From Surveys to Solutions: A Peek Inside School Board Research
BY: PATTI OLIVEIRA, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
INTERVIEW BY: CHANTELLE QUESNELLE, MENTAL HEALTH LEAD
GUEST: TANYA BEDARD, SMCDB RESEARCH, INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER
JUNE 4, 2025
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To listen to the full episode of the Beyond the Bell podcast, click on the audio player below:
To listen to the full episode of the Beyond the Bell podcast, click on the audio player below:
At Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB), research is more than facts and figures. It’s one way the board listens to the voices of students, staff, and families.
In the latest episode of Beyond the Bell, host Chantelle Quesnelle, and Research, Information and Privacy Officer Tanya Bedard talk about what that listening looks like in action.
One important part of this work is the school climate survey. While every board in Ontario must complete it, at SMCDSB, it is shaped into something very meaningful. It’s a tool that helps reveal what’s really happening in our schools: what helps people feel they belong, what makes them feel safe, and what supports them in growing and thriving.
Rather than only identifying areas of concern, the survey also looks for strengths—the things that are working well and helping people succeed. It’s grounded in the belief that knowing what supports well-being is just as important as knowing what challenges it.
Tanya: We want everything that we do within our research department to be meaningful. With our climate survey, we decided on a foundation based in positive psychology. … This is actually about assets or protective factors that allow human beings to thrive and be successful, whatever successful means to that person. It’s very holistic, and humanistic.
It’s a strengths-based approach, rooted in care: what do students need to feel they belong? What helps staff feel supported? What makes our schools good places to learn and work? These aren’t just reflective questions—they drive action. The data doesn’t sit in a report. It’s used by the Mental Health team to shape annual plans, by school leaders to set goals, and by the board to guide long-term strategy.
Tanya: There’s typically over 11,000 students that participate; over 1200 staff; over 2000 [caregivers]. This is an incredible amount of voices! . . . Garnering such huge response rates presents a fantastic opportunity!
Chantelle: I know personally, with the Mental Health Leadership Team here at the board, we use the school’s climate data as one data point to help build out our mental health action plan each year … and also to inform strategic planning or school improvement plans.
To help families and the wider community stay connected and involved, the board introduced Engage w/SMCDSB, an easy-to-use engagement platform. This space invites everyone to explore the big-picture projects underway across the board and share their feedback.
Staff, students, and families receive email invitations encouraging them to join these conversations and have a voice in important decisions that shape their schools.
In the end, research at SMCDSB isn’t about chasing numbers. It’s about people. It’s about asking the right questions, listening with care, and using what we learn to help our communities thrive.
Catch the full conversation on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out Engage w/SMCDSB and sign up today on our board website smcdsb.on.ca, or at smcdsb.govocal.com/en-CA/.
Listen to the full episode of this Beyond the Bell podcast below:
Listen to the full episode of this Beyond the Bell podcast below:
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