main index

4.1: Board Policies, Guidelines and Practices
4.2. Leadership
4.3. School-Community Partnerships
4.4. Curriculum
4.5. Student Languages
4.6. Student Evaluation, Assessment and Placement
4.7. Guidance
4.8. Employment and Promotion Practices
4.9. Staff Development
4.10. Harassment

• 4.1. Board Policies, Guidelines and Practices
  The Toronto District School Board has approved an Equity Policy Statement which requires that ideals related to Anti-classism and Socio-economic Equity shall be reflected in all aspects of organizational structure, policies, guidelines, procedures, classroom practices, day-to-day operations and communication practices. The Toronto District School Board policies, guidelines and practices shall ensure that the needs and safety of all students, employees, trustees, parents, volunteers, visitors, permit holders, contractors and partners are addressed. These shall reflect diverse viewpoints, needs and aspirations of community members, particularly of those socio-economic groups whose voices have traditionally and systemically been marginalized and excluded.
  
  The Board shall provide an appropriate mechanism to ensure accountability for achieving these goals by::
  

  • 4.1.1. articulating clearly the Board's commitment to the principles of anticlassism and socio-economic equity in all Board policies, guidelines, day-to-day operations, protocols and practices;
  • 4.1.2. identifying and eliminating socio-economic class biases and barriers in Board policies, guidelines, day-to-day operations, protocols and practices;
  • 4.1.3. identifying the many diverse sectors within the working class, socio-economically marginalized communities and historically disadvantaged groups within the jurisdiction of the Board and involving these communities in partnership activities;
  • 4.1.4. assessing the effectiveness of community consultation and partnership involvement;
  • 4.1.5. establishing accountability processes to document progress and ensure continuous implementation of the Anti-classism and Socio-economic Equity Commitments to Equity Policy;
  • 4.1.6. allocating resources to provide compensatory education and ensure policy implementation..                                                                                             Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.2. Leadership
  An informed leadership identifies individual discriminatory attitudes and behaviours as well as systemic inequities and barriers, and demonstrates accountability for their removal with the goal of achieving equity for all irrespective of socio-economic status. Communication is an integral part of leadership, and includes the ability to listen to equity-seeking groups. All system leaders and decision-makers play a crucial role in identifying and addressing systemic inequities or barriers.The Toronto District School Board shall provide informed and committed leadership at all levels by:
  • 4.2.1. assisting trustees, administrators, staff and student leaders to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours required to implement the Equity Policy in the area of Anti-classism and Socio-economic Equity;
  • 4.2.2. ensuring that policy directions, priorities and day-to-day implementation of programs and services are consistent with the aims of Anti-classism and Socio-economic Equity;
  • 4.2.3. identifying expectations for those responsible for implementation and incorporating these expectations into performance-appraisal processes, including the ongoing evaluation of, teachers, support staff and administrators, annual plans and year-end reports;
  • 4.2.4. ensuring that educational practices are inclusive and reflect the contributions of diverse socio-economically marginalized people, and that all forms of stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination and violence against these groups are challenged and eliminated.                                                                                                       Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.3. School-Community Partnerships
  Effective school-community partnerships enable representation and active participation from diverse communities and ensure the inclusion of the perspectives, experiences and needs of working class and socio-economically marginalized communities to enhance educational opportunities for all. The Toronto District School Board is committed to ongoing, constructive and open dialogue in partnership with working class and socio-economically marginalized communities to increase cooperation and collaboration among home, school, and the community-at-large. The Board shall work to create school community partnerships which ensure effective participation in the education process by:
  • 4.3.1. identifying and involving working class and socio-economically marginalized communities and representative and inclusive organizations within the jurisdiction of the Board;
  • 4.3.2. requesting labour, working class and socio-economically marginalized organizations and communities to identify representatives for the purpose of establishing school-community partnerships;
  • 4.3.3. assessing the effectiveness of community consultation and partnership involvement and developing guidelines for effective partnership that respects the rights of students in an environment free of commercial intrusion and economic exploitation in accordance with Policy E.06 on External Partnerships;
  • 4.3.4. encouraging and assisting School Councils, Home and School Organizations and Parent-Teacher Associations to reflect the diversity of working class and socio-economically marginalized communities that they represent;
  • 4.3.5. ensuring effective and appropriate communication with community partners in their languages as required;
  • 4.3.6. ensuring access by students, parents and staff to supportive community resources as appropriate for use in TDSB schools.                                        Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.4. Curriculum
  Curriculum is defined as the total learning environment including physical environment, learning materials, pedagogical practices, assessment instruments and co-curricular and extra curricular activities. A curriculum that strives for socio-economic equity provides a balance of perspectives. The Toronto District School Board acknowledges that inequities have existed in the curriculum; therefore, the Board is committed to enabling all students from working class and socio-economically marginalized communities to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and to provide each student with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to live in a complex and diverse world by:
  • 4.4.1. ensuring that the principles and practices of anticlassism and socio-economic equity permeate the curriculum in all subject areas;
  • 4.4.2. examining and challenging curriculum which has excluded the contributions and experiences of working class and socio-economically marginalized people and communities in order to ensure inclusivity;
  • 4.4.3. developing a process to determine whether discriminatory biases related to socio-economic class are present in existing learning materials, programs or practices;
  • 4.4.4. ensuring the review and/or modification of materials which promote stereotyping, the review and modification of programs which promote stereotyping, discrimination, or classism, and the removal or materials or programs which promote hatred or violence against socio-economically marginalized people;
  • 4.4.5. providing adequate resources and training to assist all staff in becoming agents of change to use materials effectively to promote critical thinking skills about class and to challenge classism and class bias;
  • 4.4.6. ensuring that classrooms, resource centres, school libraries, audio-visual collections and computer software contain materials and resources which accurately reflect the range of socio-economic classes and communities;
  • 4.4.7. developing guidelines to ensure that displays and visual representation in all schools and workplaces of the Toronto District School Board reflect the heritage and include the contributions of working class and socio-economically marginalized people and communities;
  • 4.4.8. supporting student leadership programs in anti-classism education and equity;
  • 4.4.9. developing and providing both academic and service programs and supports to meet the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged students and communities in all curriculum areas, including early intervention programs to encourage all students to have high expectations and to consider non-traditional roles and work;
    • 4.4.9.1. ensuring that the contributions of working class and socio-economically marginalized communities to Canadian and world history and to historiography, including efforts by groups such as the labour movement to create a more equitable society, are included accurately in all aspects of the curriculum;
    • 4.4.9.2. ensuring that curriculum materials and learning resources are allocated to challenge classism, class biases, violence against socio-economically marginalized people and hate propaganda based on socio-econoic status and/or any social identity.                         Section 4: index
       
