EQUITY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

IMPLEMENTING ONTARIO’S EQUITY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION STRATEGY

2 Equity and Inclusive Education – For more information contact elc@principals.ca

Equity and inclusivE Education backgroundSchools in the 21st century are complex sites. On one hand, growing diversity provides exciting opportunities for principals, vice-principals and teachers to be enriched by the experiences, customs, skills and world views of diverse student and community populations. On the other hand, the challenges of ensuring that all partners in this evolving context have the respect, voice, power and support necessary for a rich and relevant educational experience, are real and pressing. Because schools reflect the society around them, students and families who are not a part of the dominant culture still face substantial barriers in meeting with success.

The Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC) Education Leadership Canada acknowledges the centrality of the principal’s role in being a catalyst and a champion for change towards more inclusive and equitable school environments.

The OPC is therefore committed to providing professional learning opportunities and resources to support principals and vice-principals in addressing these issues in their schools and school communities. Since 2008 the OPC Equity and Inclusive Education Team has been designing and implementing workshops, web modules and conferences that provide school leaders with the requisite tools to engage meaningfully and strategically in this process.

One of the popular motifs for implementing equity is to think about it as a journey and not just a destination. No matter where principals are on the continuum of understanding and actively engaging in creating more equitable schools, these workshops and resources will be most relevant.

in the early stages of implementation? Foundational information and activities for heightening personal awareness of equity issues will assist you in considering how our schools would better serve the students and families who have been traditionally marginalized.

already in the process of strategically addressing these needs?The reflections, case studies and activities will provide ideas for working with staff, students and community to further the work of actively confronting inequitable practices and removing barriers for students who have been underserved.

Principals from a variety of contexts and locations will discover many meaningful touchstones for developing and/or extending initiatives in their school improvement plans, staff meeting agendas and staff professional development sessions on improving equity and inclusive education.

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Equity: A condition or state of fair, inclusive and respectful treatment of all people. Equity does not mean treating people the same without regard for individual differences.

inclusive Education: Education that is based on the principles of acceptance and inclusion of all students. Students see themselves reflected in their curriculum, their physical surroundings and the broader environment, in which diversity is honoured and all individuals are respected.

diversity: The presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes with a group, organization or society. The dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to, ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

(Adapted from Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy, 2009)

dEFinitions

“ in a truly equitable system, factors such as race, gender and socio-economic status do not prevent students from achieving ambitious outcomes. our experience shows that barriers can be removed when all education partners create the conditions needed for success.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008)

4 Equity and Inclusive Education – For more information contact elc@principals.ca

lEadErsHiP in Equity and inclusivE Education: IMPLEMENTING ONTARIO’S EQUITY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION STRATEGY

The following four options will inform and assist school and system leaders in developing and implementing Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy in their school communities.

key insightsThese workshops will offer practical applications for implementing the strategy and the eight areas of focus highlighted in Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools: Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation.

These areas include• board policies, programs, guidelines, and practices

• shared and committed leadership

• school – community relationships

• inclusive curriculum and assessment practices

• religious accommodation

• school climate and the prevention of discrimination and harassment

• professional learning and

• accountability and transparency.

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option 1: inclusive leadership

Schools begin to change only when their leaders use equity as a lens to recognize the disparities that exist and then intentionally develop, implement and monitor clear, unambiguous action plans for producing the desired educational outcomes. In this module, we demonstrate how to view and draw on diversity not as a challenge, but as a source for informing policy and practice.

option 2: school, Family and community Partnerships

System and school leaders will deepen their understanding of their role in creating a welcoming school culture and in successfully implementing the Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools. Participants will examine a research-based partnership program based on Dr. Joyce Epstein’s framework for engaging parents and community. This module will demonstrate how parents, communities and educators can partner to positively influence student success.

option 3: the Equity Walk

As educational leaders, we have a mandate to embed equity practices into all of our work in schools. In this module, principals and vice-principals will be introduced to a research-informed leadership practice to gain a better understanding of how the halls and walls are reflective of the equitable practices in the school. Using an Equity Walk outline, leaders will gather information for assessing progress in fostering collaborative reflective inquiry, school planning, school practices and student achievement.

option 4: ontario’s Equity and inclusive Education strategy – critical conversations on realizing the Promise of diversity

In this module, the case study approach will be used to start and expand conversations on relevant and complex issues that principals and vice-principals face in their daily roles within school communities in all parts of Ontario. Participants will increase their capacity to infuse equitable practices in their leadership styles as they respond to the diverse needs of staff, students and families.

Please note these modules can be delivered individually or in any combination according to schools’ and/or boards’ needs.

6 Equity and Inclusive Education – For more information contact elc@principals.ca

Module 1: leading Expert voices from the Field in Equity and inclusion

Learn more from effective leaders regarding proactive measures for moving schools and school boards forward towards more equitable practices. This module will provide opportunities for deeper understanding and refl ection on equity and inclusion and for developing concrete strategies.

