If a proposal goes ahead to create a black-focused school in Toronto, it would not be the first in Canada. But it would be controversial.
An elementary school in the predominately black community of North Preston, N.S., has an Afro-centric philosophy. As well, boards in Edmonton and Toronto have schools tailored to native students. But a community proposal for an African-centred school in Toronto is likely a long way from being realized.
Public consultations are planned for this week and next. A feasibility report will likely be ready in the new year, said Lloyd McKell, the Toronto District School Board's executive officer for student and community equity. If trustees are supportive, a review team would be struck to examine the details of such a plan and make a recommendation.
Even if the board approves the idea, it would be unlikely that such an alternative school, likely for kindergarten to Grade 8, could open in time for the 2008-2009 school year, Mr. McKell said.
The contentious idea has been bandied about in Toronto since at least 1995, when a royal commission recommended it. It encountered stiff opposition. It was also raised two years ago.
Higher numbers of African-Canadian students underperform and drop out of school. Advocates believe black-focused schools, which are more common in the United States, would help engage students. However, opponents worry they would ghettoize children and undermine efforts to achieve social cohesion.
"I think that you're better off to have a mixed diverse school population because that's the way the real world is," said trustee John Campbell, who is not against the idea, and added that the board should consider evidence from other jurisdictions.
In the recent Ontario election campaign, Conservative Leader John Tory promised to extend public funding to religious schools that met provincial criteria. His party lost, and many blamed the proposal.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has long said he is against the idea of black-focused schools. Yesterday, he said the Toronto proposal makes him "personally uncomfortable" and that he believes students are better off in diverse classrooms.
Research into ethnically tailored schools has found they better engage students, increase their connection to their schools, improve the classroom environment and boost attendance, said Lance McCready, a professor of urban education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. However, there is little research concluding that such schools improve academic outcomes.
Meanwhile, a TDSB plan to open an arts-based middle school next fall is sparking opposition from parents and administrators of the High Park Centennial Montessori School, which rents the building the board has chosen for the new school. A parent meeting is expected to be held tonight to mobilize opposition and lobby the board to change its mind.
