The relationship between the social construction and self-identification of disability is complex and has been integral to the work of critical disability scholars (Ben-Moshe, Chapman & Carey, 2014; Davis, 2013; Erevelles, 2011; Yergeau, 2018). In 2006-07 and 2016-17, the Toronto District School Board conducted a student census and asked students to identify whether they had a disability that was assessed by either their doctor or school. Interestingly, the proportion of students who self-identified as having a disability was only a fraction of those who had been institutionally identified (formally and informally) through special education. Additionally, among students within special education, distinct trends emerged around who was likely to self- identify across class, income, gender and racial categories.
Wide socio-demographic disparities exist between students identified as gifted and their peers (De Valenzuela, Copeland, Qi, & Park, 2006; Leonardo & Broderick, 2011). In this paper, we examine the intersectional construction of giftedness and the academic achievement of students identified as gifted. Using data from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the largest and one of the most diverse public education systems in Canada, we consider racial, class, and gender characteristics of students identified as gifted in comparison to those who have very high achievement. Results demonstrated that there was almost no relationship between students identified as gifted and students who had very high achievement (Pearson's correlation of 0.18). White, male students whose parents had high occupation statuses had the highest probability of being identified as gifted. Female students were more likely to be high achievers. Compared to White students, it was only East Asian students who were more likely to be identified as gifted; yet South, Southeast and East Asian students were more likely to be very high achievers. Parental occupation was strongly related to both giftedness and very high achievement. Results point to the socially constructed nature of giftedness and challenge its usage in defining and organizing students in schools.
While there is a widespread consensus that students' pathways towards postsecondary education are influenced early in life, there is little research on the elementary school factors that shape them. Identifying educational 'risk factors' directs attention to barriers that may warrant scrutiny or action under human rights legislation. New findings from a unique, longitudinal data set collected and developed by the Toronto District School Board highlights key factors, established in elementary school, as to how many students do not enter into post-secondary studies in Ontario. The majority of students suspended at any time, students in self-contained special education programs, and/or students who missed more than 10% of classes in grade 4 do not go on to PSE. These organizational factors are more predictive of students' acceptance to PSE than individualized measures of preschool readiness, academic achievement in grade 3, race or parental education. These structural 'risks' are strongly correlated with of race and disability. In light of research that identifies promising, evidence-based practices available to reduce these risks, breaking down these barriers should be a priority from the perspective of improving PSE access and overcoming what may well amount to systemic discrimination. ; Aunque hay un consenso amplio de que la vida temprana influye en el camino de los estudiantes hacia la educación postsecundaria, no ha habido muchas investigaciones sobre los factores en la escuela primaria que juegan un papel en eso. La identificación de riesgos educacionales dirigen la atención a barreras que justifican un escrutinio o acciones conforme a las leyes sobre derechos humanos. Nuevas descubiertas de un conjunto de datos longitudinales específicos, coleccionados y analizados por el Consejo de Educación del Distrito de Toronto, indican factores clave que operan en la escuela primaria y que explican porque muchos estudiantes no llegan a la enseñanza postsecundaria en la provincia de Ontario. La mayoria de los estudiantes suspendidos a cualquier tiempo, de los estudiantes en grupos separados de educación especial y/o de los estudiantes que faltaron a más de 10% de sus clases en el quarto año de la escuela primaria no llegan a la enseñanza postsecundaria. Eses factores organizacionales pueden predecir mejor la admisión de estudiantes a la enseñanza postsecundaria que medidas individualizadas de preparación preescolar, el rendimiento escolar en el tercer año lectivo, la raza o el nivel educativo de los padres. Eses "riesgos" estructurales tienen una fuerte correlación con la raza y la invalidez. A la luz de las investigaciones que identifican medidas prometedoras y comprobadas y disponibles para reducir eses riesgos, derribar esas barreras debería ser una prioridad del punto de vista de mejorar el acceso a la educación postsecundaria y de superar lo que posiblemente es una forma de discriminación sistémica. ; Embora haja um amplo consenso de que o caminho dos alunos para a educação pós-secundária é influenciado pelos primeiros anos da vida, não houve muitas pesquisas sobres os fatores na escola primária que desempenham um papel nisso. A identificação de riscos educacionais chama a nossa atenção para barreiras que merecem um exame detalhado ou ações segundo as leis sobre direitos humanos. Novas constatações de uma coleção de dados longitudinais específicos, recolhidos e estudados pelo Conselho de Educação do Distrito de Toronto, apontam fatores importantes no ensino primário que explicam porque muitos alunos não chegam ao ensino pós-secundário na província de Ontário. A maioria dos alunos suspendidos a qualquer tempo, dos alunos em grupos separados de educação especial e/ou dos alunos que faltaram a mais de 10% das aulas na quarta classe não chegam à educação pós-secundária. Esses fatores organizacionais podem predizer melhor se alunos chegam ou não à educação pós-secundária do que medidas individualizadas de preparação pré-escolar, o desempenho escolar na terceira classe, a raça ou a escolaridade dos pais. Esses "riscos" estruturais se correlacionam fortemente com a raça e a invalidez. À luz de pesquisas que apontam medidas prometedoras e comprovadas e disponíveis para reduzir esses riscos, a demolição dessas barreiras deveria ser uma prioridade com o objetivo de melhorar o acesso à educação pós-secundária e de superar o que pode até ser uma forma de discriminação sistêmica.
Using data from two cohorts of Grade 12 students in Toronto, we examined whether the transition to post-secondary education changed between 2006 and 2011, particularly for under-represented groups. We used multilevel, multinomial logistic regressions to examine how the intersections of race and sex affect post-secondary transitions in the two cohorts. Our findings revealed that Black, Latino, and Southeast Asian students were less prepared for post-secondary education than White students. Students in these groups had lower than average GPAs, higher identification of special education needs, or lower likelihoods of taking academic-stream courses. These differences remained fairly stable between 2006 and 2011. We did, however, find that Black students were more likely than White students to confirm a place in university in 2011—a significant difference. In contrast, Southeast Asian students experienced a decline in university transition but an increase in college confirmation. We also found that race and sex were important intersections for university confirmations in the case of Blacks and for college confirmations in the case of Southeast Asians. We contextualize our findings within the policy climate of Ontario in the years spanning our two cohorts. ; En utilisant des données de deux cohortes d'élèves 12e année à Toronto, nous avons examiné si la transition vers l'éducation postsecondaire avait changé entre 2006 et 2011, particulièrement pour les groupes sous-représentés. Nous avons utilisé des régressions logistiques multinomiales et multiniveaux pour examiner comment les intersections de race et sexe influencent les transitions vers l'éducation postsecondaire dans les deux cohortes. Nos résultats ont montré que les étudiants noirs, latins et sud-asiatiques étaient moins préparés à poursuivre des études postsecondaires. Les étudiants de ces groupes avaient des moyennes cumulatives inférieures, des taux plus élevés d'identification des besoins spéciaux et/ou étaient moins susceptibles d'être dans les cours de niveau universitaire. Ces différences restaient assez stables entre 2006 et 2011. Cependant, nous avons constaté que en 2001 les étudiants noirs étaient plus susceptibles de s'inscrire dans une université que les étudiants blancs—une différence significative. Par contre, les transitions vers l'université avaient diminué pour les étudiants d'Asie du Sud-Est, mais les acceptations des offres aux collèges avaient augmenté. Nos résultats ont également montré que la race et le sexe étaient des intersections importantes pour les confirmations de l'université dans le cas des étudiants noirs et les confirmations des collèges dans le cas des étudiants de l'Asie du Sud-Est. Nous contextualisons nos résultats dans le climat politique de l'Ontario au cours des années qui suivent nos deux cohortes.