• 4.5. Student Languages
  Language proficiency is the foundation of academic success. Working class and economically marginalized students come from all language backgrounds. The Toronto District School Board recognizes and affirms the value of students first/indigenous languages while ensuring proficiency in one or both of Canada’s official languages by:
  • 4.5.1. ensuring that students achieve literacy in at least one official language;
  • 4.5.2. providing appropriate classroom support for language learning;
  • 4.5.3. affirming and valuing students’ first/indigenous language;
  • 4.5.4. supporting the learning of languages in addition to English and French;
  • 3.5.5. ensuring that students from all socio-economic backgrounds are valued and affirmed in such language learning ;
  • 4.5.6. committing to using clear and inclusive language and design that promotes understanding;
  • 4.5.7. ensuring that resources are available to facilitate appropriate communication with students/parents/guardians.                    Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.6. Student Evaluation, Assessment and Placement
  The Toronto District School Board is committed to evaluation, assessment, programming and placement processes which are sensitive to students' socio-economic background and family experiences by:
  • 4.6.1. identifying, reviewing and changing practices which lead to the disproportionate streaming of working class and socio-economically marginalized students into academic programs which narrow their choices and life opportunities or limits participation in their local community;
  • 4.6.2. ensuring that bias based on socio-economic status does not adversely impact on programming, placement and academic decisions and that students, with the support of their parents/guardians (as appropriate), are able to consider and make informed programming, placement and academic decisions;
  • 4.6.3. ensuring that evaluation, assessment, programming and placement meet individual student needs and offers them opportunities to reach their highest potential. This process must consider the impact of socio-economic factors and their interconnections to cultural and linguistic factors, faith, gender,sexual orientation and gender identity, abilities/disabilities, personal/family experiences, previous education, future expectations and students’ rights to continuity, stability and community belonging;
  • 4.6.4. reevaluating annually placement decisions that are jointly considered by the student/parent/guardian and the school to ensure that placement decisions are consistent with Board policies, are flexible to meet needs and do not limit education and life opportunities.                                               Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.7. Guidance
  The Toronto District School Board recognizes that informed counsellors, teachers and staff in counseling roles can help to remove discriminatory barriers for students in the school system and in work-related experiences. The Board shall respond effectively to the needs of students from working class and diverse groups of socio-economically marginalized communities by:
  • 4.7.1. providing counseling services that are culturally sensitive, supportive and free of socio-economic class bias;
  • 4.7.2. providing proactive strategies to ensure that students from working class and socio-economically marginalized communities are not under-estimated on the basis of stereotypical assumptions, and to assure that all students experience personal growth and reach their full potential in their academic and life paths;
  • 4.7.3. eliminating discriminatory biases related to socio-economic status in educational and life planning programs;
  • 4.7.4. encouraging and supporting students from working class and socio-economically marginalized communities and their families in the identification of non-traditional career options;
    • 4.7.4.1. working with students from working class and socio-economically marginalized communities and their families to identify career options that historically have excluded them and help them to choose academic paths that will allow them to reach their full potential and succeed in a traditionally classist society;
  • 4.7.5. ensuring that communication strategies are in place to keep all parents/guardians informed about their children's current educational achievement and progress, including their plans for the future, in a language they understand, including the provision of translations where necessary.                                                                       Section 4: index
    