Module 2: critical issues in Equity and inclusion: Part one – complexities

Principals face complex issues in terms of providing equal access to the curriculum and ensuring equal opportunity for success for all students. This module will facilitate participants’ ability to unpack this complexity and increase their capacity to infuse equitable practices within all aspects of their role.

Module 3: critical issues in Equity and inclusion: Part two – the need for action

Learn how to take equity and inclusion beyond discourse to action and construct comprehensive school improvement plans with mechanisms for monitoring and measuring specifi c equity goals to ensure that all students can learn effectively.

Module 4: Equity Frameworks

Equity frameworks provide both mental models and lenses for the development and implementation of school policies, programs and practices. In this module, participants will explore and analyze a variety of models and frameworks for developing or extending initiatives in school improvement plans in a variety of contexts and locations along the continuum.

Module 5: leading the inclusive school: Part one – the Personal Journey

The values, actions and voice of the principal are paramount to an inclusive school. Learn what specifi c actions the school leader can initiate and maintain to ensure inclusivity, deepen understanding of its importance and how it directly impacts student achievement.

Module 6: leading the inclusive school: Part two – culturally responsive and relevant leadership

Through the lens of equity, the principal must lead by providing a vision of what an equitable school looks like in several dimensions: school climate, curriculum, language, assessment and evaluation, etc. You will learn to compare current practice to the desired vision and direct efforts to areas requiring improvement.

WEB-BASED MODULES

lEadErsHiP For Equity and inclusivE Education

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Module 7: Engaging Parents and communities

Deepen your understanding of how schools can meet the needs of their diverse communities and ensure welcoming environments. Using Joyce Epstein’s framework for school, family and community partnerships, this module presents specifi c strategies for active involvement by all members of the community in increasing student success and closing the achievement gap.

Module 8: closing the achievement gap

Schools begin to change when their leaders recognize the disparities that exist in terms of those students who are well served in the system and those who are underserved. This module will raise issues of bias, privilege, race, class, gender, sexual orientation and other oppressions and demonstrate how to challenge and change conditions that support these inequities to bring about improved student achievement.

Module 9: Equity Walk

The equity walk is a research-informed leadership practice to support principals and vice-principals in assessing progress in reaching the school’s equity goals. This module will provide an equity tool for administrators to use in leading their schools forward toward more equitable practices.

Module 10: anti-racist Education

This module is a thought provoking conversation among a distinguished panel. The panel addresses systemic discrimination that is inherent in schools and positive changes that can be implemented that will result in increased student success. The module can be used by school administrators to encourage courageous conversations amongst staff on race.

Module 11: religious accommodation

The expert panel dialogue addresses issues of religious accommodation that school administrators are confronted with and the ramifications of various decisions regarding accommodations. The conversation encourages reflection and can be used with school staff to deepen understanding of the importance of religious accommodations.

Web-based modules available for download at www.principals.ca in the Professional Development section.

this series of modules and accompanying reflective questions have been designed to start and/or expand conversations on equity and inclusive education and also to ignite action and results in terms of school improvement and student achievement.

8 Equity and Inclusive Education – For more information contact elc@principals.ca

ParEnt EngagEMEnt

overview There is a clear understanding among educators that parents play a vital role in the development and education of their children, and in the success of schools. Research indicates that good schools become even better when there is a strong connection with parents as part of the learning community.

The workshop will include teachings from a research-based framework – Dr. Joyce Epstein’s Framework of Parent and Community Involvement – along with the principles and implementation guidelines such as

• Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools

• Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools: Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation

• Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy

• PPM No. 119 (2009)

• Putting Ontario’s Leadership Framework Into Action: A Guide for School & System Leaders

• The K–12 School Effectiveness Framework – A Support for School Improvement and Student Success

Additionally, elements from Ontario’s Leadership Strategy, as well as other Ministry programs and initiatives will be used.

key insights This professional learning will demonstrate links among these resources and the ways in which they can be used to deliver the three Ministry priorities:

• High levels of student achievement

• Reduced gaps in student achievement

• Increased public confidence in publicly funded education.

Participants are encouraged to bring their school or board improvement plan with them to use during the workshop.

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sPEcial Education and tHE PrinciPalsHiP

overviewAs instructional leaders, principals and vice-principals play a vital role in ensuring that Learning for All, K-12 is the foundation principle embedded into the learning environment of the school. In addition, principals and vice principals have the legal obligation to fully understand the legislation and the ongoing changes pertaining to special education.

This one day course offers elementary and secondary principals and vice-principals an opportunity to deepen their understanding and commitment through exploring special education as it integrates with the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy, Ontario Legislation, provincial policy documents such as the Leadership Framework and the School Effectiveness Framework and critical concepts related to becoming the instructional leader for all students in our schools.

