Recent news stories

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

Seven members within the OISE community are being recognized for their tireless work as volunteers by the University of Toronto. Beth Corcoran, Wendy Brennan, Diana Burchell, Harold Isaacs, Kristina Leis, Carolyn Kay and Jason Parker join dozens of members as recipients of the Arbor Award, the University's highest honour in recognition of exceptional and longstanding volunteer service. Meet our winners. Read more.

OISE alum Dr. Alex Abramovich is working to better understand how transgender people are accessing mental health care, with hopes of providing the best support possible for the community. Learn more about Abramovich's research. Watch here.

Tiana Bone and Jordan McVittie may come from different places but they come to OISE with a similar purpose: use education as a tool for creating healthier Indigenous communities. Taking on new research projects, and finding community within a large urban place like Toronto was daunting at first. But the student researchers found support systems through OISE's Indigenous Education Network and other sources of mentorship and with a sense of purpose through the importance of their work. Read more.

Intimate partner violence, families with young children, people with disabilities and Indigenous mental health are among the many areas under investigation during the ongoing pandemic, as Canadian researchers look at its psychosocial effects. Like most of his colleagues, OISE Prof. Jeffrey Ansloos was worried that the psychological and financial stresses of COVID-19 would lead to an increase in suicides. "It's not just merely social isolation, but the speed and the scale of the level of adaptation that people have had to experience in almost every aspect of their day-to-day lives over the last few months," he says. Read more.

How the pandemic has impacted the 'normal' graduate student experience: First year graduate student Rana Haider shares her experience building online community at OISE - from WhatsApp groups to online secret Santa gift exchanges and book clubs. Read more.

Behind the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)'s new Shkaabe Makwa Centre, one of the first hospital-based centres in Canada focusing on the mental health of Indigenous people through research, training and healing models, is OISE alum Diane Longboat. "We offer another lens to look at mental health and addiction from a positive viewpoint and from the viewpoint of building on the resiliency of all of our people who come through the system," said Longboat, the elder and senior project manager guiding directions implementation at CAMH. Read more.

Wei Li's mentorship with Dr. Barbara Soren has been a godsend. He entered the OISE Mentorship Program feeling lost - he was in a new country, honing his professional life (in education and the arts) and coming to grips with his queerness. Everything changed when he met Soren. Read more.

Entisar Yusuf will graduate with a Master of Education in educational leadership and policy this month. The legacy she's leaving behind? The U of T Black Graduate Students Association, which she founded during her time at OISE. Learn more about this student leader and community builder. Read more.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has named a new Director of Education and Secretary of the Board. Effective January 25, Rita Russo (MEd) joins the board after being the Superintendent, Leadership Development in York Region. Russo brings extensive experience in developing and supporting equitable strategies that achieve positive learning outcomes for students. Read more in Global News.

'It has never been more important than in this moment': Learning architect Dr. Rumeet Billan, an OISE alum, shares her take on trust - the importance of earning it, how to navigate distrust, and ways to lead and manage for trust. Hear more from Billan on November 17 at our free webinar. Read more.

Canadian high school teachers are readjusting curriculum as they settle into an academic year that involves less face-to-face time with their students. The experiences of students have also changed, from learning at a faster pace to missing out on science experiments and assignments. What does this mean long term? Professor Karen Mundy is concerned "kids will lose motivation and engagement with school, irreparably harming their futures," especially among kids disenfranchised in our public education systems. Read more.

Melissa Sariffodeen, a celebrated digital literacy advocate and co-founder and CEO of the Learning Code, has been named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40. She's graduating this November with her MEd degree in educational leadership and policy from OISE. Read more.

With a worsening homelessness crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, Khaleel Seivwright decided to help out the way he knew how: by building insulated, mobile shelters for homeless people who choose to stay outdoors this winter. While OISE alum and long time street nurse Cathy Crowe normally prefers projects that address root causes of homelessness, she says "innovative, creative solutions like this are going to have to happen." Read more.

OISE PhD student Jacqueline Scott, whose research focuses on how to make outdoor recreation and environmentalism more welcoming for Black people, says lower-income and racialized communities have less access to green space. She is calling on local municipalities to include urban forests in their long-term management plans. Read more.

New stats show that lower-income and non-white families are opting for the TDSB's online-only classes more than white and wealthier families. Experts, like Prof. Anna Katyn Chmielewski, say the demographic breakdown underlines the importance of ensuring that students in online classes are not left to flounder. Read more.

In Best Health Magazine, OISE's Shelley Murphy gives tips for how to learn a new skill without the stress. "It can be challenging because our brains are having to forge new neural pathways," says Murphy. "But it's absolutely achievable. Our brains can build those neural pathways (an ability called neuroplasticity) at any point in our lives." Here are her top 11 tips to achieving new skills. Read more.

