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Context: A growing body of work reflects the ways in which gender-creative and transgender students are ill-served by current social climates in the vast majority of public schools. Few studies have explored this topic from an educator's perspective. Purpose: This study was designed to develop a conception of the barriers and supports that exist for educators working to create learning environments that affirm transgender and gender-creative students. Participants: Twenty-six Canadian educators who all had direct experience working with gender-creative and transgender students in school settings with an average of 10 years' experience in schools and mean age of 43. Research Design: This project is a Social Action Research (SAR) project designed to identify what are common challenges and why these challenges are present. Data Collection and Analysis: Each educator was interviewed for 60-120 minutes using a flexible interview guide and audio recordings were transcribed for analysis. Data analysis was conducted via an ongoing and exploratory design. We also performed a cross-case analysis to compare experiences and perceptions across teachers in elementary and secondary schools as well as alternative and traditional schools. Findings: We identified barriers and supports experienced by our participants. Barriers included: (1) the pervasiveness of transphobia; (2) high frequency of school transfers; (3) the propensity for gay and lesbian educators to take on an "expert" role; (4) ethnocentrism; (5) relying on a "pedagogy of exposure"and using certain students as "sacrificial lambs"; (6) the overlapping challenges of working with youth who also have behavioral and learning difficulties; and (7) the balancing act required to navigate complex issues with little training and support. Supports identified were: (1) alternative schools as sites of refuge and spaces where transgender and gender-creative students are reportedly thriving; (2) empowered transgender and gender-creative students; (3) vigilant and protective adults; and (4) best practices. Recommendations: In order to address systemic barriers we advocate for an application of principles and best practices aligned with critical, queer, and anti-oppressive pedagogies. We recommend that schools: (1) develop a more student-centered, flexible curriculum; (2) promote interdisciplinary and project-based learning; (3) model and promote creativity; (4) establish restorative justice programs; (5) reduce or entirely remove sex-segregated activities and spaces; (6) integrate discussions of gender diversity as a social justice issue throughout the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research on Aboriginal Education Policy in Ontario and Aboriginal students' needs and learning styles in publicly-funded schools. Topics include the Ontario Ministry of Education's (OME) attention to Aboriginal education policy, and how the Aboriginal education policy has helped to create capacity for teachers, principals, and school boards to address Aboriginal students' needs.

Drawing on a case study of Progressive Discipline (PD), this paper asks: How does greater discretion, flexibility and parent involvement affect the application of school policy? What are the consequences of these conditions? PD is part of a suite of changes that caters to students' individualized academic and social needs while formalizing increased parent involvement. Drawing on fortyfour interviews with school staff members, we find that PD has the potential to enhance students' social and behaviour literacy. And yet, educators are unable to fully tame higher-SES (Socio-Economic Status) parents. According to our interviewees, higher-SES parents are more likely to participate in disciplinary proceedings, confront and threaten school staff and negotiate more favourable disciplinary outcomes for their children. Our paper contributes to cultural capital theory by examining how higher-SES families exploit "discretionary spaces" (i.e., opportunities that allow parents to improve their child's social, academic or disciplinary outcomes) in schooling organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, there has been little systematic inquiry into the nature and extent of discrimination against university students and the potential impact of discrimination on educational outcomes. On the basis of an examination of domestic and international students at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), York (Toronto), McGill (Montreal), and Dalhousie (Halifax), it is argued that with the exception of employment of Chinese origin and Black students, in general, students experience little discrimination on- and off-campus; that the discrimination confronted by students does not systematically correspond to their minority non-minority status; and that discrimination is of little consequence for grade point average and program satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the midst of the complicated racial-linguistic landscape that is Montreal, Quebec, the educational experiences of the relatively small population of Anglophone Blacks are often invisibilized within the education literature, and relatively little attention is paid to the nature of Black students’ and educators’ struggles with racism and Eurocentricity within Anglophone schools in Montreal. This article makes a contribution to the empirical literature concerning these groups. It shares the experiences of, and racism witnessed by, two Black teachers in Montreal. Their narratives paint a compelling picture of the consequences and effects of educating Black students within a colour-blind context in Montreal schools, as well as the pedagogies and personal philosophies they work through to resist and challenge the context of denial within Canadian education. The article ends with a discussion of the ways in which the teachers’ pedagogies align with critical anti-racist praxis, and nascent forms of African-centred pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Native Studies is the property of Brandon University, CJNS, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Alberta Journal of Educational Research is the property of Alberta Journal of Educational Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While access to postsecondary education in Canada has increased over the past decade, a number of recent studies demonstrate that youth from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are vulnerable to some degree of exclusion from postsecondary education. These studies tend to emphasize the lack of financial resources and social capital as the main sources of this vulnerability. Our paper employs multilevel framework to explore the extent of the impact of schools on access to postsecondary education, especially for youth from disadvantaged background. Our analyses revealed that: (1) for youth with similar financial constraints who attend schools with relatively similar quality, those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds who attend schools with high concentration of low SES students are particularly vulnerable to exclusion from university education, and (2) a substantial portion of the SES effect operate through the impact of high school academic achievement and postsecondary education expectation on access to postsecondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the attitudes of graduate social work students toward research in the contexts of academic study, professional social work practice, and students' personal lives. The authors collected quantitative and qualitative data from MSW students (n = 102) at a major Canadian school of social work. Findings suggest that MSW students appreciate the value of research for their professional and personal lives. However, they are apprehensive about the process of learning research, and when faced with the prospect of conducting research, feel intimidated and powerless. This report discusses factors associated with positive attitudes toward learning research. Teaching strategies to engage students in discovering their research capacities are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

