Recent news stories

U of T congratulates Brenda Registe, an OISE alum, for receiving a 2021 Excellence Through Innovation Award for her exemplary leadership and contributions to the Black History Month Luncheon -- one of the University's most anticipated events of the year. Brenda, a founding member of the event committee and New College's Alumni Development Officer, received recognition along with her organizing team. Read more.

High schoolers across Ontario are lobbying for a grade "freeze" for the remainder of this semester after some boards said final marks wouldn't fall further than where they were at the end of last year. OISE Professor Todd Cunningham from the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development weighs in, for Canadian Press. Read more.

Members Only Waffle House has been turning heads as the first local retailer to bring edible phalluses - penis-shaped waffles - out of the sex-shop and into the mainstream food scene. Social media has been wild with shots of the dessert. But, is it anti-feminist? Has immaturity gone wild? Or, a moment of levity in this pandemic? OISE Professor Lauren Bialystok weighs in on the waffle treats. Read more.

The microcredential has become a growing trend at a number of Canadian postsecondary institutions of late, reflecting a global trend. Microcredentials are short courses that cultivate and verify a particular skill, knowledge or competency that employers want. They are often delivered online, and usually through continuing education departments. But, are they the future of higher ed? In this piece from University Affairs, experts including OISE Professor Leesa Wheelahan weigh in. Read more.

OISE alum Dr. Brian Hodges has been appointed as the next President-Elect of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada. An OISE and U of T faculty member, Dr. Hodges is also the executive vice-president of education and chief medical officer at the University Health Network. In his role as President-Elect, Dr. Hodges will champion the Royal College's emerging work in technology and education science and help advance equity, diversity and inclusion for its fellows, staff and in-patient care. Read more.

OISE doctoral student Amani Hitimana's latest study, published in World Association for Case Method Research and Application, looks at Canada's labour crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Hitimana and his supervisor Dr. Peter Sawchuk's research explores the employment factors that serve as the best predictors of high organization-based self-esteem among persons with disabilities in the workforce. While there is a perceived talent shortage in Canada, the OISE researchers seek to highlight the advantages of hiring persons with disabilities. Read more.

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education is proud to announce The Fariah Chowdhury Memorial Social Justice Award at the University of Toronto, a scholarship fund created in honour of the late Fariah Haque Chowdhury, an OISE alumna who was a trusted community member involved in a number of social justice movements. Fariah passed away suddenly in 2020. Her story is as tremendous as the purposes of this new scholarship, which followed an overwhelmingly successful crowdfunding campaign. Find out more about Fariah, her impact, and this scholarship. Read more.

The OISE community joyously congratulates Professor Emerita Helene Polatajko, who was named one of 39 new Officers of the Order of Canada. One of our alum, Dr. Potalajko is being recognized for her work in advancing the understanding of developmental coordination disorder in children. Learn more about Dr. Polatajko's work. Read more.

Today, in the Globe and Mail, OISE Professor Karen Mundy joins a trio of education faculty arguing for more investment in tutoring as the pandemic continues. "Tutoring in particular, compared with almost all other alternatives, stands out for its ability to close the gaps in learning that COVID-19 has widened," they write. Read more.

Cassie J. Brownell, an OISE researcher and teacher educator, was recognized with four awards in 2021 for her efforts as her early career gets off the ground. Here's how the award-winning scholar aims to transform young children's literacies practices. Read more.

Red Deer Polytechnic, a public polytechnic institute located in Red Deer, Alberta, has announced that Richard Longtin has been named their new vice president, external relations. RDP serves more than 7,000 students in credit programs and 10,000 in non-credit programming. Richard is currently completing a PhD in Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE. Read more.

#UofTDefyGravity: Support a marquee space for collaboration at 252 Bloor Street West and help empower our learners, educators and researchers. OISE Commons will transform a dated ground floor into a forum for creativity, innovation and sharing ideas. Find out how to help bring OISE Commons to life. Learn more.

