Youth Development
Education experts raise alarms; “Our children are going to suffer!”
BY PAUL JUNOR
There have been many challenges that parents, guardians, and caregivers face as they navigate the schooling of their children in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CP24 reported on Monday, March 22nd, 2021 that experts have raised concerns about the potential long-term effects on students. It states, ‘early research and anecdotal reports point to measurable learning loss, racial and socioeconomic disparities, and an urgent need to mitigate harms that may not even be obvious yet.”
This has drawn the attention of experts such as Amedeo D’Angiulli, professor of neuroscience at Carleton University who told CP24, “We need to mobilize more, everything that we can to help teachers deal with this crisis.” He believes that there will be an increase in developmental and learning disorders, which will be a direct reflection of delays in obtaining medical screenings and school interventions.
He states, “The real wave will be that in two, three years we’ll wake up and we’ll see that we have more social inequality, illiteracy and other things that we then need to fix.” This is a sobering prediction as it reveals that the present academic roadblocks that students face will influence the: emotional, physical, social and mental well being of students.
Amedeo’s conclusion is based on analysis of approximately 100 papers, which examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and child development worldwide. The data revealed that there is, “Delays at every age to varying degrees and in different ways.” This learning and academic gap will have greater long-term effects.
George Georgious, who serves as director of J. P. Das Centre on Developmental & Learning Disabilities in Alberta, analyzed early readers in Grade 1, 2 and 3 and compared their reading scores in September 2020 and January 2021. He observes that there was improvement in reading for the students in each grade but their reading levels were six-to-eight months below their grade level. He states, “Because they cannot read, they tend to also act out, so it’s related to externalizing behaviour problems. They act out, they are more aggressive, there is depression, and lower self-esteem.”
He believes that there has to be timely, target interventions as was done in Alberta’s Fort Vermilion school division in which struggling readers were exposed to focused tutoring four times a week which resulted in 80% of the Grade 1 and 2 students being able to read at their grade level. George states, “This tells you that if you don’t provide intervention right away, you will end up in a situation where most of your kids in Grades 1, 2, 3 will be reading well below grade level. If you act proactively… then you have good chances to support these kids who were left behind.”
Sarah Barrett is a professor of education at York University. She surveyed 764 public and private school teachers during May-June, 2020 and conducted in-depth interviews with 50 of them to find out information about their attainment of developmental needs. In a subsequent follow up in December, 2020 and January, 2021 she discovered that teachers expressed uncertainties with respect to the acquisition of social skills by the students. She states, “They sound really demoralized. They’re very glad to have their students in front of them again, but they know that the students that need the most are the ones that are not getting what they need.”
Students who have learning disabilities, racialized, Indigenous and English-language learners are of particular concerns to these teachers. She observes, “A full year is more than just a disruption. It means that across the entire system, adjustments have to be made.”
Youth Development
Understanding the multiple layers involved in navigating education spaces Parents of Black Children launch Navigating the Education System
BY PAUL JUNOR
The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.
For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.
There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:
- Racialization
- Racism is about power
- Critical racial theory
- Our stories matter
- Racism is founded on White supremacy
On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, they launched the document “Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.
PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.
In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”
The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.
The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”
The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:
- School board terms you need to know
- Education organization you need to know in Ontario
- Black families and the Child Welfare System
- Black families and the education system
- Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
- Black students in High School.
- Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
- Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
- Selecting a school system
- System abuse
PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,
“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”
BY PAUL JUNOR
There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.
The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.
Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.” This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”
John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”
Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”
In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”
The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.
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