Background

The purpose of this survey is to collect your feedback on the principles, values and behaviours that should be reflected in a new code of professional conduct for the teaching profession. A code of conduct is a set of expectations that certificated teachers and teacher leaders (e.g., principals and superintendents) must follow. Codes of conduct for the teaching profession are meant to reflect minimum requirements, general expectations and overarching considerations rather than including detailed scenarios.

Currently, there are two codes of professional conduct for the teaching profession in Alberta. Certificated teachers and teacher leaders (e.g., principals and assistant principals) employed in public, separate and francophone schools must hold active membership in the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and must follow the ATA Code of Professional Conduct. 

All other teachers and teacher leaders who are not active members of the ATA must follow the Professional Conduct Requirements for Teachers and Teacher Leaders found in the Practice Review of Teachers and Teacher Leaders Regulation. This includes teachers and teacher leaders employed in independent schools, First Nations schools or public charter schools and others such as superintendents and deputy superintendents employed in senior leadership roles who are not active members of the ATA. 

NOTE: A teacher is an individual who holds a teaching certificate issued by the Minister of Education. A teacher leader is an individual who holds a teaching certificate and additional levels of certification and is typically employed in leadership roles outside of the classroom, such as a school principal or superintendent.  

If a teacher or teacher leader does not follow the required code of professional conduct, a complaint may be filed against them, possibly resulting in disciplinary action based on processes set out in legislation. 

To learn more about the current disciplinary processes for the teaching profession in Alberta, visit the Improving teacher discipline page on Alberta.ca. Very few teachers in Alberta experience the teacher discipline process as the vast majority are conscientious and dedicated professionals. If a disciplinary process is underway, it must be fair, effective and transparent.

We want to ensure that teachers across the province will always be held to the same standards of professional conduct, regardless of whether or not they are members of the ATA. The Alberta government would like to replace the two existing codes with a single unified code. The new code may include the best and most effective features of both current codes as well as any improvements identified during public and stakeholder engagement. This will modernize and harmonize conduct standards across the province, ensuring that every teacher is treated according to the same code of professional conduct regardless of who employs them.

How to complete this survey

There are nine sections in this survey:

• Section 1 - Respondent information
• Section 2 - Introductory statement for the new code of professional conduct
• Section 3 - How teachers work with students
• Section 4 - Seeking excessive or unfair profits
• Section 5 - Delegating or sharing teaching responsibilities
• Section 6 - How teachers work with parents
• Section 7 - How teachers and teacher leaders work with one another
• Section 8 - How teachers work with their employer
• Section 9 - How teachers represent or serve the profession as a whole

To navigate within the survey, please use the Save & Continue and Back buttons at the bottom of the survey. Please note that refreshing or closing your tab before submitting your responses will delete previous answers.

This survey may take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Only "Section 1 - Respondent information" is mandatory. You may skip any question you do not want to answer in all other sections.

This survey will be open until October 7, 2022. Please ensure you submit a completed response before the deadline.

Please do not provide any personal information in your responses to this survey. Personal information is information that identifies an individual, which includes information that could identify either you or someone else. For example, your name and home address are your personal information. 

If you are under 18 years old, you should discuss this survey with your parent or legal guardian before completing the survey.

FOIP Notice

Information collected through the Alberta Education Teacher and Teacher Leader Code of Professional Conduct survey is being collected under the authority of section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Questions regarding the collection, use or disclosure of this information may be directed to the Office of the Registrar at Alberta Education, education.registrar@gov.ab.ca.