In 2021, the government of Manitoba made their plans to reform public education overt with Bill 64. Although the legislation was withdrawn as a result of immense opposition from critically engaged Manitobans, the government did not abandon its neoliberal reform plans. Instead, the spectre of Bill 64 now lingers through a variety of new educational…

For decades, there has been a well-coordinated effort to unmake public education in Canada and around the globe. Neoliberal reformers have undermined public education through increased privatization, marketization, and managerialism. Government austerity measures have shaped policy that falsely necessitates, validates, and legitimizes the…

This paper explores how advocates in Ontario have resisted neoliberal restructuring in education since the 2018 general election, which marked an intensification of market-oriented reforms. Shaped by the insights of 23 participants, this paper shows how resistance has been accessed through multiple entry points and has been spatially…

In 2020, 10 visionary undergraduate students across Canada were brought together through the 3M National Student Fellowship and tasked with developing a project that furthers STLHE's mission of enhancing teaching and learning in higher education. To address a need for increased national collaboration among student groups and to unify student…

Education systems in "Canada" are increasingly highlighting the structural and material inequities faced by First Nations' peoples. However, most practices within formal education tend to focus on awareness campaigns and/or examining injustice as a historical event, as opposed to challenging the structural and systemic forces that…

Teacher federations are often criticized as "roadblocks" to educational change. It is arguable, however, that their advocacy work has been paramount in securing safer return to school conditions across Canadian Educational jurisdictions. Utilizing Carter et al. (2010) framework of union responses to changing policy environments, this…

Fundraising is common in Canada's public schools despite objections from some parents, educators, and other citizens who argue that the practice perpetuates inequities between schools and communities. In this article I first situate school fundraising in North America within its broader socio-historical contexts. I then describe Hajer's (1997)…

Fundraising and collecting fees are ubiquitous in Ontario, Canada's public schools. Critics assert that these practices perpetuate and exacerbate inequities between schools and communities. In this article we present findings from a critical policy analysis of an advocacy group's efforts to change Ontario's fees and fundraising policies over the…

This commentary closes this special issue with the reflections from two individuals who, like many in these fields, cross the boundaries between scholar, activist and practitioner in their work with young people, teachers and wider society. They bring their experiences working with difficult pasts in the service of better futures to the…

Purpose: This article focuses on the role of school and district leadership in the development and implementation of reform aimed at increasing racial and religious tolerance. It chronicles the rise of intercultural and democratic citizenship curriculum in three North American sites--Springfield, Massachusetts, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, and San…

Teachers and the British Columbia (BC) government share a common interest in a quality education system that serves both their students and society. Even with that common interest, they often do not agree on what resources are required to achieve and maintain quality education. In this brief the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF)…

With contributions from leading experts across disciplinary fields, this book explores best practices from the field's most notable researchers, as well as important historically based and politically focused challenges to a field whose impact has reached an important crossroads. The comprehensive and powerfully critical analysis considers the…

This is a story about how a national Canadian environmental education program (Green Street) evolved in unpredictable ways and about the particular twist in the road that led program stakeholders to focus on scaling up in different ways than originally imagined. The "twist" occurred when the program reached the initially perceived…

The 15 papers in this collection present a Canadian perspective on providing services to children with disabilities in regular classes and schools. The papers are grouped into three sections: Philosophical, Legal and Historical Overview; Parent and Self-Advocacy; and Innovations and Practical Applications. Chapters have the following titles and…

This theme issue presents art advocacy as a necessary means of bringing art and art education to an elevated status in the elementary secondary curriculum and educational system. Articles include: (1) "Editor's View" (Margaret Scarr); (2) "Art Education: Why Is It Important" (Arts Education Partnership Working Group); (3)…