There's a bit of a kerfuffle in Ontario right now because of, "the Toronto District School Board's decision to establish one of Canada's first black-focused schools" (story here)
I didn't know what to think at first. My immediate thoughts were something along the lines of segregation, and would this even get suggested if the idea were for a white-centric school? Then I shook my head. White-centric schools are what we have now. Despite a few blossums of multiculturalism, the root and trunk of what kids learn about Canada is white and western.
What's actually happening with this is that a community took the term "public school" to heart and decided that, as the public, they had a right to find an approach to schooling and curriculum that fit their community. They did what homeschooling parents do and recognized that their children's education was a matter that they had every right to exercise control over.
Bravo!
3 comments:
Ontario funds over 100 specialty and alternative schools including arts-based, sports-based, Native, behaviour management schools, an all-year school, work-at-your-own-pace schools, night schools, gifted programs within schools, a gay/lesbian/trangender high school, etc. In addition, we fully fund French Immersion, French, Catholic, French-Catholic, two Protestant schools and five Ukrainian Eastern Rite schools under Catholic school boards. McGuinty has pledged 100 more specialty schools including a new art-based high school next year in Etobicoke. The Catholic schools are even sub-specializing with Catholic-arts high schools!
Why this explosion of specialty and alternative schools? Because that’s what parents, kids and teachers are interested in!
I would suggest that many schools are not successful simply because they have a focus which is “valuable” to society. Rather, these schools are successful because the kids and staff want to be there, share a common interest and bond, engage the families and communities and have an incentive to succeed. Successful schools have successful students - kids who grow up with good self esteem to be productive members of society.
I cannot imagine a single specialty school where the children could not attend a regular local public school Mon-Fri and spend evenings and weekends focusing on their interests, be it language, arts, sports or religion. We all understand the convenience of having it all under one roof - but is the purpose of school funding to be merely convenient? School funding is for education - and interestingly enough, public/specialty/alternative schools all deliver.
So let’s stop judging each other’s interests in education. So long as the educational requirements are met, let’s support all viable forms of SCHOOL CHOICE!
Gila - Or even the choice not to go to school (seeing as I'm a homeschooler). :) But really I agree with you and thank you for the information on the different types of school in Ontario. I think that's pretty exciting stuff and where more public school systems should be headed!
Dawn, thanks for reminding us about all the Home-schoolers. In my opinion home schooling is great if it is the parent(s) first choice and is successful. What worries me are the kids who are home-schooled just because there is no public school that meets the parents needs and private is too expensive. Catholics are rarely denied a faith-based education in Ontario while other faiths have to pay for private or forgo faith-based. For many families, secular public education is not an option and the cost of private or home-schooling creates a lot of stress.
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