HEQCO has produced or commissioned more than 126 research studies on postsecondary access, quality and accountability. While we regularly share our research with hundreds of people involved in the sector, including government, academic leaders and media, we can’t really expect the beleaguered press to tell our story to the broader public as often as we’d like. So we’re taking it to the streets.
Welcome to HEQCO’s first community report, Informing the Future of Higher Education. We hope you will enjoy an expanded version of the report that appeared in the June 16 edition of the Toronto Star. It presents our research findings relevant to key questions asked by three Ontarians: an Oakwood Collegiate high school student, a Mohawk College student, and the Scarborough parent of three children who will be of postsecondary age within the next decade. They ask:
- Will I be able to go to college or university?
- Will I graduate with the skills I need to be successful personally and professionally?
- What will postsecondary education look like by the time my kids get there?
Part of our mandate, as outlined in the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act (2005), is to report annually to the public on the accessibility, quality and accountability of the Ontario postsecondary sector. We’ve produced three annual evaluations of Ontario’s postsecondary system and they are available on this website. This year, in featuring real people asking real questions about higher education, we’re making our report, and oft times complex research, more accessible to Ontarians. Given that much of our research focuses on groups that are currently underrepresented in higher education, we hope that Informing the Future of Higher Education will both inform and provide some encouragement to those who might not have considered higher education as an option. Please feel free to comment on the report. Wherever you see the phrase “Tell us what you think,” just click and comment, and your words will be shared through this blog. As Harvey would say, thanks for reading.
One reply on “2011 Community Report: Taking it to the streets”
I really enjoy your newsletters and reports. I have so many thoughts on education and accessibility to it. I don’t think there is room here for all of my thoughts and comments. I myself did not get to attend post secondary for many of reasons stated in the report, but i do have 3 smart kids, 2 of which are attending University at present. There are so many hurdles and barriers if you are from a non-privileged background, i have been their only source of support, family wise, no Father and no grandparents and no money. And i am not the best one to advise them as i don’t know much of how the system works because i myself didn’t go, so they are at a disadvantage plus yes the borrowing, when you are in our position you do not want to borrow so much to go to school, it is forever on their mind, plus students from monies background, they can drop a course if they are only getting 70 or less, so it doesn’t appear on transcript, kids from poor background think of the money that goes down the drain, i have so many thoughts etc on this as i have studies how the system works and how much of an advantage the richer classes have over the poorer ones. Most of my high school classmates did not go on to higher learning including myself even though i had the highest grades in my classes in grade 13. Guidance councellors were not much help (this was mentioned in the report), i never even heard of a scholarship, I have since wished and wished that i had been able to go, but it seemed impossible to me. I have lots more to say but i think we will run out of space. Karen McCullam – an avid reader and fan of your works/reports on higher education