards.
Measuring What Matters: A field guide to field trials
For the past three years, People for Education has been engaged in a project to develop broader goals and measures of success in education.
Health education and supports in Ontario’s schools
Ontario’s revised health and physical education curriculum focuses on the idea that health and physical education programs are most successful when delivered in healthy schools.
Measuring What Matters: Physical and Mental Health in Schools
This report outlines the long-term benefits - to students' educational and life outcomes - of supporting students' health through comprehensive school health programs.
Measuring What Matters: Moving from theory to practice
An overview of the work done to explore the relationship between the domains and education policy and curriculum in Ontario, and plans for the field trials to take place in Ontario schools.
Exploring Learning and Health: What Influences a Child’s Ability to Learn?
This article examines the factors that can influence a student's ability to learn. Many of these factors are health-related, and include hunger, poor vision, lack of connectedness, and exposure to violence.
Measuring What Matters: Beyond the 3Rs
A summary of the findings from the initial public consultations and an outline of the work done to identify the five domain areas and conditions for quality learning environments.
SHAPES – School Health Action Planning and Evaluation System 1
In Nova Scotia, Quebec, PEI and BC, schools are participating in a new way to keep track of students’ physical and mental health.
The Link Between Pupil Health and Well Being and Attainment
This research brief from Public Health England discusses the critical role that students' social emotional health plays in their school success and the role schools in supporting social emotional learning for students.
Tips for parents:
Health and Physical Education
All students are required to take Health and Physical Education (HPE) from Kindergarten through Grade 8. Students must also earn one high school credit in HPE in order to graduate. Find out more about what students are learning, and why this is an important part of their education.
In the news
Toronto Star: School guidance counsellors ‘stretched’ amid rising mental health needs
People for Education's new report finds students have limited access to school guidance counsellors at a time when transition/career planning is more complicated and students' mental health needs are increasing.
New report highlights competing priorities in education
People for Education's annual report on Ontario’s schools shows decline in library staff and music teachers; improvements in Indigenous education.
New report reveals geographic divide in Ontario schools
People for Education releases 19th Annual Report on Ontario’s Publicly Funded Schools.