Toronto
November 10, 2018

Making Connections: People for Education's Annual Conference

Our conference brings together parents, students, educators, researchers, school boards, and ministry staff to connect with and learn from each other. This year, we explored the role of public education in creating a better world.

Watch the highlight reel!

Thank you for coming to Making Connections 2018

Thank you very much to everyone who came out to our conference on November 10. It was a fantastic day of learning and making connections.

Special thanks to our amazing speakers, dedicated volunteers, and conference sponsors – the Ontario Principals’ Council, Scholastic Education, and Meridian Credit Union.

Don’t forget to visit our “Participatory note-taking” page and add your notes from the conference sessions. We want to hear your perspective!

Keynote speaker

Maggie MacDonnell, winner of the 2017 Global Teacher Prize

Maggie MacDonnell is an inspiration for everyone who cares about education. Maggie teaches in the fly-in Inuit community of Salluit, and in 2017, was chosen from over 20,000 nominees as the winner of the $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize. She has been recognized for her work by the Governor General and the Albert Einstein Foundation, and was recently named one of BBC’s top 100 Women. She is passionate about creating education programs that create opportunities for social mobility, empower youth, and cultivate healthy communities. Watch this 5 minute video to learn more about her amazing work.

Panel discussion

Changing the way we think about equity
The public education system is one of the best places to address social inequity and improve social mobility. Can we change students’ trajectories by shifting our focus from old definitions of equity to new thinking based on students’ rights to an education that includes all of the components vital for long-term success?

Speakers:
Renu Mandhane, Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission
Elizabeth McIsaac, President, Maytree Foundation
Cyril Cromwell, Learning and Development Manager, Youth Research & Evaluation eXchange
Patrick Case, Assistant Deputy Minister & Chief Equity Officer in the Education Equity Secretariat of the Ministry of Education

Moderator:
Shree Paradkar, Atkinson Fellow for 2018-2019, examining the topic of equitable education, and the Toronto Star’s Race and Gender Columnist

Renu Mandhane Elizabeth McIsaac Cyril Cromwell Patrick Case Shree Paradkar, Moderator

Renu Mandhane

Renu Mandhane was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission in October 2015. She is the former Executive Director of the award-winning International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. She has an LL.M in international human rights law from New York University. Renu began her practice focused on criminal law, and in that capacity she represented many survivors of sexual violence and prisoners. Renu sits on the Canada Committee of Human Rights Watch, and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and the United Nations. Most recently, Renu was recognized by Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of Canada’s most influential lawyers for her advocacy related to solitary confinement.

Renu on public education:

“Ontario’s education system views disability as an anomaly to normalcy rather than an inherent and expected variation in the human condition. At an impressionable age, students with disabilities learn that they are not “normal,” they will have to navigate adversarial and bureaucratic processes just to be included, and there is always a looming risk they will be excluded from mainstream society altogether. Our new Policy and recommendations on accessible education for students with disabilities lays out a foundation for inclusive and welcoming schools. An estimated 94% of Ontario children attend public school. For most, it is their first interaction with a government institution or system, and it sets the tone for their engagement in broader society. We have a tremendous opportunity to do better.”

Website: ohrc.on.ca
Twitter: @RenuMandhane

Elizabeth McIsaac

Elizabeth is the president of Maytree, which is working to advance the discussion around poverty and human rights in Canada. She is a dedicated builder and champion for the non-profit sector, with extensive experience in research, teaching, and direct service provision. Elizabeth has a deep history with Maytree; she previously served as the Director of Policy and was the executive director of one of Maytree’s signature ideas: the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Most recently, Elizabeth established and led Mowat NFP (Not-for-Profit Policy) at the Mowat Centre, where she conducted and directed research analyzing the challenges facing the non-profit sector today. Elizabeth holds an MA in Sociology in Education from the University of Toronto – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Elizabeth on public education:

“Too often, the right to education is understood as an issue facing individuals and communities in the global South. We think about a lack of schools, teachers or textbooks, or unequal access to schools for girls and young women in the developing world, but not about the realization of the right to education at home. By framing education as a fundamental human right in our own context of an advanced economy, we place the emphasis on education for all without discrimination; the obligation of states to protect, respect and fulfil this right; and the need for accountability mechanisms when people cannot realize their right.”

