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Voices Of Equity

Beginning teachers are crucial partners and emerging leaders of equity education

By Learning Forward
December 2013
In Ontario, Canada, equity education is a priority for every district school board. Boards, schools, administrators, and teachers must have support in meeting the challenges to move ahead in accordance with provincial equity policy and recommendations. The Ontario Ministry of Education, recognizing this need in 2009, established an equity policy that states, “To improve outcomes for students at risk, all partners must work to identify and remove barriers and must actively seek to create the conditions needed for student success” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009, p. 5). Beginning teachers are crucial partners and emerging leaders of equity education. Some of the equity concerns these teachers face are issues tied to representation, achievement, discipline, graduation, and overall school experiences for students who are racialized and historically

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Authors

Nichole West-Burns, Karen Murray, and Jennifer Watt

Nicole West-Burns (nicole.west.burns@utoronto.ca) is director of school services for the Centre for Urban Schooling at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Karen Murray (karen.murray@tdsb.on.ca) is program co-ordinator for beginning teachers and Jennifer Watt (jennifer.watt@ontario.ca) is instruction leader for beginning teachers in the Toronto District School Board.

In 7th grade, students can explore equity by using dialogue poetry to examine the concept of power from different perspectives , such as manager and worker.

Topics for Demonstration Classrooms

Topics for demonstration classrooms
Grade Inquiry question rooted in theory Demonstration classroom focus
Kindergarten How can I teach students the importance of social justice issues by first focusing on big ideas such as fairness — ideas that students can relate to authentically? Early learners interrogate inequalities in society while building a positive self-image. Students focus on a picture book on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and apply their knowledge of fairness to their lives and to his life.
Grades 3-4 How might students’ examination of newspaper articles on the topic of their community and personal interviews with members of the students’ community (including parents) impact students’ perceptions of the community where they live? Students explore the idea that there is beauty and value in their community and answer this question: How do our community heroes add beauty and value to the community?
Grade 7 Can culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy make a difference in a predominantly privileged gifted class and a predominantly underprivileged special needs class? Students use dialogue poetry to examine the concept of power from different perspectives (e.g. manager/worker, master/enslaved, bully/transgendered person).

Creating Culturally Responsive and Relevant Classroom Spaces

voices-of-equity

References

Murray, K. & West-Burns, N. (2011). Equity continuum: Action for critical transformation in schools and classrooms. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Centre for Urban Schooling/OISE, University of Toronto.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009). Realizing the promise of diversity: Ontario’s equity and inclusive education strategy. Available at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/equity.pdf.

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