Recent news stories

"Mental health is health. Mental health matters." Alum Rumeet Billan (MEd '10, PhD '14), an award-winning author, entrepreneur and learning architect, has been recognized as one of OptiMYz's Top 100 Health Leaders for 2021. The list represents those whose compassion and skill in areas such as health and mental wellbeing has helped individuals recover and thrive, and comprised of only women this year. Read more.

OISE alum Dionne Brand, a Trinidad-born Canadian author and award-winning poet and novelist, has been recognized with the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize -- an anonymously judged US literary award worth $165k USD. Brand was recognized in the fiction category. Her latest books include the poetry collection The Blue Clerk, which was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry, and the novel Theory, which won the 2019 Toronto Book Award. Read more.

On heels of alum Dr. Karen Edge, an academic at University College London, and her 10 year old son Isaac's OISE Stay At Home Club episode on racism, Ontario Principals' Council asked him if he would share some of his perspectives living in a multiracial family. Here are Isaac's thoughts on racism. Read more.

Further to OISE's success as a leader in education are the contributions of our faculty. OISE extends its fullest gratitude to the winners of our 2021 Teaching Excellence Award: Doug McDougall, Angela Pyle, Arlo Kempf, Joseph Flessa and Thelma Sambrook. Read more.

The path leading to Dr. Megan Scribe's award-winning doctoral thesis began with a reading of an RCMP report about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. And Scribe's thesis titled "Indigenous Girlhood: Narratives of Colonial Care in Literature and Law," is being recognized by OISE with the Leithwood Award for Outstanding Thesis of the Year. Read more.

Annually, OISE issues several awards of excellence to staff, to honour individuals and teams in categories of excellence, innovation and leadership. This year, meet six OISE staff who have played an integral role in making OISE an exceptional place to work and learn. Read more.

The new Cultivating Community Award celebrates the achievements of staff, students or faculty who have undertaken positive actions to influence and improve a sense of belonging, inclusivity and community within OISE and beyond. Here are our inaugural recipients. Read more.

It is critical for educators to combat damaging stereotypes in the classroom, says Prof Mary Reid. This includes doing away with the model minority myth, and acknowledging Asian Canadians as a diverse diaspora from numerous nations. Read more.

Dr. Shelley Stagg Peterson has received the U of T President's Impact Award for her contributions to children's literacy learning in remote Northern Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Dr. Peterson will receive $10,000 per year for five years for her research on innovative approaches for supporting Indigenous children's ancestral language, cultural and literacy learning, and remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators. Read more.

Prof. Normand Labrie is the recipient of the annual Award of the Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture (Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française or CRCCF) of the University of Ottawa. The CRCCF Award recognizes the merits of outstanding researchers or authors whose work has focused on French Canada in one or other of its multiple dimensions, and underscores the admiration and recognition of their peers for their particular work or involvement. Read more.

Today, U of T is putting access programming front and centre with its annual Access Connections Day conference. We spoke with Ann Lopez, the provostial advisor for access programs, about the importance of breaking down barriers to education. Read more.

In his March 4 talk, Professor Slotta presented a series of studies in which the physical classroom is integrated with learning designs. "What is it about place?" Slotta asked. "How does classroom space matter? And how can we design curriculum so that students work together as a learning community?"

OISE student Sarah Gallah has been selected as one of only 50 educators across North American to receive the prestigious Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship with Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society. Sarah will embark on a life-changing voyage to one of the many remote and extraordinary environments the Lindblad fleet explores around the world. Currently, through the fellowship, Sarah is virtually teaching her high students how to use coding to understand climate change. Read more.

Play-based writing activities are a meaningful and effective way for parents to provide essential foundations for their children's literacy. Professor Shelley Stagg Peterson shares some fun activities to incorporate at home. Read more.

"Our actions must move beyond performative hashtags." ​Professor Mary Reid reflects on the Atlanta Shootings, and suggests five concrete actions for addressing Asian hate. Read more.

