Approaches to Poverty in the Toronto School Board, 1970–1990: No Shallow Roots

Gaskell, Jane; Kearns, Laura-Lee; Pollock, Katina

doi:10.1080/13876980802468907

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In this approach, we see a rise in equity policy reviews and an analysis of how policies have influenced, and have been influenced by, district practices (Joshee, 2007;Joshee & Johnson, 2007;Martin, 2011;Milnes, 2014;Nicholls, 2017;Portelli et al, 2007;Rezai-Rashti, 2003;Sattler, 2012;Segeren, 2016;Segeren & Kutsyuruba, 2012;Shah, 2018). We also see the introduction of historical and contextual analyses of Ontario school districts (Campbell, 2021;Gaskell et al, 2008;Rezai-Rashti et al, 2017;Shah, 2016Shah, , 2018aShewchuck & Cooper, 2018) as well as discourses focused on rights, recognition, and difference in programming and decision-making (Brown et al, 2020;Campbell, 2021;Rayside, 2014;Shah, 2016Shah, , 2018a. Recognition and representation are also explored in how identity influences the experiences of school district and school board leaders (Adrienne et al, 2020;Higginbottom, 2018;Kawabe, 2018;Singh, 2010) and how they enact leadership towards social justice (Ryan & Tuters, 2017).…”

Section: Politics Of Representation and Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a focus on building relationships with community partners and families, ensuring that multiple, often excluded voices are included in decision-making processes (Gaskell & Levin, 2009;Hands, 2013;Kearns & Pollock, 2008). However, while there is a focus on power and larger socio-economic and historical contexts, structural racism and anti-racism tend to be erased in conversations of "equity and social justice", privileging marginalization based on disability, language, social class, and immigrant status, often in the absence of race-based analysis.…”

Section: Politics Of Representation and Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reforming for Racial Justice: A Narrative Synthesis and Critique of the Literature on District Reform in Ontario Over 25 Years

Shah

Cuglievan-Mindreau

Flessa

2022

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy

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Ontario school districts are struggling to respond to racism in schooling and society. How has the literature on school district reform in Ontario addressed these ongoing and growing concerns? Through a narrative synthesis and a systematic literature review, we map and characterize the existing literature on school district reform in Ontario in the past 25 years. By combining systematic searches in main online databases with key journal and author search, we analyzed and coded a total of 95 documents. Framed through Critical Race Theory (CRT) and in conversation with recent studies on anti-racist district reforms in the United States, we conceptualize four approaches to district reform literature in Ontario: The Politics of Race Evasion, the Politics of Illusory Equity, the Politics of Representation and Recognition, and the Politics of Anti-Racist Resistance. The authors conclude with a commentary on the use of these conceptualizations in district operations and policies, as well as directions for future research. They also propose a potential fifth approach to district reform, The Politics of Regeneration.

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Section: Politics Of Representation and Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Politics Of Representation and Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming for Racial Justice: A Narrative Synthesis and Critique of the Literature on District Reform in Ontario Over 25 Years

Shah

Cuglievan-Mindreau

Flessa

2022

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy

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“…Citing board and Canadian census statistics showing the location of students by socioeconomic class and national origin, the brief charged the school system with direct discrimination against poor and immigrant students. Special education and streaming were named specifically as a major source of that discrimination (Gaskell, Kearns, & Pollock, 2008;Trefann Court Brief, 1970). The brief also presented evidence that students from Parkway Vocational School, the majority of whom had been enrolled in opportunity classes, were, to a great extent, unemployed, working in unskilled jobs, or not sufficiently trained for trades they aspired to.…”

Section: Challenges To Special Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuity and Change: Special Education Policy Development in Toronto Public Schools, 1945 to the Present

Ellis

Axelrod

2016

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context It is frequently assumed that changes in special education policies since 1945 have come mostly from “landmark research” or actions of a few “pioneers.” We argue in this article that there have been many different sources of change, including legislation, court rulings, activism, and even shifts in socially and historically constructed categories of ability. In contrast to the contention that there has been “a gradual but steady progression towards the present inclusive education,” we argue that remarkable continuity has characterized certain elements of policy as well. The article identifies general trends in special education policy development historically that can help to inform the most current thinking about policy change in special and inclusive education. Purpose How has special education policy developed historically? What factors have been involved? How can historical research help education researchers, policy makers, school personnel, and others to deepen their understanding of the development of policy? The Toronto public school system is examined. The developmental trajectory of special education policy in Canada's largest urban school board generally resembles the development of policy in other large American and Canadian cities. The period from 1945 to the present was selected because the shifting character of special education policy across this broadsweep of time is not well understood. Research Design This qualitative study employs historical analysis. It draws on archival documents, school board and provincial government records, and pertinent secondary sources. Conclusions/Recommendations There are a few identifiable general trends in special education policy development historically. Prior to 1970, local school officials were empowered to make many changes in special education policy; since 1970, this ability has been eroded in favor of centralized policy making, with parents and others possessing some ability to influence policy change. Today, policy makers must balance different contextual factors and stakeholder interests that have developed over time, not least of all the interests of teachers who have been important partners to policy implementation. The degree of “policy talk” about inclusion, and about a social model of disability, has exceeded the degree to which either has actually been implemented. Rather, a continuum of services model that hybridizes segregated and inclusive settings continues today to characterize special education policies, as it has since the 1970s. Money matters in special education policy, especially when it is tied to specific policy options and can therefore influence local policy decisions, but also depending on whether the power to raise and disburse funds is held locally or centrally.

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Approaches to Poverty in the Toronto School Board, 1970–1990: No Shallow Roots

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Reforming for Racial Justice: A Narrative Synthesis and Critique of the Literature on District Reform in Ontario Over 25 Years

Reforming for Racial Justice: A Narrative Synthesis and Critique of the Literature on District Reform in Ontario Over 25 Years

Continuity and Change: Special Education Policy Development in Toronto Public Schools, 1945 to the Present

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