Ontario. Education Statistics and Analysis Branch

Identity area

Type of entity

Lower-level Ontario government office (type C)

Authorized form of name

Ontario. Education Statistics and Analysis Branch

Parallel form(s) of name

    Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

    • Education Statistics and Analysis Branch

    Other form(s) of name

    • Information Management Branch

    • Education Analytics Branch

    Identifiers for corporate bodies

    Description area

    Dates of existence

    2000-

    History

    Education Statistics and Analysis Branch (ESAB), formerly known as the Information Management Branch, is responsible for the Managing Information for Student Achievement (MISA) program, aimed at improving the capacity for evidence-informed decision making at the ministry, school boards and in schools. MISA helps to ensure the availability of information for public reporting and is used to inform policy development, instructional practice and system management.

    ESAB works in partnership with program branches in the ministry to examine business requirements and provide decision support products. ESAB also works closely with the educational sector through school board MISA Leaders and Professional Network Centres that have been established as virtual learning communities for research and evidence-based decision making. ESAB is a central point of contact for other jurisdictions concerning education statistics.

    Established in 2000 as the Information Management Branch of the Elementary / Secondary Business and Finance Division, the branch arose from the Elementary / Secondary Information Project, and incorporated part of the previously existing Information Systems and Services Unit. The Branch gradually expanded to include several units which existed under varying names but typically included a Collections Unit, Program Support Unit, Research and Information Analysis Unit, Standards and Liaison Unit, and Liaison Unit.

    By 2004, the Branch was part of the Instruction and Leadership Development Division. Around 2010, the branch was re-named the Educational Statistics and Analysis Branch, and a Statistical Modelling and Trending Unit was added. It also became part of the French Language, Aboriginal Learning and Research Division.

    In 2019 the Branch was located in the System Planning, Research and Innovation Division, in 2020 it was moved to the Strategic Policy and Planning Division. In 2023 the Branch was renamed the Education Analytics Branch.

    Places

    Legal status

    Functions, occupations and activities

    The Education Statistics and Analysis Branch (ESAB) collects, analyzes and reports on data from school boards and other sources to support ministry policy and program work.

    Address

    Internal structures/genealogy

    General context

    Relationships area

    Related entity

    Ontario. Ministry of Education (1999-)

    Identifier of related entity

    AA116

    Category of relationship

    hierarchical

    Type of relationship

    Ontario. Ministry of Education (1999-) controls Ontario. Education Statistics and Analysis Branch

    Dates of relationship

    2000-

    Description of relationship

    Access points area

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Epithet

    Control area

    Authority record identifier

    CA2306

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

    Status

    Approved

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Government of Ontario telephone books (1999-2023) and KWIC (keywords in context) indexes (1999-2006); Ontario Ministry of Education website.

        Maintenance notes

        Archivist(s):
        Shimpo, Levi