Professor Kathleen Gallagher's Radical Hope Project, a multi-year international research project that examined how young people are doing in our recent years of global unrest, has led to the production of a film documentary - and a resource tool for students and teachers. Read more.

It's been one year since the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic. For many of us, exhaustion has become a new normal in our daily lives. OISE alum, Dr. Rumeet Billan, offers tips and strategies for dealing with and managing burnout. Watch here.

Dr. Erica Neeganagwedgin has established a scholarship for Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), Black Indigenous and Taino students at OISE. The Olive Moxam Indigenous Bursary, named after the Taino scholar's mother, will support Indigenous and Black Indigenous students in the Master of Teaching program. With the new scholarship, Neeganagwedgin is looking to tell a different story than the one being told. Read more.

Across Canada, students from high-income families tend to attend different schools than students from low-income families, a phenomenon known as socio-economic segregation between schools. Professor Anna Katyn Chmielewski and Dr. Sachin Maharaj discuss their research on this trend in Canada. Read more.

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education continues to rise in the QS World University Rankings, placing as the third highest ranked educational institution globally. The QS World University Rankings by Subject highlights universities that are leading across education, teacher training, and academic studies in education subjects. Rankings are determined using 13 performance indicators grouped into five areas - which include teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. Read more.

They are leaders, hardened volunteers and thoughtful supporters of their community. But five OISE students, named as co-winners of the University of Toronto Student Leadership Awards, are also leaders at their home faculty. The award, which annually recognizes outstanding student leadership to graduating students, also notes outstanding service and commitment to their own division, of which Grace Garlow, Athena Tassis, Yin Liu, Stephanie Buono and Rebecca Judges have shown clear commitment to OISE and its close-knit community. Read more.

Dr. Susan Reid, an OISE alum, has been awarded the Order of New Brunswick, one of the province's highest civilian honours. Reid is receiving the ONB for her dedication to social justice through her applied research and programming in the areas of youth justice, trauma, victimization, and gender-based violence, and for her promotion of volunteerism and social action. Read more.

Dr. Salma Siddiqui, an international medical grad from India, arrived in Canada feeling a little lost. Then, she met her OISE mentor. Siddiqui's professional profile was one Dr. Cindy Sinclair, a dedicated mentor and former staff member at U of T Temerty Faculty of Medicine, knew all too well. Matched through the OISE Mentorship Program, the pair deepened their academic and personal connections. "I no longer feel disconnected and unsure of my future in this new country," said Dr. Siddiqui. Read more.

Data has given us significant information about the populations most affected by the coronavirus-but where are the good policies meant to protect them? Professor Rinaldo Walcott discusses race-based COVID-19 data and the need for political action in his new op-ed. Read more.

The TDSB has seen a stark increase in human rights complaints in recent years linked to racism - specifically anti-Black racism - with the bulk of complaints launched by teachers, according to a new report. But delays in probing these issues unfairly keep Black educators away from their classrooms and their students, particularly Black students who need to see staff that look like them, says alum Gary Pieters, an educator and former president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. Read more.

Aimed at engaging our community in reducing our carbon footprint and embedding sustainability and climate action in our work, the OISE Sustainability and Climate Action Plan will officially launch at a virtual event on Thursday, February 25 - open for all to attend. Read more.

How do you get things done in the public service? Prof. Charles Pascal, former Ontario deputy minister of education, discusses the culture of risk aversion in government backrooms, crafting the province's full-day kindergarten, and his book "Leading from the Inside Out" with Steve Paikin on The Agenda. Watch here.

When Toronto's CityPlace development was planned in the 1980s, the 30-building condo project near the city's downtown had a specific kind of tenant in mind: young professionals. But those professionals grew up and had families - and now they have new needs, says OISE alum Gary Pieters, a resident and former president of his residence association. Pieters, who moved to CityPlace in 2005, says a new project is helping to turn the tower community into a more well-rounded neighborhood. Read more.