In: Journal of sport and social issues: the official journal of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, Band 20, Heft 4, S. 366-391
Qualitative analysis of 1,240 references to previous and future Olympics throughout the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, supplemented by personal interviews with five CBS production executives, revealed CBS's implied sanctioning of a political message about Sarajevo and the Bosnian War. Valent references to Sarajevo took the form of direct pleas to stop the fighting, calls for aid to victims, calls for remembering Sarajevo's past, stories of escape from the war zone, and images of the war's devastation, especially of the ruined sites of former 1984 Olympic glory. Although CBS's aims were commercial, it contextualized the war as an emotionally laden human-interest story rather than a military or political event.
Utilisant des données du Toronto District School Board, cette étude examine les parcours postsecondaires des étudiants qui ont besoin de services d'éducation de l'enfance en difficulté. Nous observons les parcours qui mènent au collège ainsi que ceux menant à l'université et nous nous servons de régression logistique multinomiale à plusieurs niveaux afin de situer nos résultats dans le contexte du cycle de vie. Nos résultants démontrent que les étudiants qui ont besoin de services d'éducation de l'enfance en difficulté ont moins de chances d'accepter une offre d'une université mais plus de chances d'accepter une offre d'un collège. Nous analysons un groupe de facteurs connus et bien documentés qui influencent le parcours postsecondaire afin de connaître leur rôle quant au parcours des étudiants qui ont besoin de services d'éducation de l'enfance en difficulté. Nos résultats démontrent que le niveau d'éducation des parents, le revenu du quartier, la race et la filière scolaire ont tous un impact sur le parcours postsecondaire de cette population étudiante.Using data from the Toronto District School Board, we examine the postsecondary pathways of students with special education needs (SEN). We consider both university and college pathways, employing multilevel multinomial logistic regressions, conceptualizing our findings within a life course and intersectionality framework. Our findings reveal that having SEN reduces the likelihood of confirming university, but increases the likelihood of college confirmation. We examine a set of known determinants of postsecondary education (PSE) pathways that were derived from the literature and employ exploratory statistical interactions to examine if the intersection of various traits differentially impacts upon the PSE trajectories of students with SEN. Our findings reveal that parental education, neighborhood wealth, race, and streaming impact on the postsecondary pathways of students with SEN in Toronto.
Les données du Conseil scolaire du district de Toronto sont utilisées pour déterminer quelles sont les répercussions de vivre sous le seuil de faible revenu (SFR) sur le décrochage à l'école secondaire, en tenant compte du statut de la génération d'immigrants ainsi que d'une diversité de facteurs de risques (par exemple, le pays d'origine, l'âge à l'entrée de l'école secondaire, la réussite scolaire). Les résultats ont indiqué que la mesure SFR du voisinage constituait un prédicteur significatif du décrochage scolaire, indépendamment du statut d'immigrant. L'explication du taux de décrochage des immigrants à partir du facteur de la génération n'a obtenu que peu de soutien. La région d'origine s'est avérée un prédicteur marquant du décrochage où l'on constatait des différences entre les groupes d'immigrants et entre les étudiants immigrants et les étudiants originaires du pays.While education statistics confirm that there is little difference in the dropout rates of native‐born and immigrant youth, analyses of Toronto District School Board (TDSB) data have revealed significant variation in school persistence within immigrant groups. Among newcomer youth, the decision to leave school early has been reported to be strongly influenced by socioeconomic status as well as such factors as country of origin, age at arrival, generational status, family structure, and academic performance. While living in low‐income conditions is thought to place both foreign‐ and Canadian‐born youth at risk of poor school performance and early school withdrawal, their substantially higher incidence of poverty suggests that today's immigrant youth are likely to face greater obstacles to academic success that may in turn have detrimental, long‐term consequences. This paper uses TDSB data to investigate the extent to which living below the low‐income cutoff affects the likelihood of dropping out of secondary school, while taking into account generational status as well as a variety risk factors, noted above. Policy implications are discussed.