Learning To Teach For Equity, Diversity, And Social Justice: A Mixed Methods Case Study Of Initial Teacher Education In Ontario, Canada, Kate Paterson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing on critical race theory, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy, and ecological systems theory, this mixed methods case study explored the integration of equity, diversity, and social justice across one initial teacher education program in Ontario, Canada. Survey data (n=272) provided insight into prospective teachers’ endorsement of social-justice-related beliefs at program entry and exit. Demographic data were collected to obtain a current snapshot of initial teacher education representation rates, addressing a dearth of such data in the Ontario context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teacher candidates (n=15) and key stakeholders (n=4) to gain an understanding of how equity was conceptualized …

Challenging Anti-Black Racism: To Improve The Efficacy And Success Of Black Administrators. Organization Improvement Plan, Rohan N. Hollingsworth

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The success of Black students has been at the forefront of discussion and planning in many school boards. As a result, we have seen many solutions and proposed solutions addressing anti-Black racism. Some of these solutions included de-streaming courses, revisions on how Black students were suspended, and the inclusion of culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory in the curriculum, to name a few. These institutionally proposed solutions are all great and even add value to the educational experience of Black students.

Although these strategies greatly enhance students’ experience, they fail to challenge the status quo of society. These strategies …

Mentorship: A Powerful Tool For Ipg Success, Andrea Nelson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Because Canada espouses principles of diversity and multiculturalism, many international pharmacy graduates (IPGs) immigrate to Canada expecting to find employment using skills for which they trained in their home country. Upon arrival, they often face challenges in credential recognition and licensure. Barriers include systemic discrimination, socio-psychological isolation, the precipitous decline in social status, and financial challenges of navigating the steps that bridge the training received in their home countries to the scopes of practice in Canada. The problem of practice (PoP) explored in this organizational improvement plan (OIP) focuses on the lack of opportunity that IPGs have to access clinical …

Enhancing Racialized Staff Mental Health And Well-Being From An Equity-Focused Lens, Natacha Castor

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Des Grands Lac school board is facing an ongoing dearth of qualified teachers that warrants a critical examination in order to underscore the impact of low staffing on staff mental health. Among these factors, the damaging impacts of racism in all its forms on racialized educators’ mental health has remained unexamined and unaddressed. As racism is deeply entrenched within the fabric of educational policies and practices, this discrimination is, too often, normalized. Consequently, owing to the racism, several racialized staff have reported experiences of anxiety, depression, and trauma, leaving them feeling alienated and undervalued. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) …

Building School Leaders' Capacity To Challenge Anti-Black Racism In Schools, Susie Lee-Fernandes

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) was developed based on a problem of practice (PoP) in the Green District School Board (GDSB) related to equity leadership, and building the capacity and efficacy of school leaders to address anti-Black racism in K-12 schools. Despite efforts to create more equitable and inclusive classrooms, Ontario schools continue to display achievement gaps and negative outcomes for Black students, including streaming into courses below their abilities, harsher discipline, and higher push out and suspension rates compared to that of their peers. Feeling of isolation, lack of engagement and teacher connection further exacerbate the racial trauma and …

Breaking Barriers: A Blended Mosaic Model Of Inclusion For English Language Learners, Najwa Zebian

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) presents a holistic, authentic, and proactive inclusion plan for English language learners (ELLs) at Graus Secondary School (GSS). It is framed around a problem of practice (PoP) that emerged due to an influx of newcomers to Ontario in 2016. This OIP proposes a solution to the inevitable exclusion that ELLs experience, builds on existing initiatives and offers additional support to administrators and school staff that maximizes authentic inclusion in the reception and inclusion of incoming ELLs. This solution, the author’s blended mosaic model of inclusion (BMMI), transforms the view of diversity from a fixed mosaic …

Black Students At-Risk: The Problem Of Overrepresentation In The Student Success Program At Fss, Ekwutosi Onyedimma Odozor

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

In Farmside Secondary School (FSS), Black students are disproportionately identified as "at-risk" and are overrepresented on the student success teacher list. The school climate survey, supported by literature, indicates that racialized students feel targeted, excluded and marginalized in their classrooms. In FSS, social stressors such as systemic oppression, deficit interpretations, non-inclusive learning environments, and inadequate access to supportive structures create gaps. Given the threats these social stressors pose to Black student success, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) frames the problem within the context of FSS and provides transformative approaches to the problem. While this OIP creates awareness of the …

A Critical Approach To Academic Language Proficiency For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Nursing Students In Northwestern Canada, Candi Muise

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The nursing profession population demographic is homogeneous in comparison to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the larger Canadian population. This creates health disparities for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) clients entering the health care system where registered nurses are often first point of contact. The Canadian Nurses Association (2009) advocates for nursing programs to enroll and graduate CALD nursing students This will increase the heterogeneity of the nursing profession, minimize health disparities, and increase excellence in nursing care. However, CALD nursing students experience poorer outcomes in nursing education with academic language proficiency cited as a significant contributor. This organizational …

Interrupting The "Model Minority" Narrative: The Voices Of Vietnamese Canadian Youth, Vi Vo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study explores the impact of the model minority narrative on the educational and social experiences of Vietnamese Canadian youth located in two cities in Ontario, Canada. Critical Race Theory was employed as the main framework in understanding and analyzing these students’ experiences. The study draws on data from semi-structured individual interviews with 15 Vietnamese Canadian high school students. Given the unique demographics of the students, the themes that emerged from this study support the notion that Vietnamese Canadian youth are not a homogeneous group. Their range of academic abilities, achievements, and aspirations are broad. Their stories and experiences …

Our Stories: Inuit Teachers Create Counter Narratives And Disrupt The Status Quo, Dawn E L Fyn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Canada has a reputation for diversity and acceptance and of late has made significant strides in formalizing apologies for the maltreatment of Aboriginal populations (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 2010). The purpose of this study was to investigate Inuit educators’ perceptions of education in Nunavik. While multiple studies consider concerns regarding Inuit education and low graduation rates (Brady, 1996; Walton, 2012), few studies consider the role that Inuit educators can play in assuring the optimal success of Inuit students. This study, situated in Nunavik, the Inuit homeland located within Northern Quebec, fills that gap. Using qualitative methodology and a …

This Tract Of Land: North Buxton, Ontario, 1873-1914, Claudine Y. Bonner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Acknowledging the continued concerns and calls for the education system to improve how it addresses the changing face of Canada in terms of race, gender, class, language and culture, this thesis focuses on the history and narratives of a single African-Canadian community as a starting point for educators who wish to learn about and make use of marginalized histories in their classroom practice. The information would also prove helpful to those educators who often have difficulty in finding material relating to African-Canadian history and as a result fail to add the stories of black Canadians to the national narrative shared …