Grad school applications have soared as Canadians rethink post-pandemic life. The fact Canadians are turning to education during a time of uncertainty and downturn is a positive, said OISE Dean Glen Jones. "For some individuals, this will be a chance to fulfil a life-long dream of education, independent of their careers. They'll say, 'I've always been interested in this particular subject, I've always wanted to focus on it for a significant period of time and this is the chance for me to do that.'" Read more.

Must-reads of 2021: CBC's roundup of 25 books by Black Canadian authors to read this year includes works by OISE alumni Sandy Hudson and Syrus Marcus Ware, and professors Njoki Wane and Rinaldo Walcott. Read more.

Reel Start, an organization that empowers underrepresented youth to change their world through film, has launched a new campaign co-led by OISE alum Adrienne Slover and award-winning filmmaker Evan Goldberg. Give New Voices a Voice gives students the opportunity to create short films alongside industry talent (Hollywood actors Seth Rogen and Dan Levy have lent a hand) about social issues impacting their lives. Here's how their campaign is improving film education for underrepresented students. Watch here.

Prof. Cathy Marks Krpan is the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award. Administered by the Fields Institute, this national award recognizes an educator who has demonstrated innovation and excellence in promoting mathematics education. An award-winning educator and author, Krpan's 2018 publication, Teaching Math with Meaning, is used extensively in classrooms across Canada and around the world. Read more.

Despite continued calls to action for inclusive education, school boards have not found a systemic way to combat anti-Black racism and lessen disruptions in Black youth's lives. However, K-12 educators are uniquely positioned to correct these injustices, says PhD student and TDSB child and youth worker Tanitiã Munroe. Read more.

Canada, France, Australia, Germany and Finland may begin working together to ensure fair compensation from Facebook for news content. For Professor Megan Boler, this may be the start of a global "united front against this monopoly, which could be very powerful." Read more in Reuters.

As OISE's Indigenous Education Network marks its 30th anniversary, the collective is reasserting its commitment to building good relations between Indigenous, Black-Indigenous, and Black people. Read more.

Toronto has lost one of its most energetic and dedicated community builders with the death of Valerie Mah or Principal Mah, as she was affectionately known. The long-time west-end resident and OISE graduate lived her life for the betterment of others. Read more.

OISE grad Suleyman Demi has partnered with TAIBU, a community health centre that provides primary health care and related services for Black populations in the GTA. Demi will be working to identify and address barriers to food security in the communities TAIBU serve, with a focus on Toronto's Malvern neighbourhood. "The available data shows that Toronto's Black population are 3.5 times more likely to become food-insecure. There is a problem there and the question is why," says Demi. Read more.

This is Lt. Dr. Daniel Parmar. An MEd grad and Commissioned Officer with Canada's Dept. of National Defence, Parmar says it's rewarding to work on the frontlines where he aims to provide fair and equitable healthcare to Canadians and newcomers during COVID-19. Driven by his family's legacy, the accomplished alum says his great grandfather's heroism, service, and sense of duty at a time of global unrest is something he always valued and admired growing up as a first generation Canadian. Read more.

In the education system, Black students must matter, says doctoral student Tanitiã Munroe. For the TDSB child and youth worker, discussing Black identities, Black culture, and Black history should be a year-round celebration and conversation. Read more.

Meet Osholene Oshobugie, an African Indigenous scholar, educator and storyteller who is passionate about guiding young Meritah people (people of African-descent) towards African Indigenous ways of knowing. The OISE doctoral student is also founder of the Meritah Wisdom Education Centre for Children and Families, which provides families with Meritah Indigenous knowledges and resources for raising children. Read more.

"I want to say it's shocking, but it isn't shocking. It's deeply troubling how common these types of insensitive or inappropriate assignments occur." Professor Jennifer Brant says that as the push continues to bring more Indigenous content into the education system, there needs to be more mandatory training for teachers. Read more.

