This podcast explores the many ways that students are streamed and sorted in elementary and secondary schooling practices and structures and the impact that has on their educational and life opportunities. These structural barriers reproduce historical social, economic and political marginalization and disproportionately impact Black, male youth and youth living in poverty. The speakers challenge us to consider the ways in which we have normalized and continue to perpetuate marginalization and offer ideas to educators, schools and school districts to disrupt these patterns. 

About The Speakers

Alison Gaymes San Vicente is a Centrally Assigned Principal Coach for School Improvement with the Toronto District School Board. Her work to disrupt educational practices that continue to disadvantage historically marginalized/underserved students has led to a secondment at York University’s Faculty of Education, leadership with girls’ mentorship and multiple teaching praxis initiatives.  In addition to being a member of the provincial writing team for the Principal’s Qualification Program (2017), she is also an author in: The Leader Reader, Not Here: Principal Power Meets Relationship Power (2018); “Our Schools, Ourselves - Community Watch: Marginal At Best, A Narrative on Streaming in Public Education”(2016); “Restacking the Deck: Streaming by class, race and gender in Ontario schools (2014); “Rhymes to Re-education: A Hip Hop Curriculum Resource Guide for Educators with Social Justice Activities” (2014). Finally, Alison has been the recipient of the Queen Diamond Jubilee Award (2014) and Canada’s Outstanding Principals Award (2016).

Dr. Gillian Parekh is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at York University. With a doctorate in Critical Disability Studies, Gillian has conducted extensive research with the Toronto District School Board in the areas of structural equity, special education, and academic streaming. In particular, her work explores how schools construct and respond to disability as well as how students are organized across programs and systems.

Diana Grimaldos is a Community Engagement Coordinator at Working Women Community Centre where her work focuses on facilitating equitable and inclusive involvement of immigrants on issues of integration and civic engagement. For the past three years, she led the Latinx Parents for Change project, which enabled the active participation of Toronto’s Latinx families in school and community life. Diana sits as a steering committee member of the Coalition for Alternatives to Streaming in Education (CASE) and is currently a DiverseCity Fellow with Civic Action. Diana is pursuing her Master’s in Leadership and Community Engagement at York University – Faculty of Education.

Video Resource: Academic Streaming: A Path Without a Choice

Annie Kidder is the Executive Director and a founder of People for Education. Formerly a theatre director, Kidder became involved in public education in Ontario in the late 1990’s and since then has become an expert on policy education policy and funding. She regularly provides advice to policy-makers and government, and her writing on education has been published in a range of media. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ontario Principals’ Council 2004 Outstanding Contribution to Education Award, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation 2005 Public Education Advocacy Award, and in 2018, an honourary doctorate from York University. She has spoken at conferences in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa and South America.  She is regularly quoted in the media as an expert on education issues. She lives in Toronto.