Website: maytree.com
Twitter: @maytree_canada

Cyril Cromwell

Cyril is a community educator, researcher, and currently the Learning & Development manager for the Youth Research & Evaluation eXchange. As a community educator and former front-line youth worker, Cyril has presented leadership and media workshops in communities, schools and open custody detention centres. As a PhD candidate, Cyril is passionate about researching the contradictions that are discreetly embedded within the social service sector and exploring how subtle systemic (power) structuring may be undermining well-meaning and even charitable interventions/intentions. As a learning manager and consultant, Cyril has supported the development and implementation of online and in-person trainings across Ontario for youth workers and public servants, to build capacity and create space for critical dialogue.

Patrick Case, LSM, LL.B., LL.M. is the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Equity Officer in the Education Equity Secretariat of the Ministry of Education. Case was most recently an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph. He is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and director of the Osgoode Hall Law School Certificate Program in Human Rights Theory and Practice.

Shree Paradkar

Shree Paradkar is the Atkinson Fellow for 2018-2019, examining the urgent topic of equitable education. She is also the Toronto Star’s Race and Gender Columnist tackling issues of discrimination and identity. Shree is the author of Betrayed: My cousin’s wrongful conviction for the murder of her daughter, Aarushi. She is an international journalist who has worked in leading newsrooms in Toronto, “Singapore, Bangalore and Mumbai.

Shree on public education:

If Canadians value equality, fairness, respect and justice, we need to take a long, hard and continuous look at our education system. A few questions we need to reflect upon: Are we closet segregationists? Do we believe everybody is educable? What are we doing to interrupt the use of education as a tool to produce corporate cogs? What does power sharing in a decolonized system look like?”

Twitter: @shreeparadkar

Meet our speakers!

Our speakers have a wide range of experience and expertise.

See the speaker bios

Workshop descriptions

Click on the workshop titles on the left for more details about the session. Click on the speakers to read their bios.
There are five workshops in the morning (AM1-AM5) and five in the afternoon (PM1-PM5):

AM1: Everything I need to know I learned in early childhood education
AM2: 15,000 years of well-being education!
AM3: Beyond the “usual suspects”: connecting with hard-to-reach communities
AM4: Let’s focus on mental health, not mental illness
AM5: Navigating post-secondary education
PM1: Defining Success: Views from the next generation
PM2: Inventing a new report card for the 21st century
PM3: Let’s talk about race
PM4: Integrating Global Competencies across the curriculum
PM5: Towards a new vision for special education

AM1: Everything I need to know I learned in early childhood education

Early childhood education plays a significant role in supporting students’ growth in areas such as physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communications skills and general knowledge. However, as young people move up through the education system, we pay less attention to these skills and competencies, even though they continue to be vital long into adolescence and adulthood. Find out more about the role of early childhood education, and why the competencies identified in the Early Development Instrument (EDI) need to be a focus for all students.

Speakers:
Lois Mahon, former president of the College of Early Childhood Educators
Dr. Magdalena Janus, Offord Centre for Child Studies, co-developer of the EDI

AM2: 15,000 years of well-being education!

Indigenous education focuses on the balance between the physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. In this session, the always-engaging Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse will lead a lively discussion to explore how these four aspects align with key learning in areas such as health, citizenship, creativity, and social-emotional learning, how they could be incorporated into learning skills on report cards, and how we could be using Indigenous teachings to support well-being throughout our schools.

Speaker:
Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, Office of Academic and Indigenous Programs, Faculty of Education, Laurentian University

Thank you to our workshop sponsor:

AM3: Beyond the “usual suspects”: connecting with hard-to-reach communities

How can we make the school a welcoming environment for all families? How can school councils and parent leaders help to create an engaged community? In this session, learn how a parent leader in Toronto and a school in BC have used innovative approaches to engage their school communities and build connections beyond the school walls.

