🧭 Racial Inequality in Ontario’s Education Systems

Connecting the Past to Present

Ontario’s history of racial exclusion and segregation in education hasn’t been fully addressed, and the current reality reflects deep-rooted systemic issues. A recent article from The Conversation uncovers the unsettling truth about how school boundaries, school choice, and charter/private schools are reinforcing inequalities today — eerily similar to what is happening across North America.

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Key Points from the Article

1. Gerrymandering School Boundaries:

   • Racialized communities are still systematically excluded from educational opportunities due to strategically drawn school boundaries.

   • TDSB’s choice-based systems may be perpetuating segregation under the guise of “choice.”

2. Exclusionary Practices in Specialized Programs:

   • Black, Indigenous, and other racialized students continue to be excluded from specialized programs (such as Gifted, ESL, or ISP programs) despite policy rhetoric promoting equity.

   • TDSB’s special education systems, such as the ISP programs for students with disabilities, may also reflect the gaps in accessibility and representation for racialized families.

3. Private and Charter Schools:

   • Private schooling — increasingly the choice for many affluent and predominantly white families — isolates racialized students further from access to necessary educational resources.

   • TDSB may be inadvertently complicit in this fragmentation, depending on how much it subsidizes private schooling initiatives or lets boundary lines determine access.

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Research Reports to Highlight

• “Towards Race Equity in Education” (2017, York University):
  This report analyzes the barriers racialized students face in Ontario schools and outlines strategies for promoting equity. TDSB can be compared to these findings — are they closing the gaps or contributing to them?

• “Dreams Delayed” (2025, Ontario Human Rights Commission):
  A current reflection of systemic barriers for racialized students. How much of this delayed progress is tied to TDSB’s institutional failures or policies that exclude certain groups?

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📢 Next Steps for TDSB Investigation

1. Compare the Findings:

   • How does TDSB's treatment of racialized students reflect what’s happening across Ontario’s educational landscape?

   • Are there specific gaps in access for racialized families regarding specialized programs and educational resources?

2. Call Out Trustees:

   • Hold TDSB trustees accountable for perpetuating these exclusionary practices. Are they pushing for real change, or just paying lip service to equity?

3. Raise Public Awareness:

   • Encourage public feedback from racialized communities and families about their lived experiences in TDSB schools.

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Links to Articles

• “Towards Race Equity in Education” – York University
  Link

• “Dreams Delayed” – Ontario Human Rights Commission
  Link

• The Conversation – Black History & Racism in Ontario Schools
  Link