International students choosing Canadian universities must negotiate their own cultural values as they adapt, or acculturate, to the new cultural environment. Physical activity has many benefits for newcomers; however, its role in acculturation had not been examined. Through a culturally-sensitive protocol, framed in interpretive phenomenology, the researchers examined how physical activity was used as an expression of acculturation by Chinese students to relate to their home culture and to the new Canadian host culture. Fourteen Chinese students from a mid-size university in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, participated in the study. Four themes emerged: (a) communicating, (b) Canadian environment, (c) belonging, and (d) keeping fit and having fun. The researchers found that participation in physical activity often promoted integration in the new community. Three main recommendations can address belonging on Canadian campuses; (a) increase accessibility to information and activities, (b) address on-campus housing issues, and (c) ease pre-determined grouping for the purpose of engaging in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid 2000's, the ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec has conducted several research studies on the academic, ethno-cultural, socio-demographic, linguistic, and socio-economic characteristics of students of various ethnic groups, as another stride towards the goal of providing the necessary support and assistance for the educational success of each vulnerable subgroup. This article presents part of a wider research project titled "The Academic Success of Immigrant Origin Students in High School," carried out as part of the efforts described above, which aimed at evaluating the status of the school pathways and academic performance of immigrant origin students from diverse backgrounds in French and English language Quebec high schools. This article specifically focuses on students originating from South Asia in Quebec French language schools. The latter indeed show a very low profile of graduation as well as high dropout rates when compared with other immigrant origin students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the issue regarding the religious diversity of the public education system in Canada, with the growing population of Muslim immigrants in the country. The study looks into how Muslim parents face challenges which often relates to other oppressions such as gender and race discrimination. The author mentions that Muslim immigrant parents in Canada face several problems due to the Christian curriculum implemented in the public school system in the country. They suggest that educators should provide initiatives to represent oppressed groups including Muslim immigrants which can include modification of school curricula and provision of prayer rooms for Muslim students.

Copyright of Alberta Journal of Educational Research is the property of Alberta Journal of Educational Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The relationship between school achievement and peer harassment was examined using individual and peer characteristics as mediating factors. The sample consisted of adolescents age 12-15 years (n = 4,111) drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, which is a stratified random sample of 22,831 households in Canada. When factors related to achievement and harassment were considered simultaneously, disruptive behaviour problems and peer interactions were found to mediate the link between achievement and harassment, χ2(32) = 300.00, p < 0.001. These results suggest that adolescents who are harassed by their peers are at risk of experiencing poor school achievement if they exhibit disruptive behaviour problems and poor peer interactions. Implications for school psychologists are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed methods approach was used to explore secondary teachers’ motivation beliefs in Canada and Singapore. Results from Study 1 revealed that socio-economic status (SES) was the strongest predictor of school climate in Canada, and that collective efficacy mediated the effect of SES on school climate in Singapore, but not in Canada. In Study 2, interviews were conducted with 10 teachers in Canada and 14 teachers in Singapore. Teachers in both settings discussed students’ social and behavior problems, but the range of the social problems was greater in Canada than in Singapore, and had a stronger impact on teachers’ motivation beliefs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article examines the role that anti-racism and social justice play in educational leadership by examining how Caucasian school administrators interact with minority students. It is noted that minority students may face marginalization by the dominant Caucasian culture in schools even though the increased emphasis on U.S. schools on high scores on achievement tests and educational accountability means that the school environment must be more inclusive for all students. Caucasian school administrators in the area of Toronto, Canada were asked questions about their whiteness and race awareness.

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Student lıfe ıs profoundly marked by the dıversıty of ındıvıdual trajectorıes, whıch are ın stark contrast wıth the lınear path tradıtıonally taken by students. The ımpact on the age of the student populatıon is sıgnıficant: ındeed, student life can no longer be qualıfied as strıctly for the young. Between the ages of 20 and 30 years, dıfferent ımperatıves come ınto play ın terms of livıng condıtıons and lıfestyle. These ımperatıves are not always compatıble wıth the conditıons of classıc student lıfe. Thıs study of the academıc paths and the financial sıtuatıon of Quebec unıversıty students shows how the dısconnection between student condıtıon and youth occurs and how thıs dısconnectıon ımpacts the dıfferentıatıon of student's lıvıng condıtıons and modes of fınancıng universıty studıes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the increased marginalization of African studies in the Canadian public school system and how educators can assist in promoting African studies to enable students of African descent to have greater knowledge of themselves and increase their self-worth. Challenge of curriculum reform; Gender in African contexts; Black teachers in the school system.

Examines the relationships between drug use and problems and the socio-economic status of Ontario neighborhoods in which students lived. Areas characterized by low cost substandard housing, and social and racial problems and delinquency; Variation in student use of cocaine, tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis and alcohol and drug problems.

The article focuses on the need to increase representation of rural and low-income Canadians in Canadian medical schools. Less rural students in medical school will decrease the accessibility to medical care in rural Canada. It states that the government needs to intervene in the admission targets of medical schools in Canada. Major population of students in medical schools in Canada represent rich families, which is a concern for rural health care.