In Pursuit of Educational Equity and Justice: Schooling in Canada

How do educational systems, educators, students and communities define and pursue educational equity and justice? 

Across Canada, educators and administrators are acknowledging that schools  —both the practices of education and the outcomes students are achieving— are not equitable or just. 

During this half day institute, educators and administrators will engage with scholarship on the historical aims of education and case studies of access, community advocacy, and practice that help us to raise important questions for pursuing equity and justice today. 

In this half-day institute, participants will:

1. Explore case studies brought forward by scholars - including Jason Ellis, Tiffany Prete, Amy Von Heyking, Jackson Pind, Helen Raptis, Natasha Henry, Timothy Stanley, Funké Aladejebi and Kristina Llewellyn and others - whose work explores continuity and change in the aims of and practices in public education and the forces that have shaped access to educational equity and justice across Canada.
2. Invite personal reflection and collective discussion on the fundamental questions raised by these histories:  Who defines the purpose, place, outcomes and leadership of education? What are the legacies of inequity and injustice and how do these connect to today?  Do our current definitions of and practices for educational equity and justice serve all students?  What are the possibilities for change raised by histories of resistance, advocacy and activism?
3. Hear from a panel of current students, educators and system leaders who are working to identify and mitigate structural barriers to success for students facing barriers to education.  
4. Engage in small group discussion following the panel discussion to explore possibilities for pursuing greater equity and justice in our own school communities or school systems.
5. For System and school leaders: gain resources to support faculty learning and discussions that invite personal reflection, historical understanding and dialogue on the possibilities and place for student, parent and community agency. 
6. For Secondary social science and History educators: gain resources to support student learning on schooling as a microcosm of social and ideological change from pre-contact through the history of Canada.
7. hear about a unique opportunity to engage students, parents and community members in learning and dialogue on Supporting Educational Equity and Justice Together in the fall

Panel speakers will be announced closer to the date.

Educators interested in exploring the role of personal identity, historic and contemporary bias, deficit mindsets, classroom pedagogy and practices on student learning and success are encouraged to enroll in Facing History and Ourselves’ “Teaching for Equity and Justice” seminar in the future.

Institute At-a-Glance Details

Who should sign up: 

• Past participants in a “Teaching for Justice and Equity” seminar and educators who are new to Facing History and Ourselves’ Equity and Schooling work. 
• Middle and secondary classroom educators and student success staff.  School administrators and guidance counselors. 
• System administrators, equity and curriculum coaches, and community liaisons.  
• Educators and education leaders are invited to register as individuals, or in teams. 

Cost: $25 /$450 school team

Duration: 3.5 hours 

Schedule:  August 28th, 11:30 am - 3:30 pm (EDT) 

Time Commitment: Approximately 3.5 hours active session time. There is ~ 1 hours independent pre-work to complete before this institute.

Format: Facilitated, instructor-led sessions with self-paced reading and reflection; small group dialogue and online classroom discussion; panel discussion with guest speakers

Accessibility: Facing History is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational environment for educators of all abilities. If you have an accessibility need, please contact us at canada [at] facinghistory.org (canada[at]facinghistory[dot]org).  

Due to the participatory nature of the seminar, the sessions will not be recorded.