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

Abstract

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.

Conceptions and Practices of Equity in Research-Practice Partnerships

“…RPPs’ logics of equity also varied in how they approached their work together ranging from coordination to collaboration and transformation of roles and power dynamics. Building on other conceptions of equity (e.g., Gutiérrez, 2012; Philip & Azevedo, 2017; Shah, 2018), the logics presented here represent a range from more dominant to more critical orientations, varying in the depth of transformation of the current system of education, the level of attention to how history shapes the present, and in attention to the ways social power figures in the RPP relationships. Each conception foregrounds and backgrounds different dimensions.…”

“…For example, Gutiérrez (2012) presents a framework for equity in teaching and learning, spanning from more dominant approaches that represent access to educational opportunities and improved student achievement to more critical approaches focused on honoring student and family identities with explicit attention to power dynamics. Shah (2018) surfaced ways of conceptualizing opportunity gaps for district reforms which ranged from dominant notions of individualism, excellence, and standardization to transformative, critical discourses, grounded in notions of voice, context, and power. Other frameworks call attention to the degree to which race and racial equity are centered spanning from race-neutral toward anti-racist stances (see Diem & Welton, 2020; Shah et al, 2022; Turner, 2020).…”

“…Shah (2018) surfaced ways of conceptualizing opportunity gaps for district reforms which ranged from dominant notions of individualism, excellence, and standardization to transformative, critical discourses, grounded in notions of voice, context, and power. Other frameworks call attention to the degree to which race and racial equity are centered spanning from race-neutral toward anti-racist stances (see Diem & Welton, 2020; Shah et al, 2022; Turner, 2020).…”

Contested Justice: Rethinking Educational Equity Through New York City’s COVID-19 School Reopening Debates

“…However, there is no single definition of the term. Conceptions of equity have shifted over time and vary across individuals, groups, organizations, and national political contexts (Allbright et al, 2019; McDermott et al, 2013; Shah, 2018; Trujillo et al, 2021). For example, grassroots advocates conceptualize equity in markedly different ways than neoliberal policymakers (Nygreen, 2016; Turner & Beneke, 2020), while policy insiders’ education reform preferences (Bulkley, 2013) may also influence how the term is understood.…”

“…Thus, our conceptualizations of educational equity tend to reflect the perspectives of relatively privileged policy actors. Marginalized groups’ concerns about an equitable and just education may be broader and deeper than these conceptions (Nygreen, 2016; Shah, 2018).…”