The relationships among race, class and academic achievement are complex, yet have been well documented in Canada for the last thirty years. Generations of students have experienced them--lowered expectations for achievement, gross generalizations about parents' backgrounds and aspirations, negative stereotypes of communities, and curricula that exclude students' personal and cultural knowledge. Two recent education debates in Toronto and New Brunswick illustrate the importance of encouraging the discussion on the race, class and academic achievement. New Brunswick's plan to eliminate early French immersion and the Toronto District School Board's (TDSB's) plan to support the development of an Africentric Alternative School 8 produced debates that spanned the country and garnered international interest. Some opponents of the Toronto plan compared it to racial segregation in the United States and for emphasis even declared, "Martin Luther King would turn over in his grave." In this article, the author contends that new ideas and opportunities arise when educational controversies such as the plans in Toronto and New Brunswick are addressed with respect. (Contains 12 notes.)