What Happened to Antiracist Education? The 1993 Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity Educational Reform in Ontario School Boards Douglas Tateishi Thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctorate degree Faculty of Education University of Ottawa © Douglas Tateishi, Ottawa, Canada, 2019 WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? ii Abstract This research uses an antiracism theoretical framework, arising from Stanley’s (2011, 2014) anti-essentialist antiracism and Dei’s (1996) anti-racism praxis, to focus on the four documents that comprised the Ontario Ministry of Education’s 1993 Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity initiative (the initiative). The initiative required school boards to develop and implement policies to identify and eliminate racisms within their systems and schools. I used a methodology of constructivist grounded theory to trace the origins and content of the initiative through the lens of my 44-years of lived experience, during which I was a teacher, principal, superintendent, associate director of education, and ministry education officer. This thesis poses the overarching question: What happened to antiracism and ethnocultural equity? I find that although the initiative was a genuine antiracism project, it was destined to fail due to certain deficiencies. I conclude it had two critical deficiencies. First, it did not consider the four discrete cultures located in school boards (made up of supervisory officers, trustees, principals and teachers). Second, it did not provide these cultures with suitable pressures and supports to generate the individual and organizational changes envisioned. Finally I consider what the Ministry would need to do for such an antiracism reform to succeed? I argue systemic policy reform must be based on what I call strategic antiracist education. It would provide the members of the culture of supervisory officers with the necessary knowledge, authority, resources and supports, including professional development, to enable them to lead the members of the other school cultures in antiracist educational reform. WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? iii Acknowledgements I am truly grateful to those who have guided and supported me through the completion of this research. I first would like to thank my family for their support, particularly my mother, who passed before its completion, and my wife Susan. For 60 years my mother provided unwavering support and encouragement for my life and educational journeys. Susan, my wife for the last 38 years and best friend for longer, has been behind every successful professional and educational endeavour I have attempted. I would also like to thank the University of Ottawa for this educational opportunity and acknowledge the educators and colleagues who guided me in this process. First and foremost I am indebted to Tim Stanley for his brilliant guidance and patience. I am quite fortunate Tim was willing to accept and mentor a very mature student with many years of learned experience, which were not always compatible with this academic process. I also am fortunate to have been taught by excellent Ottawa University professors in completing my Ph.D. course work, particularly Nicholas Ng-A- Fook, a member of my committee who inspired me to integrate my lived experience into my research. I am grateful that Awad Ibrahim and Peter Milley agreed to participate on my committee. They dedicated a great deal of time to my work offering insightful direction and feedback as well as encouragement and reassurance, which bolstered my resolve to complete this research. Finally, I also would like to thank academic colleagues Pam Rogers, Nichole Grant, and Bryan Smith for their advice, support and assistance. WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv List of Figures viii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Progression of the Study from Chapters Two to Nine 17 Chapter Two: Literature Review and Conceptual Framework 22 Conceptual Framework 22 Race and Racism 24 Race and racializations 24 Racisms as systems 27 Racisms in the Canadian context 33 Antiracism and Antiracist Education in Ontario 37 Antiracism theory and practice 38 Educational Policy in Ontario 41 Context and history of the antiracism and ethnocultural equity initiative 42 Analysis of educational policy in Ontario 42 Policy Implementation in School Boards 46 The Organization and Operations of the Public School System in Ontario 50 Summary 52 Chapter Three: Methodology and Methods 55 Methodology 55 Methodology and Methods 59 Question one: Was the 1993 antiracism and ethnocultural equity initiative a genuine antiracist education project? 61 Question two: Where did the 1993 antiracism and ethnocultural equity initiative come from? 64 Question three: Would the 1993 initiative have succeeded if the government had not changed? 