Samantha Peters, 2010 OISE graduate, has become University of Ottawa Faculty of Law's first-ever Black Legal Mentor-in-Residence. She will provide one-on-one and group academic and career mentorship to Black law students and expertise in the development of supportive programming and anti-racism initiatives. Read more.

Meet David Green, OISE's new Provostial Fellow. His research aims to find ways to navigate issues that emerging adults face to ensure that all involved achieve healthier relationships-and he wants to bring an anti-racist and equity lens to the analysis. Read more.

Students from Durham's Catholic school board are pushing for changes to uniform policy including hair accessories that are currently banned, and more commonly used by Black students, to be permitted by the board. PhD candidate Janelle Brady, an anti-racism educator, argues cultural accessories like silk head scarves should be normalized in schools, just as items like hair elastics would be. Watch here.

A new study led by Professor Chloe Hamza found that students with pre-existing mental health concerns are faring similarly, or better, during the pandemic. Meanwhile, students without pre-existing mental health conditions are reporting increasing rates of depressive symptoms and anxiety. What's the takeaway for postsecondary institutions? "Universities really need to think about how they promote connectedness, and engagement, even in the context of COVID-19," said Hamza. Read more.

The ability to regulate students' stress and anxiety through classroom relationships is a powerful tool to support academic outcomes after six months of school closures, says PhD graduate and co-author Penny Patrician. Here, she shares three ways school systems and school leaders can support student emotional well-being to ground academic success. Read more.

Six University of Toronto researchers have been awarded federal government grants that will fund collaborative research projects focused on the social, cultural and economic impact of COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery. Congratulations to OISE professors Enrica Piccardo and Marcelo Vieta who each received Partnership Engage Grants for COVID-19 Special Initiatives. Read more.

As schools turn to technology in the pandemic to catch online cheaters, students are reporting amped up anxiety and discomfort. Prof. Todd Cunningham says instructors and students should discuss ahead of time whether there are any barriers that would jeopardize their performance in a remotely proctored exam. He agrees that while we need to find solutions for test taking during a time of online learning, it must come with "an understanding that we need to be compassionate." Read more.

"When the pandemic first hit, there was a public outpouring of appreciation and gratitude for health-care and front-line workers. It is worth remembering that right now, our teachers, administrators, and school staff are moving mountains for the children, families, and people of this province. It's time to show them some love too," says OISE alum Sachin Maharaj in this Toronto Star op-ed. Read more.

Mariam Abeid hoped for just $500 to help stay in school. A U of T scholarship changed her world. Now a graduate of OISE's child study and education program, Mariam is becoming a teacher - and her journey of learning is only just getting started. Discover how you can help passionate students like Mariam transform their lives. Read more.

At University of Toronto Mississauga, Dr. Philip Oreopoulos' research has shown that creating a scalable tutoring program is key for supporting students during COVID-19. The research suggests that one-on-one and small group tutoring consistently improves academic achievements, offering important insight into ways to assist students struggling during the pandemic. And he is currently working with OISE professor Karen Mundy to set up such a program in Canada. Read more.

Professor Jim Slotta has received the U of T Connaught Global Challenge Award. His research program supports Ontario teachers in responding to the provincial government's mandate to global competencies in the K-12 curriculum. Read more.

Ontario's back-to-school plan isn't working and without a new approach, children will suffer over the long term, says Prof. Carol Campbell. In First Policy Response, Campbell argues that it is time to change school plans - or face 'generational catastrophe.' Read more.

Fifty years ago, TVO signed on to television for the first time as part of an educational push in the province - the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) being the second part of this effort thanks to then education minister William G. Davis, OISE's founder. Here, Steve Paikin writes about educational television in Ontario and OISE's entwined histories. Read more.

Parents can help kids make up for any setbacks in reading, spelling and mathematical development caused by delays in online learning due to the pandemic, experts say. Todd Cunningham, a clinical and school psychologist and professor at OISE, offers his advice. Read more.

COVID-19 is forcing big questions about the purpose of public education going forward. Professor Charles Pascal discusses the shortcomings of our current education systems, and what it will take to chart a course for a more equitable future. Listen now.

Five OISE faculty have been named winners of the U of T Connaught New Researcher Award. Learn more about the award, the researchers (and their cool projects) here. Read more.

Welcome (and welcome back) to OISE! This academic year will definitely be different, but we will get through it together - as a community. In this video, three students offer advice on making the most out of grad school. Watch now.

OISE's new Climate Action Advisory Committee has started assembling a Climate Action Plan for addressing environmental and sustainable education issues. Read more.

The mandating of face mask use in schools is raising concerns that the coverings may interfere with children's development, including speech, language and social interactions. Prof. Kang Lee, Canada Research Chair in developmental neuroscience, says while the masks may hide some of the ways they process and use information, children are "very, very smart" and can use different methods when interpreting social cues. Read more.

Cindy Gouveia didn't finish high school. Now she's not only an OISE PhD, but raises funds so students can access higher education. Meet Cindy Gouveia, President, George Brown College Foundation, and learn about her professional journey. Read more.