As a key component to the day, administrators will explore how to move from the theory that “all children can learn” to evidence-based practices that make a difference for learners. Students with special needs require programming designed to meet their individual profiles and administrators need the skills, knowledge and capacity to ensure that the needs of all learners are met effectively and with accountability.

key insightsThis highly interactive professional learning will allow participants to

• Examine key legislation as it relates to special education

• Reflect on how current regulations and policies impact on practices school wide (IEP and IPRC)

• Set school goals for using school-based teams to strengthen relationships and clarify roles and responsibilities for students, parents, staff and community members

• Collaborate with colleagues on best practices used by administrators to become effective instructional leaders for special education in their schools

• Have an in-depth look at Learning For All, K-12 provincial policy document with a focus on use as part of their professional and school goals

• Identify alternate resources beyond the school, including current research, online support links and community agencies.

10 Equity and Inclusive Education – Order your copy today! www.principals.ca

tHE PrinciPal as lEadEr oF tHE EquitablE scHoolThis book is designed to assist principals in addressing issues of equity and inclusion in their schools and school communities by providing a lens of equity and inclusion through which to consider student achievement. This handbook will be accessible and enriching to both novice principals and those experienced leaders devoted to improving learning and closing the achievement gaps for the diverse students in their care.

rEsourcEs to suPPort Equity and inclusivE Education

Free download from www.principals.ca in the Professional Services Section

bullying rEsourcEs• The Bully, the Bullied and the Principal In Between

(paper by Colman/Otten, General Counsel, OPC)

• Checklist of Principals’ Legal Duties When Dealing With Incidents of Bullying (attachment to paper)

• Mitigating and Other Factors Checklist (attachment to paper)

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scHool adMinistrator’s guidE to ParEnt EngagEMEntElEctronic rEsourcE

The OPC with the Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario (CPCO), Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO) and the Ministry of Education have developed a practical guide to support parent engagement. The purpose of this guide is to assist and support school administrators in the implementation of the Ministry of Education Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools to improve student achievement and well-being.

Ministry oF Education rEFErEncEs

Free download from www.principals.ca in the Professional Development Section

www.edu.gov.on.ca

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008) Reach Every student: Energizing Ontario Education.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009) Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools: Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2009) Realizing the Promise of Diversity: Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010) Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools.

Ontario Safe Schools Action Team. (2005) Shaping Safer Schools: A Bullying Prevention Action Plan.

12 Equity and Inclusive Education – Order your copy today! www.principals.ca

rEsourcEs to suPPort Equity and inclusivE Education

brEaking barriErsEXCELLENCE AND EQUITY FOR ALLAVIS GLAZE, RUTH MATTINGLEY AND BEN LEVIN

Education is the ultimate tool of empowerment. The true measure of equity is how students succeed in school. Equity of outcomes for all students is the goal. An intentional approach to closing achievement gaps allows educators to deliver on the promise of diversity. Ensuring that all students achieve at high levels must be our shared goal.

Breaking Barriers sets out to:

• Examine current research and practice focused on equity and inclusive education

• Provide 21 practical, high-impact strategies for school administrators and teachers

• Offer targeted interventions for groups of students at risk due to issues of equity and inclusiveness

• Provide online resource features linked to current Canadian and international research, reproducible appendices from the book and Implementation Logs for school administrators and teachers to record andtrack progress.

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no MorE bystandErs = no MorE bulliEsSHONA ANDERSON

One of the greatest challenges educators face in addressing bullying is recognizing when it’s right in front of them. From identifying unsupervised campus “hot spots” to intervening appropriately in the moment, this practical how-to guide will equip your staff members to stand up instead of stand by. Shona Anderson’s seven-step framework arms educators with

• a 10-question “pulse check” to determine areas of school culture that need strengthening

• tangible actions for each stage of the decision-making cycle and

• activities that prompt staff members to observe, collaborate, act and evaluate.

Creating and maintaining safe schools requires a team effort. This unique guidebook shows school leaders how to educate all staff members to transform your school’s culture from passive to proactive.

14 Equity and Inclusive Education – For more information contact elc@principals.ca

FEEdback FroM tHE FiEldTHE ONTARIO PRINCIPALS’ COUNCIL VALUES YOUR FEEDBACK

“ A WEALTH OF INFORMATION AS WELL AS CONCRETE EXAMPLES AND IDEAS.”

“ Healthy discussion with colleagues around the topic of engagement”

“ Excellent workshop! It’s great when we don’t want the presentation to end!”

“ I received strategies and so much more. Excellent stories, situations and examples to learn from.”

“ I received a powerful framework for organizing intentional parent engagement”

“ Excellent opportunity to dialogue with colleagues about an important topic”

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“ GREAT, SPECIFIC, PRACTICAL SCENARIOS”

“ Excellent video resources and great discussions”

“ Lots of collaborative learning and sharing of ideas around implementation of continuous steps of equity and inclusion”

“Good resources to create an inclusive school”

“ Lots of good information and some very good, specific strategies”

“Some good practical ideas”

“Several good ideas I can raise in my school”

For further information about the oPc Equity and inclusive Education Program or to organize a session for your board, email:

elc@principals.ca

180 Dundas Street West, 25th Floor,Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8

Tel: 416-322-6600 Toll Free: 1-800-701-2362 Fax: 416-322-6618 Email: elc@principals.caWebsite: www.principals.ca