The COVID-19 pandemic brings to the fore strengths and weaknesses in many public policies, including higher education. There are at least three separate but related areas where institutions of higher learning have been stressed by COVID-19: financing, issues related to the logistics of learning, and inequality. These problems are especially…

Allison Gonsalves' article on "women doctoral students' positioning around discourses of gender and competence in physics" explores narratives of Canadian women physicists concerning their strategies to gain recognition as physicists. In my response to her rewarding and inspiring analysis I will reflect on her findings and arguments and…

In her teaching, research, and community activities in Canada, the author has repeatedly confronted questions regarding equality, diversity, and power. In this article, the author discusses diversity and equal opportunity to achieve excellence in education. Reflecting on these issues should help everyone to understand the complexities involved in…

In October of 2010, Canadian Education Association (CEA), in conjunction with colleagues from SCOPE (Stanford Centre for Opportunity Policy in Education), hosted an event entitled "Achieving Equity through Innovation: A Canada-United States Colloquium." This two-day event provided an important platform for the exchange of ideas,…

In this article, the author offers his responses to the commentaries made by Arlie Woodrum (2009), Susan Faircloth (2009), David Greenwood (2009), and Ursula Kelly (2009) on his book "Learning to Leave," as well as his article, "Rural Schooling in Mobile Modernity: Returning to the Places I've Been." Each of the commentators…

The term "Fair-Play" in sports has several meanings. Not using performance-enhancing drugs to gain an advantage over the competition is often referred to in sporting circles as "playing fair". For the purposes of this article however, the term "Fair-Play" refers to athletic events that require, essentially, an equal…

In this article, the authors discuss what it means to be educated in a democratic country such as Canada. They contend that the question of what it means to be educated in a democracy extends no preferential status or privilege to any individual or group. They further contend that the meaning of education is too important to be left in the hands…

The paper examines British Columbia's formula of financing programs for children with low-incidence disabilities. Discrepancies between per pupil cost across exceptionalities and across districts of various sizes are examined. The author suggests ways to resolve the equity issues. (Author/CL)

The distinctively different fortunes experienced in Canada and the United States by the movement to reform educational finance are due to the distinctively different political values of the two nations' people. Canadians tend to place greater emphasis on equality than do Americans. (Author/IRT)

The author decries the retreat of the Nova Scota government from a "zero reject" status to potential exclusion of handicapped children and questions its constitutionality. After examining the American experience in special education litigation, he concludes that Nova Scotians should be positive but realistic about using the Charter of…

Recent educational policy in Canada and the United States assumes equality of access results in equal opportunity. Since sociological findings offer little support for the notion that schooling causes equality, the educational assumption of Canada and the United States is highly arguable. Unfortunately, the schools cannot ensure equality of…

To what extent have Canadian schools incorporated notions of multiliteracies into their curricula and instruction? What pedagogical options are implied by a multiliteracies perspective? How might consideration of multiliteracies affect policies and practices at various levels of the educational system--ministries of education, faculties of…

Examines the impact of the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (1982) on minority groups in Canada, focusing on linguistic minorities and handicapped citizens. Considers each group in a political, economic, and social context, offering selected comparisons with the U.S. (DMM)

Conceptual, methodological, and ideological issues in college student attrition in the United States and Canada are discussed; and policy implications of attrition research are examined. It is argued that research in the United States has focused on those who have already demonstrated capacity for success, but greater emphasis on equality of…

Explores the pursuit of equal opportunity for girls in school physical education through liberal reform strategies. Addresses ways in which unequal power relations between the sexes have pervaded the structure, organization, and language of high school physical education. British Columbia's new Physical Education Curriculum 2000 is offered as a…