Public Education in a Changing World:
Addressing barriers to post-secondary education
Students’ race, socioeconomic status, and parents’ education continue to have an impact on their destinations after high school. How is Toronto different than Chicago, New York and London (UK)? What do we need to change in K to 12 to ensure more students have access to post-secondary education?
Speakers:
President, Fiona Deller and Associates
Fiona has spent much of her career conducting research, creating policy and designing programs related to student access to and success in postsecondary education. She currently runs a consulting business, and previously has held positions with the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and the Ontario and federal governments. Fiona is passionate about designing practical solutions that meet students’ needs, and creating an accessible, user-friendly educational eco-system. Fiona has a PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto in the field of higher education theory and policy.
Director, Policy, Research and System Improvement, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
Amy Kaufman manages staff and internal research projects with a focus on postsecondary education system design and improvement. With more than 15 years of experience in Ontario’s higher education system, she has worked in policy development and analysis, advocacy, government relations, strategic planning and institutional accountability. Coming to HEQCO from a strategic planning and institutional analysis role at Humber College, Amy is interested in evidence-based decision making and strategic improvement. She holds a BA in political science from the University of Guelph and an MA in political science from the University of Toronto.
Ontario Research Chair in Educational Attainment and At-Risk Youth, Associate Professor of Sociology, McMaster University
Karen Robson is Associate Professor of Sociology and Ontario Research Chair in Educational Attainment and At-Risk Youth at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She works in close collaboration with the Toronto District School Board examining issues of access to post-secondary education, focusing on historically underrepresented groups. Her most recent project compares the post-secondary outcomes of Toronto high school students with similar groups of students in Chicago, New York, and London (UK).
