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About the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program
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Background
What is unique about PCEIP
Value of education indicators
Committees and organizations
Background
This document is the fifth edition of Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program.
The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program, or PCEIP, is a joint venture of Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).
In the Victoria Declaration of 1993, the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for education and training agreed to create PCEIP. PCEIP’s mission is to publish a set of statistical measures on education systems in Canada for policy makers, practitioners and the general public to monitor the performance of education systems across jurisdictions and over time.
The first indicators published under the PCEIP banner appeared in 1996. A consultation with provincial and territorial governments and other education stakeholders the following year led to the definition of a new set of indicators, designed to address key policy issues. Similar consultations were held in the fall of 2004 and the modifications to the indicator set from those consultations have been incorporated in subsequent editions of Education Indicators in Canada.
In 1999, the first PCEIP report based on the new indicator set was published, followed by reports in 2003 and 2005.
What is unique about PCEIP
The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators are not the only indicators on Canadian education systems. Within Canada, many jurisdictions have developed education indicators, or are in the process of doing so.
The diversity of education systems in Canada and differences in definitions and data collection methods often restrict meaningful interjurisdictional comparisons. The Pan-Canadian Education Indicators incorporate extensive methodological work aimed at harmonizing data across jurisdictions. Indeed, the goal of the program is to provide consistent and high-quality information on education for all of Canada to support informed decision-making, policy formulation and program development.
Internationally, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development produces a set of education indicators called the Indicators of Educational Systems (INES). The INES indicators compare education systems of OECD member countries. Results are published annually in Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Canada has participated in this project since its inception in 1988. PCEIP incorporates certain INES indicators to provide an international framework for pan-Canadian and jurisdictional indicators.
Value of education indicators
Indicators combine discrete education statistics and give them context. Indicators permit comparisons—between jurisdictions, over time, and with commonly accepted standards.
Although indicators show trends and uncover interesting questions, they cannot by themselves provide explanations or permit conclusions to be drawn. Additional research will always be required to diagnose the causes of problems and suggest solutions. The aim of this report is to stimulate thinking and promote debate on education issues.
Committees and organizations
See “Component parts in PDF” for downloadable list of committees and organizations in PDF format.
