Equity, falling test scores and unregulated intensification of work

Last year, I taught extended French half-time to bright middle schoolers, and in addition to preparing and teaching lessons to multiple classes of entitled 11-13 year-olds in an IB program, there were significant requirements beyond teaching. Administrative tasks included supervision for cell phone use, hot lunch distribution, and community outreach via proactive parent calls, meetings, and emails–in addition to daily duty, and documenting progress and reporting on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the IB curriculum. 

The most challenging aspect of this contract was to manage students' in-class behaviour. Too often, the authority of women teachers was questioned, denied, and ignored outright. The day-to-day realities in that middle school environment did not allow enough time or space to prepare brain-friendly lessons, implement accommodations noted on individual students’ IEPs, or complete ancillary tasks. Although I rarely felt I was doing the job well, I also had to take in that colleagues around me were also experiencing this phenomenon. There was no easy solution other than to keep trying. 

I’m telling this story because it represents an authentic reality about the state of learning in schools in 2026. Too often, chaos is the undercurrent. Growth and innovation with and for students become compromised; those compromises create learning gaps. Recent empirical research confirms that non-teaching tasks of elementary teachers create "workload overload" and "time constraints," which divert time from lesson preparation and instructional quality (Jalop & Baguio, 2026). In other words, when teachers must “fight fires,” instruction falls lower on the priority list. I lived (through) this. 

I have come to realize that the experience I had last year happens in too many schools.

The cause of this phenomenon is both simple and complex. Our educational system does not set clear boundaries around what teachers' work actually is. Unregulated intensification of teachers' work means that there is not enough time and opportunity for the pedagogical tasks of teaching. The consequence is that the learning trajectories of too many students are negatively affected. Students who find it challenging to learn and students who develop avoidance behaviours around learning are too often left aside. This is particularly problematic because if parents don’t know, who will tell them? In such an environment, growth and achievement come to a standstill. Fast forward to declining EQAO scores.

 So. Where is the possibility? In short, awareness is the cornerstone of moving forward. Recognition and acknowledgement of what is happening is a priority. If we do not see the agency we have as teachers, we will not have the awareness to take opportunities to model respect for learning. Respect for learning is the number one job for everyone.

Stay tuned for Part 3, when I'll share some thoughts about raising test scores for all.