DDSB begins student census
Students between junior kindergarten and Grade 6 will complete the census with their parents
By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express
Tens of thousands of students attend local schools on a daily basis, but the Durham District School Board wants to identify exactly who they are.
DDSB is in the midst of completing its first ever student census.
Director of education Lisa Millar told The Oshawa Express the board has established equity, diversion, and inclusion as core priorities in its strategic planning.
“We wanted to better understand the identities of our students and their lived realities,” Millar explains.
The Durham board is one of 31 across the province approved to complete a census. It received $170,000 in funding to complete the task.
In order to get the word out, Millar says a “very strategic campaign” is underway.
This includes promotional videos and parent information sessions across the region.
Student trustees have also shared the message with their classmates.
The survey is not mandatory, but officials hope students are engaged.
“When you do any survey, you want high participation rates so the data is representative,” Millar explains. “If you only get a small segment, it’s still statistically valid, but getting students [to understand] that identity matters in a positive way is really important.”
Mohamed Hamid, superintendent of education (school equity, Indigenous education, outdoor education, and English language learners) says the census is comprised of nine questions pertaining to identity, ethnicity, and language.
The online questionnaire will be completed independently by students in Grades 7 to 12 during their homeroom classes.
Students from JK to Grade 6 will complete the census with their parents or guardians.
Hamid says each student will be given a unique ID and password to preserve the privacy of the data.
A similar census in York Region saw a 90 per cent participation rate in Grade 7 to 12 students, and 25 to 30 per cent rate from students in JK to Grade 6.
Results from the census will be analyzed over the summer and drafted into reports for the board and public in the early fall.
Millar says collecting this data will create a better understanding of the needs of students.
“It helps us plan programs based on the data to meet student needs. We want to continually be culturally responsive to the students we serve,” she adds.
Previously, the board had relied on regional census data which looks at populations and demographics.
Municipal data is also considered as well as that from Durham Region’s Health Neighbourhoods study.
However, Millar says this data “represented who lived in the communities not necessarily DDSB students.”
It is unclear at this point if student censuses will be an ongoing initiative.
“We want to work with the Ministry, and see how did this help us, and how did this make it better for our kids,” Millar said.
Overall, she believes student identity is key to the board’s overall success.
“It’s so important to our vision, strategic plan and being representative of those we serve. We want to make sure that we have a sense of belonging, and students realize they really matter here in DDSB.”