Abstract
This study examines the political, economic, and social effects of recent policy by the Ontario government to de-stream its publicly funded schools. The objective is to rigorously investigate events leading to this decision and its implications. This research is undertaken because public education is an important contributor to the social fabric of our society, and enabling students to get the best education possible is key to a creating opportunities for wider groups of students, De-streaming is aimed to help achieve because its predecessor, streaming was seen as creating education silos. The relevance of this scholarship is that de-streaming and streaming are associated with varying achievement levels among lower and higher ability groups and inequity among disadvantaged groups, which is supported by scholarship in the field of educational policy and politics. In terms of methods, the paper takes a qualitative approach, using a rich array of scholarly articles and reports, underpinned by Critical Discourse Analysis (CD). If time permits, a selection of interviews may be included. The knowledge gained from better understanding whether de-streaming is able to achieve its goal of creating more opportunities for disadvantaged students is critical to the short and long-term health of public education, whether in Ontario or elsewhere. This research has the potential to be of valued to educational policy makers in other jurisdictions. Although the research is at an early stage, its conclusions could have important educational implications.
Presenters
Duncan MacLellanAssociate Professor, Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Policy, De-Streaming, Streaming, Education, Ontario, Equity, Critical Discourse Analysis
