Toronto school trustees vote to go ahead with proposal for black-focused school

Tue Jan 29, 10:33 PM

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Toronto school trustees voted Tuesday night to approve a controversial proposal to create Canada's first-ever black-focused public school.

The vote came after the trustees heard from members of the community, including the mother of a 15-year-old boy fatally shot at a Toronto school last May.

Loreen Small, mother of Jordan Manners, told the trustees she opposed the plan, calling a black school "segregation."

Small said students of all races should be taught together and that the emphasis should be on helping teachers engage the students.

"This black school thing ... it ain't right," she said.

Among the four recommendations is the creation of an alternative school which would have a curriculum and teaching environment focused on black history and culture.

The school - which would be open to all ethnicities - would open in time for the start of the September 2009 school year.

Other recommendations approved Tuesday include a three-year pilot which would integrate black history and culture into the lessons and teaching environment of existing Toronto schools.

"There are no main recommendations," board representative Kelly Baker said. "There isn't one that weighs heavier than the others."

The project is designed to make class content more relevant for black students in Toronto, about 40 per cent of whom don't finish high school, board statistics suggest.

Tuesday's vote followed a rowdy meeting last November which was shut down after supporters of black-focused schools realized the issue wasn't on the agenda.

In an effort to keep the meeting orderly, community members who spoke Tuesday had to sign up as delegates beforehand, Baker said.

There was "some extra security in place," she added.

Last year, in dozens of Grade 6, 7, and 8 classes, the board tested out black-focused lessons in courses like social studies, math, history and music.

"It may be different from what they pilot-tested last year," Baker said. The new classes would be fine-tuned following community feedback, she added.

Tuesday's vote followed a scathing school safety report by Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer.

Falconer's report, which was commissioned after Manners was fatally shot, also recommended the creation of so-called "Africentric" courses.

I'm sending my sister to that school.

I don't even know what to say about this.....

I think that I will just ask a question? What the heck is Afrocentric math?

exploring the foundations of maths before the greeks

but on a side not, i see this as a patch/PR attempt it would be more comprehensive to modify the curriculum for all students within the district

I'm a lil bit worried about this concept, but embracing it nonetheless. I'd like to teach here if given the opp. Not a bad idea.. But it could turn out wrong it it is not carried out properly. Like what is d real focus of dis afrocentric school?? What will be the difference/focus?? Reallly!!!

Exactly. Me, having grown up in the Toronto school system myself, I'm for a black focused school BUT I don't trust the TDSB being in control of it. I wish the black communities themselves just funded a black focus school.

I don't know if I agree with the decision.
Yes Afro-Canadian curriculum def. has to be incorporated into the curriculum and Im happy that they are attempting to address the high % of black students not completing their education but I am just not so sure if this is the way to go.
Regardless, I hope they find the positive results they are looking for once the school is opened.

While it is great to have the black perspective in subjects like history, current affairs etc how is this supposed to help with retention?

Did they do a survey to determine the reasons why these student's didn't complete? Is simply learning about your history enough to keep those "at risk" Black students in school.

Something just doesn't make sense here.
Boy gets killed now there is a Black-focused public school?

__________________

“A sharp knife never proclaims it’s sharpness to the world…but the first to fall against it becomes it’s advocate.”

You can put any face behind a mask but be careful cos someone else might be pretending. You might not be the only one with a secret -- Cassie/Gretel

i don't like this idea either. it doesn't make any sense. why can't they just have these black history courses in the regular school system?

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Trinidad Posse!

im offended. i cant believe they have the nerve to call african americans blacks in the article.

its a Canadian article.....u expect them to call black Afro American

btw blacks in other parts of the world dont neccessarily have a problem with the word black.....which island in the Caribbean call people Afro Caribbean ....most people would say black....and it is not considered politically incorrect

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We going from Sun til Sun.......

i agree with spice trini..hey gurl... and small island descent.
i grew up in the system too but im not sure this is the way to go about addressing the issue.
all for increasing the stats in our favor but im not sure if it would work out better or worse for us

girl i starting to think its stupid too cuz today there was an article in the school paper comparing interaction and perceptions between African-American students (1st gen. parents from the continent) and normal African-American american and it was getting so confusing.
Black Brits
Black Americans I see no problem with that

__________________

“A sharp knife never proclaims it’s sharpness to the world…but the first to fall against it becomes it’s advocate.”

You can put any face behind a mask but be careful cos someone else might be pretending. You might not be the only one with a secret -- Cassie/Gretel

The mindset, or so they say, behind it is that black students are disengaged in school because there are no courses that appeal to them. That to them is the main reason why they drop out.

Now, while I agree that Toronto schools have little if any courses in them that have material on the contributions of Black Canadians in Canada, I also know that no matter what you throw at students, the mentality against being productive in school has to change here. I don't trust the TDSB to know how to address that.

I could be wrong, but I think alot of the drop out issues are related to the parents and their class in Canada. Most of the kids are 1st and 2nd generation Canadian. I feel if the parents are skilled professionals and have higher education the more likely the children are to do the same. If their parents came as domestics or came on farm visa, most likely they may contribute to the kids dropping out and looking for work to help out. Could be wrong though.

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Unfortunately, stupidity and ignorance can be entertaining.

Goodle this you 50 year old crusty vagina





--oh yes jigger boozers ever lasting wahr with the "lovers of empresses and hafrican queens" should be ashamed ~jigga boozy

--I like disrespect especially ones that dont involve cursing and nugga nugga nugga watch subject matter ~jigga boozy