    
    
• 4.8. Employment and Promotion Practices
  The Toronto District School Board recognizes that there are barriers to employment and promotion which historically have had a discriminatory impact on communities of lower socio-economic status. The Board is committed to equity for all these communities in hiring and promotion practices. The Board is committed to the development and maintenance of employment and promotion policies, practices and procedures that are designed to employ a work force which at all levels reflects, understands and responds to a diverse population. The Board will respond to and support this work force and its diverse population by:
  
  • 4.8.1. ensuring that equitable employment and promotion practices exist;
  • 4.8.2. identifying and eliminating systemic barriers in the employment and promotion system;
  • 4.8.3. ensuring that employment and promotion strategies focus on under-represented communities;
  • 4.8.4. establishing establishing out-reach activities and affirmative action strategies (encouragement, mentoring, training and staff development) that focus on diverse groups of socio-economically marginalized people in order to ensure that schools and other workplaces within the Board achieve equitable representation at all levels;
  • 4.8.5. ensuring that the Board's commitment to anti-classism and socio-economic equity is communicated throughout the Board, and that staff, students and community are aware of this commitment;
  • 4.8.6. eliminating barriers and encouraging diverse groups of socio-economically marginalized people to apply for teaching and non-teaching positions.           Section 4: index
    
    
• 4.9. Staff Development
  The Toronto District School Board is committed to on-going staff development on anti-classism and socio-economic equity for trustees and Board staff and will assist them to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours to identify and eliminate class biases and discriminatory practices by:
  • 4.9.1. identifying staff development needs to improve employee's knowledge skills and sensitivity in anti-classism and socio-economic equity;
  • 4.9.2. establishing opportunities for employees to acquire the critical knowledge skills, sensitivity and behaviours which will support the creation and maintenance of an education system that empowers all students to learn, to achieve success and to participate responsibly in a diverse, global society regardless of their socio-economic class status;
  • 4.9.3. improving staff's knowledge, skills and expertise in anticlassism and socio-economic equity in order to help them understand how to identify and challenge prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination and classism so that they are better able to meet the needs of all students;
  • 4.9.4. training teaching and support staff in anti-classism and other critical methodologies to enable them to deliver an inclusive curriculum;
  • 4.9.5. training and empowering employees to deal effectively and confidently with issues of classism;
  • 4.9.6. supporting initiatives which foster dialogue to create an understanding and respect for diversity which will result in a safer learning environment for all students;
  • 4.9.7. promoting the expectation that all employee practices will reflect anticlassism and socio-economic equity policies and practices and establishing criteria for accountability and evaluation;
  • 4.9.8. involving as appropriate working class organizations and socio-economically marginalized communities in the design and implementation of staff development programs.
    
    
• 4.10. Harassment
  Harassment on the basis of socio-economic class, whether intended or not, is demeaning treatment. (Please refer to the Board’s draft human rights policy   for the policy and procedures with regard to harassment. It is anticipated that this policy will be adopted by the Board in the year 2000.)           
  Section 4: index