U of T's African Alumni Association has recognized alumni Entisar Yusuf and Tshweu Moleme with African Scholars Awards. During Yusuf's time at OISE, this talented leader founded the Black Graduate Students Association. Moleme, a former politician and community activist, was awarded for his dedication to social justice, inclusion and fairness. The awards are the handiwork of Henry Ssali, who is also a recent OISE grad and volunteer leader. Read more.

Meet Lieutenant Dr. Daniel Parmar. A 2019 OISE MEd graduate, Parmar became a resident physician for the Federal Government of Canada shortly thereafter. And he still finds time to volunteer (virtually, from Manitoba) on the OISE Alumni Association. He shares more about his career path which has landed him at the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

Some students will emerge from this year's extended period of online learning lagging far behind their peers, experts and teachers warn as they try to mitigate the situation. That's compounded for many children with learning disabilities and those without access to up-to-date technology and plentiful parent support, says OISE's Dr. Todd Cunningham. Read more.

In this year in review edition of the OISE Alumni & Friends newsletter, read about alumni and friends who are reaching new heights through projects and awards as we celebrate our own. Discover some of OISE's news and research highlights in these challenging and changing times, and find upcoming virtual events plus alumni perks. Read more.

In 1971, cognitive psychologist Frank Smith revolutionized reading theory and changed how educators think about the acquisition of reading fluency. At the same time, Smith joined the faculty at OISE as new challenges emerged in the world of pedagogy. Non-English speaking immigrant children were flooding into Ontario schools and the introduction of French immersion called for new reading approaches. In this reflection on his life, Smith's close friend and former OISE colleague, Prof. Emeritus David Olson discusses his friend's influence on children's education. Read more.

Before arriving at OISE two years ago, Professor Elizabeth Buckner lived in Morocco, where she sought to understand the motivations of young Moroccans studying English and how globalization factored in. Today, she's examining the effects of private higher education on access and inequalities in higher education. Learn more about the higher education expert. Read more.

PhD student Robin Margaret King Stonefish has been named winner of the 2020 Scholarship for Research in Violence Against Indigenous Women. Learn more about King Stonefish, and how she's carrying on traditions set by her auntie and mother in her academic work. Read more.

Crisis messaging: How are universities communicating the pandemic? Doctoral students Michael O'Shea and Leping Mou are studying the written COVID-19 related communications of higher education institutions in China, Canada, and the United States. Read more.

They're saving us from COVID-19, speaking up for equality and shining bright with resilience. Meet Fernanda Yanchapaxi, Marcus Singleton, Melissa Sariffodeen and more OISE alumni heroes of 2020. Read more.

This past fall, Toronto was given Radical Love, an enlivening installation by OISE alum Syrus Marcus Ware that highlighted Black and Afro-Indigenous trans people who have made tremendous contributions to the city. The project was supported by the Bentway's Safe in Public Space project, an initiative that explores public safety, COVID-19 challenges and systemic inequities. Relive the monuments to trans lives and our artist's brilliance. Read more.

Child and youth worker and OISE PhD student Tanitia Munroe shines light on the ways COVID-19 has further exposed anti-Black racism in the lives of the youth she serves. She also discusses how she's been navigating barriers caused by the pandemic to support marginalized students. Read more.

Post-secondary schools are offering social and mental health supports, but students most in need of help are still struggling to get it and face multiple barriers, says Prof. Chloe Hamza. These include feeling there isn't enough time to seek out support amid multiple competing demands, which especially affects those experiencing fatigue or social withdrawal, she said. Read more.

Each year, Maclean's canvasses the country for 50 Canadians with qualities that represent power in a time of transformative change. This year, Sandy Hudson, an OISE alum and activist known for founding the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter, earned #8 on Maclean's Power List. With the systemic racism of Canadian institutions as the focus of a public reckoning, Hudson has emerged as not just an activist, but a thought leader. Read more about her immense impact. Read more.

Youth Research Lab's new whyPAR Podcast brings youth participatory action research practitioners together in discussion about issues, opportunities and ethical dimensions in the field. In a debut episode, OISE researchers Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández and Sarah Switzer explore the importance of relationships, and ethical commitments, when conducting YPAR research in settings such as schools and community health centres. Listen now.

