The (In)Efficient Curriculum: An Overview of How Canadian Education Has Historically Failed to Welcome Black Refugee Students

For at least a century, educators have sought to define what education should look like, its purposes, content and approach, and how it could be delivered in the most efficient way. However, when looking at some of the most pre-eminent approaches in the history of curriculum studies, it is possible to observe how each of those “efficient” methods have not been able to welcome the uniqueness of Black refugee students. Despite claims of “diversity celebration”, when educators do not challenge and resist White structures and assumptions, even the most “efficient” curriculum falls short of being responsive to the Other, serving, rather, as another disguise to racism, which has long structured Canadian education. I argue that rather than an efficient ready-made set of rules, education must be conceptualized as an act of unconditional openness to the unknown Other, however uncomfortable and “inefficient” that may sound.

Conditions for Success: Indigenous Youth Reflections on Their Experiences with Canadian Education Systems

This paper brings forward the reflections of 30 Indigenous youth from across Canada and their first voice perspectives with Canadian education systems. A central component of the project was to obtain youths’ understandings of education in Canada and to seek their recommendations on ways to improve education for Indigenous youth. Accessing Indigenous youths’ experiences is important as their capacities to have successful and equitable educational experiences are strongly hindered by colonial settler policy and systemic institutional racism. Indigenous scholars have appealed for changes to education systems with a focus on challenging colonial relations of power and the multiple oppressions Indigenous youth experience when educated under Eurocentric practices. Our methodological framework is located within a relational paradigm as a mechanism to ignite dialogue and prioritize Indigenous voices in education. Our building of relations began with a sharing circle held at our Mount Saint Vincent University’s Wigwaum. Our Indigenous colleague and co-author, Jonathon MeDrano, explains how sharing circles provide equitable opportunities for people to share their ideas and respective worldviews. We then facilitated reflective journaling workshops with the youth. The young people’s reflections in this paper identify the compelling need to address systemic racism, stereotypes, and to challenge normative and colonizing structures that generate discrimination. Moreover, the young people soundly indicated that education systems in Canada require much larger integrations of Indigenous ways of knowing and being in all aspects of delivery (i.e. language, culture, Indigenous teachings), including more Indigenous counsellors to support their mental well-being.

Absent on Absenteeism: Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education

Despite mandatory school attendance policies, many students in Canada are frequently absent from school. Absenteeism is linked to numerous negative educational outcomes and is a growing educational issue internationally. This has lead universities in many countries to study the factors associated with absenteeism in order to reduce it. However, the Canadian educational discourse is largely absent on absenteeism. A review of faculty profiles revealed that no Canadian educational scholar investigates absenteeism as their primary area of research. The lack of empirical knowledge concerning student absenteeism is a contributing factor to the high levels of absenteeism evident in Canada. This article serves as a call to action for Canadian academics to research student absenteeism in order to alleviate the behaviour. Keywords: school attendance, student absenteeism, truancy, school refusal, school anxiety, school withdrawal

An Essay on the Challenges of Doing Education Research in Canada

In this essay, I discuss the challenges faced by Canadian researchers in trying to undertake research, particularly in the area of education. I begin by focusing on the issue of data availability (with focus on the lack of race data in Canada) and the extreme limitations that these issues place on the potential for research on important Canadian education issues and then discuss what I regard as hypervigilant data access protocols for Canadian data sets. I then turn to practical issues that arise when comparing education data across cities and countries and the process of “harmonizing” the data. I address the compromises that must be made when attempting to make data comparable across different sites. I conclude by discussing how the larger context in which education occurs must be considered when understanding observed comparative differences between educational outcomes.

Assessing Canada’s Support of International Students [Working Paper]: A Comprehensive Review of Canada’s Retention and Settlement of its “Model Immigrants”

The aim of this research paper is to present the findings of an extensive literature review related to barriers international students experience transitioning to employment and permanent residency in Canada. International students who wish to work in Canada temporarily have difficulty receiving employment because of limited co-operative education opportunities and a lack of professional networks. The lack of settlement services, the numerous complexities of immigration policies, and the minimal awareness among students hinder the process for these individuals to immigrate to Canada permanently. These realities hold significant policy implications for the federal and provincial levels of government because Canada continues to admit educated and skilled labour in order to address national priorities such as long-term labour shortage and population decline. International students, especially those who hope to secure employment and permanency in Canada, are an attractive population, given the Canadian education and social capital they have received upon completion of their studies. This report will also provide a comprehensive review of several best practices and policy suggestions in addressing the challenges described above. Additionally, I will offer some practical recommendations for those involved in this transition process.