67 Question four: What does an antiracism initiative need to be successful? 70 Summary 75 Chapter Four: Development of Government Policy on Race and Antiracism 77 Multiculturalism Policy Phase Documents 78 Multiculturalism in action: curriculum ideas for teachers 79 WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? v Race, religion and culture in Ontario school materials: Suggestions for authors and publishers 83 Race Relations Policy Phase Documents 88 Equality now!: participation of visible minorities in Canadian society 90 Ontario documents of the race relations phase 97 Report of the Provincial Advisory Committee on Race Relations 98 Synopsis of public responses to the report of the Provincial Advisory Committee on Race Relations: The development of a policy on race and ethnocultural equity 108 Implementing race and ethnocultural equity in Ontario school boards 116 The First Strategic Antiracism Policy Phase Document 123 Summary: The Significance of the Three Phases 129 Chapter Five: The Ministry of Education’s Conceptualization of Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity in School Boards 1992-1993 133 Changing Perspectives—A Resource Guide for Antiracist and Ethnocultural-Equity Education 134 Summary of Changing Perspectives 151 The Education Amendment Act 1992 152 Policy Program Memorandum No. 119: Development and Implementation of School Board Policies on Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity 159 Summary of Changing Perspectives, the Education Amendment Act 1992 and PPM #119 169 Chapter Six: The Ministry of Education’s Guidelines for School Boards to Develop and Implement Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity Policies and Implementation Plans 171 By Design Steering the Text and Consequences 174 Section 2: proposing the model 175 Section 2: explaining sections 3 & 4 178 The 10 Areas of Focus Shaping School Board Policies and Plans 184 Staff development 186 Areas of focus concerning board policies and guidelines 190 Board policies, guidelines and practices 190 Racial and ethnocultural harassment 193 Employment practices 196 Areas of focus concerning board programs 199 Leadership 199 School-community partnership 203 Areas of focus concerning practices 206 Curriculum 206 Student evaluation, assessment and placement 210 Guidance and counselling 213 WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? vi Student languages 216 The Pressures and Supports of the Guidelines 219 Summary 222 Chapter Seven: The Cultures of School Boards and Why the Initiative Did Not Achieve Real Change 224 The Four Cultures of School Boards 226 The cultures of teachers and principals 230 The cultures of supervisory officers and trustees 235 The Organization and Operation of School Boards 242 Practical knowledge of developing and implementing board policies 245 Practical models and samples 247 Practical measures to ensure active community participation 253 Practical measures to deliver cost-effective training 257 Important differences and similarities between boards and schools 260 Summary 264 Chapter Eight: Prompting Real Change in School Boards 266 Organizational Change in School Boards 267 Board policy-making practices 270 Data to contextualize the problem 274 Antiracist curriculum support 279 Additional resources and supports for organizational change 280 Staff development funding supports 281 Individual Change Through Changing the Culture of Teachers 287 Proving and placing the problem 290 Deficits in teacher knowledge of racialized minority students 293 Communicating with parents 297 Staff development for the cultures of school boards 299 Engaging superintendents first 308 Summary 316 Chapter Nine: Final Observations 318 Literature Review Revisited 322 Main Takeaways for Engaging Cultures of School Boards in System-wide Reform 325 Commonalities of the four cultures 325 The culture of teachers 326 The culture of principals 327 The culture of trustees 328 The culture of supervisory officers 329 The Initiative Revisited 331 The Amendment Revisited 333 Changing Perspectives Revisited 333 PPM #119 Revisited 334 The Guidelines Revisited 338 WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? vii The Keys to Success for the Initiative 341 Engaging superintendents 341 Different approaches to policy at schools boards and the Ministry 343 Educational reform—one board at a time 344 References 354 WHAT HAPPENED TO ANTIRACIST EDUCATION? viii List of Figures Figure 2.1. Conceptual Framework for Strategic Antiracist Education 23 Figure 3.1. Methodology and Methods of the Study 60 Figure 3.2. My Strategic Antiracist Education Theory 64 Figure 3.3. Theory of the Three Phases of Government Policy on Race and and Antiracism 66 Figure 3.4. My Theory of the