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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTDSB right to reconsider specialty programs that leave too many behind OPINION - Toronto Star - 10/24/2017 - Toronto Star - 10/24/201710/25/2017 TDSB right to reconsider specialty programs that leave too many behind I Toronto Star colleagues,This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation -ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com TDSB right to reconsider specialt' programs that leave too many behind A school board as diverse as the TDSB cannot continue to support programs that dis�2ro)2ortio; 1 pursuit of equity, specializedprograms, por academics, must be rethought in three areas: curriculum, inclusion, and accountability,"Rube*n Gaztambide—Ferniclez. (DAVID COOPER https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/20l7/10/24/tdsb-right-to-reconsider-specialty-programs-that-leave-too-many-behind.html 1/4 10/25/2017 TDSB right to reconsider specialty programs that leave too many behind I Toronto Star Tues., Oct. 24, 2017 While the idea that schools should provide options for students with special interests and talents has widespread support, whether such opportunities are equally available to all students remains a question. In fact, evidence suggests these unique programs usually exacerbate unequal access. For this reason, advocates of specialized schools must answer how these programs will contribute to ensuring equity and serving the diversity of students that as our city strong. A recent draft report suggests that the Toronto District School Board should consider phasing out specialized programs in an attempt to address issues of equity. This suggestion responds to evidence that these programs serve a narrow segment of the student population that does not reflect its diversity, benefitting primarily students th, already enjoy social and economic advantages. I While no final decision has been made, the reaction from parents has been swift. After all, parents who enjoy social and economic advantages and whose children benefit fro these exclusionary programs also have the resources and the knowledge necessary to influence decision-m;zkers. We are far less likely to hear from the parents oft e students who are systematically excluded from these opportunities. Yet it is precisely the interests oft ese students that specialized schools need to address if they are to effectively argue for their very existence. In pursuit of equity, specialized programs, whether in the arts, in sports, or in academics, must be rethought in three areas: curriculum, inclusion, and accountability. First, specialized programs must ensure that their curriculum reflects the cultural diversity that characterizes our city and, in fact, contemporary life. Programs that train students in traonal art forms, for instance, are starkly out of date with both the cultural forms that interest many young people as well as with the state of the field in cultural production. Specialized arts schools must offer programs that reflect how young people produce culture, by extending beyond the Eurocentric cannon of music, dance, and theatre, and offering students opportunities in contemporary cultural production, from hip hop to bhangra, from performing spoken word to producing YouTube videos. The myths that you have to learn ballet before you can breakdance, or https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/20l7/lO/24/tdsb-right-to-reconsider-specialty-programs-that-leave-too-many-behind.html 2/4 10/25/2017 TDSB right to reconsider specialty programs that leave too many behind I Toronto Star "I 47P, al I Second, specialized programs must remove barriers to access and ensure that all students, regardless of economic resources, geographic location, or cultural background, have access to opportunities. That means eliminating, or at least entirely .......... he process by which students are recruited and admitted. Current admissions practices are a major hurdle to equitable access, as they advantage families who can support the necessary preparation required, while students who are the most disadvantaged are the most likely to be rejected. Third, and perhaps most importantly, specialized schools must be accountable to the public and be transparent about their purpose. While it makes sense that schools should support students for their chosen careers, the evidence shows that this is not actually why people choose these programs. Families that pursue specialized education are more likely to cite the quality of the education over the focus of the program as the reason for their choice. If the purpose of specialized programs is to build a specific educational environment, then this should be made explicit and decisions about curriculum and inclusion must be made on this basis, not on the pretense that the goal is to prepare students for specific A school board as diverse as the TDSB cannot continue to support programs that disproportionately advantage a small and already privileged segment of the population. if advocates of specialized schools want these programs to survive, they must move beyond their own self-interest and become advocates for education policy that promotes excellence for the many, not the few. Ruben Gaztambide-Ferndndez is associate prof/ssor at the Ontario Institutefor Studies in Education and the co-author (with Dr. Gillian Parekh) of the article "Market "choices" or structured pathways? How specialized arts education contributes to the reproduction of inequality." (1(11:; rJLJ https://www. thesta r. com/op i n io n/co m rn e nta ry/201 7/1 0/24/tds b- ri g ht-to-reco ns id er-speci alty- prog ra m s -that -1 eave-too-m a ny-beh i n d. htm 1 3/4 10/25/2017 TDSB right to reconsider specialty programs that leave too many behind I Toronto Star M BE= f -I Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Klepublication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior writterf consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. 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