Western University and the Ontario Principals’ Council are collaborating on a vital research project focused on Canadian Principals’ Occupational Health, Safety and Well-being. The Principal Barometer draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Goals

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The research project will provide

  • insight into the major challenges and opportunities school leaders face at work 

  • opportunities to compare working conditions and health with those of other professions and the average worker and 

  • insight for the development of evidence-informed approaches to promoting school leader health and well-being.

Rationale

Updated and valid data is needed on principal wellness, health and safety. The following are the reasons we are doing research at this time: 

  • Principals' associations have been looking for valid data on principal wellness, health and safety for some time as the job of principal becomes increasingly complex.

  • Individual principals need information about the risks associated with the role and how to safeguard against those risks. 
  • Policy makers and employers need comprehensive information to be proactive in developing job-embedded supports that address the complex work of principals. 
  • Canadian research does not yet dig deeply into the issue, where other jurisdictions such as Australia, Finland, Ireland and New Zealand are using this type of work to inform practice. 
  • To support public education leaders who have unique roles within quality public education systems. 

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Online Research Tool

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We are developing a responsive online instrument adapted from The Principal Barometer that will assess the working conditions, health and overall well-being of principals. It will provide users with real-time, personalized feedback that will

  • empower principals as individuals to make informed choices about their health and well-being and

  • provide policymakers and researchers with actionable data they can use to improve principals’ occupational health and well-being. 

 

Reports - Coming Soon!

Cones graphic. Small pilot Ontario 2024. Larger pilot 2025. Pan Canadian 2026.

Timeline

 Principals working in public schools in Canada will be invited to participate in the study. 

2026-2027 Schedule

  Deliverable

July - September

Prepare reports using 2025-2026 data 

Review 2026-2027 survey questions  

Contact additional provinces for participation 
October - November Revise the online survey

January-February

Survey period planned for January 19, 2027 to February 23, 2027 
March - July

Clean and analyze data from the survey

August - October

Share reports

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Question and Answer 

Why this tool and approach? 

The Ontario Principals’ Council has, in the past, supported several research studies, including Changes for Future-ready Education in Canada Report - OPC Summit on Public Education in Canada (September 2023), The Changing Nature of Vice-Principals' Work (June 2017) and Principals' Work and Well-Being in Ontario (July 2020) that help us understand what is happening regarding principal workload and wellness. This intervention adapts the Principal Barometer work done in other countries to provide us with clear information about what can be done to better support the wellness of school leaders.  
Will my participation be anonymous? 

Yes. It is an Ethics Office requirement that responses be anonymous. Identifiers will only be collected for longitudinal comparisons but not be included in the larger research analysis. Your personal information will be confidential and nowhere in any publication or publicly available report will you be named. Only those directly involved in the research project will have access to the data.  
Will the tool be available in French? 

Yes. Participants have the option to complete the survey in French.  
Will vice-principals be part of the study? 

Yes, eventually. Currently, vice-principals will not be part of the study. It is our intention to adapt the intervention to vice-principals in starting in 2027.    
Will supervisory officers be part of the study? 

No. Supervisory officers will not be part of the study since we are only considering school leaders at this time.    
When will the rest of Canada have access to the instrument?  

Nova Scotia and English-language Quebec were part of the 2026 cohort. We hope to bring on additional provinces and territories each year.    
Why are you continuously looking for support? 

The intervention is a long-term project. Demonstrating partnerships is a key element of success for the project and will increase our success rate as we continue to seek funding.   
How is the project being funded? 

The project is being funded through grant applications and association support in the form of in-kind services or financial contributions.  

How will this help principal associations?  

Provincial principal associations will receive annual reports with aggregated data for their respective memberships in addition to the data for Canada. Our hope is that the information in the reports will help provincial associations advocate for improved terms and conditions of employment as well as provincial or district policies that better support principal wellness.     

Will principal associations receive a report for their region? 

Yes, if there is sufficient data to provide an anonymized report and the association is a full partner, they will receive a report containing the data for their province or territory.  

Contact Information

Ontario Principals' Council: Dr. Nadine Trépanier-Bisson, Executive Director

ntrepanier@principals.ca

Western University: Dr. Katina Pollock, Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy

katina.pollock@uwo.ca