ERIC Number: EJ1240029
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-3324
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Ignoring Race: A Comparative Analysis of Education Policy in British Columbia and Ontario
George, Rhonda C.; Maier, Reana; Robson, Karen
Race, Ethnicity and Education, v23 n2 p159-179 2020
Racial equity in Canadian education remains elusive. Despite Canada's status as a multicultural nation, many minority students continue to be marginalised. In this article, we compare equity-related education policy in two Canadian provinces -- Ontario and British Columbia -- to ascertain how race and racialized students are understood in official documents. After reviewing provincial policy contexts from the early 1990s onward, we discuss the results of a content analysis of provincial education policy documents using Critical Policy Analysis and Critical Race Theory. We argue that the treatment of race and equity in these documents demonstrates 'symbolic anti-racism,' rather than substantive anti-racism, in three key ways: 1) the lack of robust education policy related to racial equity; 2) the construction of racism as an individual characteristic rather than a structural problem in the education system; and 3) the near-absence of race-related data collection. Policy recommendations follow based on these findings.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Equal Education, Minority Group Students, Educational Policy, Racial Bias, Critical Theory, Race, Politics of Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Language Proficiency, English Language Learners, Special Education, Student Diversity, Student Needs, Data Collection
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A