In this time of upheaval, what does the future look like? Professor Rinaldo Walcott, director of the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, discusses the future of identity and belonging on CBC Radio's Ideas. Read more.

Homeschool or back to school? As parents across Ontario share concerns about the safety of their children this fall, interest in homeschooling increases. OISE's Todd Cunningham, a psychologist, joins the conversation on TVO's The Agenda. Watch now.

Listen to the language of land, learn the stories of the places you visit, understand your own history: These were the lessons Ellie Clin, an OISE alum and guest in Nunavut, received on her expedition to work in Gjoa Haven (known as Uqsuqtuuq). In the Globe and Mail, Ellie reflects on her journey of learning and unlearning in the Far North. Read more.

At OISE, we are committed to ensuring that students, faculty and staff are supported during the 2020-2021 academic year for a different, yet exciting and successful year. Under our new guide to OISE this fall, you will find information about ensuring a safe return to the building, resources for students, faculty and staff, wellness programming, and some of the digital community initiatives happening at OISE. Learn more.

Despite living in one of the most diverse cities on the planet, racism is embedded in the everyday experiences of racialized Torontonians, says anti-racism expert and educator Janelle Brady, a PhD candidate at OISE. Janelle gives her insight on #RaceInThe6ix, a new series where individuals share their experiences with race in a one line response, addressing issues like racism, multiculturalism, perception and diversity in Toronto. Read more.

Collaboration during COVID-19: A new course by Prof. Marcelo Vieta examined how proposals for economic democracy can respond to and offer solutions to the socio-economic ills caused by the pandemic. At the end of the term, Vieta and his students produced a community education and social action website. Read more.

There was a time that Janelle Brady and Sandy Hudson shared an office at OISE. Yesterday, they held the same space to lead a Scholar Strike Canada teach-in to discuss the realities of anti-Black police violence in Toronto and across Canada. Read more.

Professor Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández joins CBC's The Current to discuss how the inequalities in our school systems are being exposed by the pandemic, and whether the choices facing parents will lead to a shift. Listen now.

Prof. Marlene Scardamalia, the inaugural Presidents' Chair and University Distinguished Professor of Knowledge Innovation & Technology, has been appointed Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She's a scholar whose innovations helped create and shape a new field of inquiry: knowledge building. Read more.

Prof. Diane Gérin-Lajoie, the former director the Centre de recherches en éducation franco-ontarienne (CREFO), has been appointed Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of Canada. She currently leads research in French minority language education in Ontario and English minority language education in Québec. Read more.

With the earlier curriculum dating from 2005, Ontario's math update is much-needed, according to Mary Reid, a professor in OISE's department of curriculum, teaching and learning, who acknowledges educators across the province are in a crunch trying to figure out a safe return to class amid COVID-19 while implementing a major math update for Grades 1 through 8. Reid outlines what's required for a successful roll-out of the new curriculum. Read more.

Ontario teachers are denouncing the implementation of the province's new math curriculum, saying they've had little guidance on material they're expected to teach during a pandemic and in just a matter of weeks. Professor Mary Reid, a math expert who teaches teachers, said they are rightly focused on their own health and safety and that of their students. Reid added that while the new curriculum is good, it must be properly implemented with ongoing training for it to be effective. Read more.

When the Arab Spring protests erupted in 2010, many predicted the uprisings would reach the oil-rich Gulf states, sweeping away monarchies. But the Gulf monarchies of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain were the least affected. In this article, PhD candidate Edmund Adam explains why the Gulf monarchies have continued on and what lessons we can learn from the durability of these regimes to better understand the region and build sustainable peace in the Middle East. Read more.

A new study led by OISE alum Alex Abramovich, a scientist at CAMH, found that transgender people in Ontario have higher rates of chronic health conditions and are more likely to visit the emergency room for mental health issues. The study, which examined patient data from community and hospital clinics in three Ontario cities over four years, found that 33 per cent of trans individuals have two or more chronic health conditions like asthma or HIV compared to 28 per cent of cisgender people. Read more.

Joanne Sallay's in-person, family-run tutoring business faced overnight extinction at the height of the pandemic. And then the elementary school parents started calling. Teachers on Call, which employs many OISE graduates, quickly started offering 30 minute, one-on-one online tutoring sessions to elementary and kindergarten students. A business that was at risk of going under in March has since grown 20 per cent and expanded its client base into Quebec and B.C. Read more.

Teachers will not be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 than other front-line workers as long as they strictly adhere to the newly issued guidance on managing outbreaks in schools, said Ontario's top doctor last week. But OISE prof. Charles Pascal says the government's new guidance misses the mark and it's causing more stress for students, parents and teachers. Read more.

Black Canadians including OISE alumni and friends Dr. Afua Cooper, Sandy Hudson, Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, Dionne Brand and Prof. Beverley Bain have helped raise the volume on systemic racism this year. Meet our trailblazers. Read more.