Dr. Barbara Smith has been leading and creating thoughtful and engaging learning experiences for children and families alike for decades. An alumna of OISE who earned her PhD in 1996, Smith has built a wealth of experience in teaching and leadership in public, independent, charter and international schools in Canada, the United States and worldwide. Meet Smith, principal at The Giles School. Read more.

As Ontario shifts back to online learning, the government has set minimum standards for the amount of time kids spend learning in a virtual classroom. There are challenges to synchronous learning, says Prof. Todd Cunningham, but there are many benefits as well. Read more.

Professor Megan Boler explains how Trump's presidency impacted the social media landscape, and what the future holds for him and his supporters in the online world. Read more.

Professor Njoki Wane has been researching Black feminisms, African Indigenous knowledge, and doing anti-racism education for more than 20 years. She explores her African roots and recounts her upbringing in Kenya in her new memoir, From My Mother's Back. She recently spoke about it on CBC Radio. Listen here.

Without comprehensive race-based data, equity policies within Canadian universities have limited impact in adequately addressing discrimination and racism, co-writes Sara Asalya, an OISE alum and executive director of the Newcomer's Student Association, in a new op-ed for The Hill Times. "Further evidence is needed when it comes to creating optimal strategies for success and resilience of racialized students within post-secondary education, to assist faculty and staff to improve their pedagogy, and support resources and programs." Read more.

As 2020 comes to a close, we're reflecting. While the coronavirus may have crippled how the world-at-large got together to collaborate and celebrate, the OISE community worked diligently to make 2020 a fruitful, connective one for students, faculty, and staff. Here are some of this year's most memorable moments at OISE. Read more.

OISE alum and activist Tshweu Moleme has been selected by the U of T African Alumni Association for the Community Development Award for his 'dedication to social justice, inclusion and fairness.' Moleme, who was born in South Africa and lives in Orillia, is a labour activist, community leader and a current OISE PhD student. "This is for my two Black sons," he said. "I hope this [award] will give them courage to continue to be and do good, even on the toughest of days." Read more.

Professor Charles Pascal has led a decades-long career as a leader in education, policy and mentorship. He recounts this journey in his new book, "Leading From The Inside Out: Hard-Earned Lessons from Education, Government and Baseball" - and shared some personal insights with OISE News. Read more.

"This crisis is an opportunity to transform Scottish education." In a new report, international experts including OISE professor Carol Campbell and alum Dr. Avis Glaze recommend fundamental changes to the delivery of education in Scotland, in light of COVID-19. Read more.

2020 has been a year unlike any other. In the space of just a few weeks last spring, the university's 93,000 students pivoted to online classes, in a collective effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. And many also found time to help their communities by sewing face masks, running errands for frontline workers, taking care of children, checking in on the vulnerable and supporting each other. PhD student Marcus Singleton, and recent graduates Entisar Yusuf and Melissa Sariffodeen are just a few of the many OISE students who crushed it this year. Read more.

Born visually impaired, OISE alum Daniel Zingaro, a math and computer science professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga, connects with students by sharing his own trials at school - and his triumphs. "My aim is for students to be comfortable telling me they don't understand," he says. Read more in U of T Magazine.

Starting January 4, OISE alum Dr. Doug Gosse will begin a three-year term as Associate Dean, Faculty of Education and Professional Studies at Nipissing University. Gosse joined the university as a faculty member in 2005, after many successful years as a classroom teacher, which included recognition from the Governor General of Canada for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History. As a professor in the Schulich School of Education, his widely-published research focused on curriculum development, social justice and equity and arts-based research. In his new leadership role, Gosse will be responsible for curriculum development and supporting northern communities, Indigenous, first-generation and international learners while fostering teaching, research and scholarship. Read more.

