ERIC Number: EJ1160038
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Nov
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1474-8479
EISSN: N/A
The Toronto District School Board: A Global City School System's Structures, Processes, and Student Outcomes
Parekh, Gillian; Flessa, Joseph; Smaller, Harry
London Review of Education, v14 n3 p65-84 Nov 2016
In this article we describe the ways that academic opportunity is distributed within the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada's largest and most demographically diverse public education system. By putting a range of recent outcome data into historical, organizational, and policy contexts, we provide a snapshot of how one of North America's largest school systems works in ways that simultaneously reinforce, and challenge, patterns of academic stratification. Although schooling in some global cities is shaped by decentralization, competition, and a "school reform industry," public education in Toronto is very much characterized by centralization and increased public investment. Therefore, this paper queries whether these larger historical and structural factors lead to greater equity for racialized and minoritized communities. Through the infusion of equity-focused policies and anti-discrimination-centred interventions, can the case be made that marginalized groups are navigating the school system with greater success? Reviewing historical and recent data from the Toronto Board of Education and TDSB, we reflect on and query the extent of disparity that continues to exist, problematizing the disconnect between policy and addressing the root causes of inequality.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, School Districts, Boards of Education, Educational Practices, Public Education, Equal Education, Minority Group Students, Educational Policy, Educational Indicators, Urban Schools, Global Approach, Institutional Characteristics, Demography, Second Language Instruction, French, Immersion Programs, Special Education, Gifted, Nontraditional Education, Family Literacy, Inclusion, Educational Needs, Needs Assessment, Resource Allocation, Educational Opportunities
UCL IOE Press. UCL Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK. Tel: +44-20-7911-5565; e-mail: ioe.ioepress@ucl.ac.uk; Web site: https://www.ucl-ioe-press.com/journals/london-review-of-education/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A