Assessing Canada’s support of international students: a comprehensive review of Canada’s retention and settlement of its “Model Immigrants”

The unprecedented growth in the number of international students in Canada over the last decade has drawn the attention of policy makers at all levels of government in Canada. The federal, provincial and territorial levels of government have introduced permanent residency pathways to encourage international students to become permanent residents of Canada. International students are an attractive group as prospective immigrants because of their Canadian education and human capital. However, they experience variety of challenges transitioning to employment and permanent residency in Canada. Lack of limited co-operative education opportunities and labor market preparation hinders the process of finding employment while the absence of settlement services and the complexities of immigration policies complicate the process of seeking permanent residency in Canada. These realities hold significant policy implications for the federal and provincial levels of government because Canada continues to admit educated and skilled labor in order to address labor and demographic needs. Key words: socioeconomic integration, human capital, internationalization, transitional barriers, recruitment and retention

Failing to make the grade: Somali-Canadian students and their encounters with the Canadian education system

This study examines how the discriminatory practices and racism in the education system contribute to the low achievement and high dropout rate of Somali-Canadian youth. Through qualitative research, semi-structured interviews with nine participants--this study explores the educational experiences of Somali students in the Toronto District School Board (the TDSB). This study found Somali students experience systemic discrimination in local TDSB schools--unfair grading practices, ethnic grading, differential treatment, deliberate streaming, stereotyping, profiling, the unequal application of discipline policies, disproportionate rates of suspensions and lack of religious accommodation. This study also found that systemic discrimination contributes to low achievement of Somali students, their disengagement from learning process, early school departure, and the criminalization of Somali boys. This study employs Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education as its main theoretical framework, through this lens the researcher links the schooling problems of Somali students to systemic discrimination based on their race and/or ethnicity.

Failing to make the grade: Somali-Canadian students and their encounters with the Canadian education system

This study examines how the discriminatory practices and racism in the education system contribute to the low achievement and high dropout rate of Somali-Canadian youth. Through qualitative research, semi-structured interviews with nine participants--this study explores the educational experiences of Somali students in the Toronto District School Board (the TDSB). This study found Somali students experience systemic discrimination in local TDSB schools--unfair grading practices, ethnic grading, differential treatment, deliberate streaming, stereotyping, profiling, the unequal application of discipline policies, disproportionate rates of suspensions and lack of religious accommodation. This study also found that systemic discrimination contributes to low achievement of Somali students, their disengagement from learning process, early school departure, and the criminalization of Somali boys. This study employs Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education as its main theoretical framework, through this lens the researcher links the schooling problems of Somali students to systemic discrimination based on their race and/or ethnicity.

Assessing Canada’s support of international students: a comprehensive review of Canada’s retention and settlement of its “Model Immigrants”

The unprecedented growth in the number of international students in Canada over the last decade has drawn the attention of policy makers at all levels of government in Canada. The federal, provincial and territorial levels of government have introduced permanent residency pathways to encourage international students to become permanent residents of Canada. International students are an attractive group as prospective immigrants because of their Canadian education and human capital. However, they experience variety of challenges transitioning to employment and permanent residency in Canada. Lack of limited co-operative education opportunities and labor market preparation hinders the process of finding employment while the absence of settlement services and the complexities of immigration policies complicate the process of seeking permanent residency in Canada. These realities hold significant policy implications for the federal and provincial levels of government because Canada continues to admit educated and skilled labor in order to address labor and demographic needs. Key words: socioeconomic integration, human capital, internationalization, transitional barriers, recruitment and retention

Assessing Canada’s Support of International Students [Working Paper]: A Comprehensive Review of Canada’s Retention and Settlement of its “Model Immigrants”

The aim of this research paper is to present the findings of an extensive literature review related to barriers international students experience transitioning to employment and permanent residency in Canada. International students who wish to work in Canada temporarily have difficulty receiving employment because of limited co-operative education opportunities and a lack of professional networks. The lack of settlement services, the numerous complexities of immigration policies, and the minimal awareness among students hinder the process for these individuals to immigrate to Canada permanently. These realities hold significant policy implications for the federal and provincial levels of government because Canada continues to admit educated and skilled labour in order to address national priorities such as long-term labour shortage and population decline. International students, especially those who hope to secure employment and permanency in Canada, are an attractive population, given the Canadian education and social capital they have received upon completion of their studies. This report will also provide a comprehensive review of several best practices and policy suggestions in addressing the challenges described above. Additionally, I will offer some practical recommendations for those involved in this transition process.