As thousands of students return to Ontario’s classrooms, many are learning from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Bachelor of Education graduates and current teacher candidates.
Laurier’s Bachelor of Education program, offered at the Waterloo and Brantford campuses, is playing a crucial role in producing highly qualified professionals to work in schools in Waterloo Region, the Brantford area, and surrounding communities at a time when many school boards are reporting teacher shortages.
Between 2021 and 2023, more than 280 students graduated from Laurier’s Bachelor of Education program. In an annual employment survey conducted by Laurier’s Career Centre, 91% of graduates reported teaching in school boards across Ontario with 85% of respondents working as teachers in boards within 100 kilometres of Laurier’s Brantford and Waterloo campuses.
"The Waterloo Region District School Board is grateful for our partnership with the Faculty of Education at Laurier and the innovative skills and energy that their teachers bring to our schools," says jeewan chanicka, director of education with the Waterloo Region District School Board. "We look forward to a continued partnership and working together to help all students to rise to their highest potential."
Laurier Education students.
Nearly half of all Laurier Bachelor of Education alumni who graduated between 2021 and 2023 and responded to the survey are working as educators in Waterloo Region’s two publicly funded school boards. The survey received a 60% response rate
“The presence of Laurier’s Faculty of Education in our community allows us to attract and retain teachers,” says Paul Mendonça, superintendent of learning with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. “Our schools benefit greatly from the high-quality, passionate educators that Laurier produces.”
In addition to hiring Laurier Education alumni for permanent and contract positions, Mendonça notes that Laurier teacher candidates with transitional certificates from the Ontario College of Teachers have been able to support classrooms when there is a shortage of qualified teachers to cover teacher absences.
In 2022, Laurier expanded its Bachelor of Education to the Brantford campus to meet the growing demand for qualified teachers in Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk. Since 2019, the student population within the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board has grown by 20%.
"The Grand Erie District School Board has seen the positive contributions that Laurier’s Bachelor of Education students and graduates make to school communities," says JoAnna Roberto, director of education at Grand Erie District School Board. "Their strong foundation in pedagogy, combined with a commitment to student well-being and achievement, is evident in the teaching practices of Laurier Education students and graduates."
Laurier Education students.
Two new Catholic schools – an elementary and a secondary – are being constructed to address the unprecedented population growth in Brantford and surrounding communities. The schools will open in 2025 and 2026, respectively. The Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) is forecasting a 15% growth in its student population between 2023 and 2033, according to student enrollment data outlined in the board’s 2023-2028 Long-Term Accommodation Plan. The GEDSB will open two new elementary schools in the next two years.
“Additional educators are needed to keep up with the growth in our school communities," says Michael McDonald, director of education and secretary at the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District Board in Brantford. “We are grateful for the relationship with the Faculty of Education at Laurier’s Brantford campus and the energetic and innovative students and graduates who contribute to our schools.”
One-third of teacher education students at Laurier’s Brantford campus will complete practicum placements in Brantford area schools during the 2024/25 school year.
“Laurier education students and graduates bring a vibrancy into our schools,” says McDonald. “Our educators and students benefit from that emotional contagion.”
The Faculty of Education at Laurier also offers professional development programs at both campuses, providing teachers and administrators in the Waterloo Region and Brant with local options for continuous learning.
“We take great pride in the relationships we have fostered with our local school boards,” says Maria Cantalini-Williams, dean of Laurier’s Faculty of Education. “Our students and graduates are well-prepared to teach in classrooms and are passionate about educating current and future generations of students in Ontario.”
This fall, Laurier will welcome approximately 350 first-year students into the Bachelor of Education program with 159 at the Brantford campus and 188 at the Waterloo campus. About 250 students in Laurier’s Bachelor of Education program are slated to graduate in June 2025.
