HWDSB Program Strategy Review
On April 14, we informed our HWDSB community that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is reviewing its Elementary Program Strategy, Secondary Program Strategy, and French Immersion Location Strategy and Application Process. This review aims to ensure these strategies align with HWDSB’s values, priorities, and goals as outlined in the Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
As part of this review, HWDSB is inviting you to participate in a survey to provide feedback on these strategies. Your input will help us understand the accessibility, fairness, and cost-effectiveness of the programs.
HWDSB has contracted R.A. Malatest & Associates, an independent third-party consultant, to support HWDSB in their review of these strategies. Malatest is conducting surveys with members of the HWDSB community (e.g., staff, families, community members, students, etc.) in order to better understand their impressions of, and experiences with the Elementary Program Strategy, Secondary Program Strategy, and French Immersion Location Strategy and Application Process.
The survey will ask diverse interested parties (students, staff, families/caregivers, community organizations, etc.) about their experiences with HWDSB programming options, perceptions of accessibility to specialty or focus programs in elementary and secondary schools, and support services (e.g., special education services, ESL/ELD program support). Questions about French programming in HWDSB, including access, quality, and benefits, will also be included. These questions aim to assess how well HWDSB programs align with our values, priorities, and goals, while being delivered equitably and cost-effectively.
The survey will take approximately 12 to 15 minutes depending on your responses. Parents/Caregivers will be asked to complete a survey about your child or children registered in a HWDSB school. Please complete the survey by visiting https://hwdsbreviewparent.malatest.net/.
Children in Gr. 5 or higher are invited to complete a student survey and will require parent/guardian consent. Parents can provide consent when they complete the parent survey or forward the student survey (https://hwdsbreviewstudent.malatest.net/) to their child/children in Gr. 5 or higher.
Your responses will remain anonymous, and your responses will be pooled with information received from other survey respondents.
The survey will close on June 11, 2025.
If you wish to complete the survey in a non-English language, please click on the survey link and select your preferred language from the list by using the globe icon at the top righthand corner of the survey page. Translations are done using Microsoft Azure. The following languages are available: Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin (simplified), Pashto, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
To ask questions about this research, please e-mail [email protected] or call Malatest toll-free at 1-855-360-0420.
If you have questions about this research or want to confirm its validity with the Board, please contact [email protected].
Your participation is voluntary. You are not obligated to answer any questions asked, you may exit the survey at any time. Your information will be kept private. For reporting purposes, your responses will be aggregated or pooled with information received from other survey respondents. You will not be identified; also, your name will not be linked to your responses. Your responses will be protected as per Canada’s Privacy Act. Management of the information collected through this study will be compliant with Government of Canada’s Policy on Service and Digital. For Malatest’s privacy policy, please visit: www.malatest.com/privacy-policy/
Survey translations are completed by Microsoft Azure. Azure does not collect any personal information. For more information on privacy of the translated data, please visit: www.azure.microsoft.com/en-us/explore/security/
Your perspective is invaluable to us, and we look forward to your contribution to this research.
Sincerely,
| Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini
Director of Education |
Jamie Nunn
Associate Director Learning Services and School Improvement |
Michelle Lemaire
Superintendent of Program, Equity and Innovation, K-12 |
Updated on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.