While some families don't want pandemic reminders to cloud their homes this December, others are finding whimsical ways to incorporate COVID concepts into their holiday rituals. OISE Prof. Todd Cunningham, a child psychology expert, says there are merits to co-planning festive activities with a pandemic twist with your kids - but adds it's important for parents to "give themselves a pass" on extravagant celebrations this year. Read more.

OISE Dean Glen Jones and alumni Merli Tamtik and Roopa Desai Trilokekar have been recognized by the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) for leading a new book project. Their award-winning publication, 'International Education as Public Policy in Canada', provides a comprehensive analysis of international education policy in Canada, tracing the complex history of when, how, and why it emerged as a policy area of strategic importance. Learn more about the boundary-pushing text. Read more.

A leading authority in the field of curriculum and instruction, Professor Emeritus Michael Connelly is being conferred an honorary doctorate from the Education University of Hong Kong. Read more.

Established as a tribute to OISE's founding director, the R.W.B. Jackson Lecture is our signature annual public lecture. To celebrate tonight's lecture featuring the inestimable Dionne Brand and Rinaldo Walcott, we're looking back at select past keynotes. Read more.

"All my life I have lived with the chronic fever of antiblack racism." In this special op-ed from summer 2020, OISE alum Dionne Brand, a renowned poet, novelist, essayist and Griffin Poetry Prize winner, offers her thoughts on the narratives of violence, governance, COVID-19 and our racial reckoning. Read more.

President Meric Gertler has an update for the global alumni community on the continued success of the University of Toronto over the past extraordinary year. Among the stories shared, you will hear about OISE professor Sandra Styres who is leading a new research centre focused on Indigenous education. Watch the full update here.

OISE Alumni Association president Matt Stodolak is on a mission to create the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie! The twist? It's a musical! "Chris, Mrs." will have all the snow and trees and twinkling lights you can jam into a TV screen. Plus a love story and catchy tunes. Read more in Hamilton Spectator.

OISE alumni Dr. Caroline Cole Power, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian HR Solutions Inc., and Melissa Sariffodeen, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Learning Code, have been named Top 100 of Canada's Most Powerful Women by Women's Executive Network. They stand among more than 1000 powerful leaders across Canada who share the honour. Learn more about our award-winning leaders. Read more.

The federal government in Canada has promised to "build back better" from the pandemic. If that's the case, they must make banks more accessible to Black Canadians, writes one Toronto researcher who cites the late OISE professor Jack Quarter's 2017 study on equitable financing. The study found "many of the credit unions in Toronto were located in the city core, with their limited branch network mostly in more well-off areas such as the Annex, or the Beaches," making them inaccessible or unappealing as commercial banks to Black people. Read more.

In this episode, Spacing Radio looks at the housing and homelessness crisis that experts say has worsened considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Longtime street nurse Cathy Crowe, an OISE alum, gives some insight into the challenges Toronto's homeless population continues to experience, the uncertain future of tent encampments, and how the City's response is felt on the ground. Listen here.

Important work is underway across the three campuses to address systemic barriers that may prevent students from diverse backgrounds from seeing the University of Toronto as a place where they can thrive - and to create pathways and supports to help students succeed. "Many talk about diversifying the student population at the University of Toronto, but this is not merely an academic exercise - it's something that we truly believe in," says Ann Lopez, an OISE professor and the provostial adviser on access. Read more.

This issue of OISE Alumni & Friends newsletter, we're focusing on OISE scholars and community members who are making an impact through education research, policy and practice and how the university is helping to transform their lives. Find new stories, events and offers. Read more.

Watch last week's OISE webinar with learning architect Rumeet Billan, an OISE PhD grad, who explores the neuroscience of trust and how to navigate distrust. Dr. Billan offers tools and strategies to manage for and earn trust, something she believes is of growing importance in society today. Watch now.

An Emeritus PhD student? Meet Petr Varmuza - the University of Toronto's oldest graduate! Varmuza's story is that of a genuine life-long learner. Known to be "brilliant and generous with his time," Varmuza began his doctoral studies at OISE in 2010 after retiring from a long career working for Children's Services at the City of Toronto. Read more.