Speakers:
Nazerah Shaikh, Parent Involvement Advisory Committee member, Toronto District School Board
Kyla Winacott, Department Head, Academy of Indigenous Studies at Mount Boucherie Secondary School
André Rebeiz, Research Manager, EdCan Network (Canadian Education Association)

AM4: Let’s focus on mental health, not mental illness

Students’ mental health has an impact on both their education and their long-term success. Parents, educators, and the Ministry of Education have recognized that schools play a central role in supporting student mental wellbeing. In this interactive session, find out more about what schools and school boards are doing to promote mental health and wellbeing for students and staff.

Speaker:
Chris Preece, Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead, St. Clair Catholic District School Board

AM5: Navigating post-secondary education

Even before they go to high school, students are expected to have some idea of what they want to do in terms of post-secondary education. This session will provide a new perspective on post-secondary education and training: why it is important, who is going, how we can ensure that all students can access the education they need, and what happens once they get into a chosen post-secondary program.

Speakers:
Sean Reid, Vice President and Regional Director, Ontario, Progressive Contractors Association of Canada
Fiona Deller, Senior Executive Director, Research and Policy, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
Dr. Cathy Campbell, author of “Career Crafting the Decade After High School”

PM1: Defining Success: Views from the next generation

We all talk about setting goals and supporting success for students – it is the focus of our public education system. But what does success look like for the next generation? Is education more than just a pathway to a particular career? What are young people’s hopes and goals for the future? Find out what success means for Canada’s next generation from the experts – the next generation themselves!

Speakers:
Amal Qayum, President, Ontario Student Trustees’ Association
Herleen Arora, member, People for Education’s NextGen Committee
Gerri Nakirigya Lutaaya, member, People for Educations’s NextGen Committee
Kherto Ahmed, Youth Researcher, Success Beyond Limits

Thank you to our workshop sponsor:

PM2: Inventing a new report card for the 21st century

How do we translate the learning that happens in classrooms onto a report card? What do parents want to know? How can schools communicate what, why, and how students are learning? In this session, participants will learn about assessment, including some new approaches that BC is using. Then, you will work with an expert facilitator, whose approach is “both fun and highly interactive, putting you in the driver’s seat”, to design a new report card for the 21st century.

Facilitator:
Liz Rykert, Meta Strategies

Speakers:
Teresa Downs, Superintendent, Gold Trail, Ashcroft BC
Joanne Myers, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario

PM3: Let’s talk about race

How do we talk about race without being racist? What is implicit bias and what can we do about it? How can we have what are sometimes uncomfortable conversations about race? This thought-provoking and challenging discussion will explore issues of race and equity, and their impact on public education and society.

Speakers:
Naeem Siddiq, Ontario Principals’ Council
Mante Molepo, Parents for Diversity
Aakriti Kapoor, People for Education

PM4: Integrating Global Competencies across the curriculum

How do you develop citizenship skills through the arts? Can you really be creative in a math class? What do health competencies have to do with social studies? There is sometimes a tendency to dismiss things like creativity or social-emotional competencies as ‘soft skills’ that are not as important as content knowledge. But these so-called ‘soft skills’ are increasingly recognized as essential for future success. Find out how they are teachable, learnable, can be integrated into any subject, and can be supported by parents at home.

Speakers:
Judith Doan & Debbie Nyman, Council of Drama and Dance Educators
Dr. Mary Reid, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Mason Black, High school teacher, Upper Canada District School Board

PM5: Towards a new vision for special education

Virtually every school in Ontario has students receiving special education support. People for Education’s survey findings show that an average of 17% of students per elementary school and 27% per secondary school receives special education support. These percentages have been trending upward since 2000. How can we ensure that schools are creating a rich learning environment and supporting success for all students, no matter what their learning needs?

Speakers:
Louise Sirisko, Director, York Region Board of Education
Kate Diakiw, Superintendent of Student Services, York Region Board of Education

It's all about making connections...

Here’s what participants had to say about Making Connections 2018:

“Outstanding! This was one of the best years ever! It was an amazing learning and networking opportunity – with an ear-to-the-ground on current issues and realities in education. There’s an authenticity and sincere approach to wanting to make a positive difference to public education. Well-organized, planned, and executed! It is one of my favourite conferences. ”

“The keynote speaker and plenary panel were wonderful. I appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and open, urgent dialog.”

“I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to network. It enabled individuals from varying areas in education to come together. Individuals were provided with a platform to share ideas and voice opinions on matters that currently need to be addressed.”