With hundreds of presenters from four continents in attendance, this weekend's Educational Leadership International Conference will put collaboration at the core. Organized by the Centre for Leadership and Diversity, pertinent questions on educational leadership research will be explored. Here's what you can expect. Read more.

Matt Stodolak, Dana Sheikh and Joel Mukwedeya have been recognized for their exceptional volunteer service and alumni leadership at OISE with the 2021 Arbor Awards. Read their advice for volunteering plus some of the unexpected, path-defining benefits they've experienced from serving their university community. Read more.

Today in The Conversation Canada, OISE doctoral candidate Diana M. Barrero details how Latin American feminists have shifted global understanding of gender-based violence - from protesting state violence to online advocacy. Read more.

In a conversation in the Globe and Mail newspaper, writer Elamin Abdelmahmoud spoke with Esi Edugyan and U of T's Rinaldo Walcott about the Black experience in Canada. The chat is part of The Globe 100, the newspaper's annual guide to the most noteworthy books of the year. Read more.

Kameka Morrison, an OISE student and one of a handful of Scholars-at-Risk Fellows, is developing a program that will teach Black history through an emotional intelligence lens. Learn more about her in this U of T News story. Read more.

New research has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in only a small decline in international student enrolments in Canada. OISE Professor Elizabeth Buckner spoke with CBC News about the study, explaining why enrolments are only down slightly. Read more.

Dyslexia Awareness Day: With the help of Dr. Becky Chen and her team of researchers, a Winnipeg school board is now broadly implementing a dyslexia intervention program for early childhood learners. Here's how the program is helping to identify primary students experiencing dyslexia and improve their literacy education. Read more.

Adam Davies, graduates with his PhD this year, has charted a prolific research profile that uses disability studies and queer and poststructural theories to analyze systems of gender and sexuality to seek more equitable outcomes for students. Read more.

#OISEGrad21: Janelle Brady's academic journey began at home, where the OISE grad places the experiences of marginalized communities-especially those of Black mothers-at the forefront of her teaching and advocacy in education. Poised to do great things, read more about Brady's journey. Read more.

Victoria Pawlina and Julia Woznowski grew up together, became French immersion teachers together, entered OISE together as students, and now, after enduring the pandemic, this pair of twins are now graduating with a Master of Education together. Read more.

The latest ranking reflects OISE's teaching prowess, global research impact, and depth and breadth of programs and courses, says Dean Normand Labrie. Learn more about the prestigious Times Higher Education subject rankings and OISE's place as one of the top 20 institutes for education in the world. Read more.

For the third year in a row, the University of Toronto moved higher in the research-based U.S. News & World Report, rising to 16th place globally. Among public universities, U of T continues to be ranked fifth in North America and seventh globally. Read more.

A school's playground quality can have an impact on students' health. Christine Corso, an OISE doctoral candidate, checks in on Ontario's schoolyards and says that Ontario schoolyards fall far short of "good enough." Read more.

Early childhood advocate, philanthropist and U of T alumna Margaret McCain is the 2021 recipient of the Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award for championing strong families and child development in Canada. As an esteemed friend to OISE, McCain has directed her outstanding support to the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study and the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, where she helped establish the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Watch her accept the distinguished award. Read more.

OISE Continuing & Professional Learning welcomes thousands of professional learners each year. This year, the division has developed an online certificate program to help educators gain a better understanding of grief and bereavement. This is the story of the groundbreaking new program at OISE. Read more.

OISE alum Breanna Heels is a finalist for the 2021 Global Teacher Prize at the United Nations. She is the only Canadian in the top 50 spot. Breanna is recognized for her teaching which she based on the UN Global Goals, a blueprint for sustainable development with the philosophy to think globally and act locally. Read more.

Can wearing masks pose a risk to young children's longer-term development? OISE's Dr. Kang Lee says that while being able to see faces in their entirety is a key part of children's development, kids are very adaptable. "If one channel is blocked, they will go to another channel." Lee gives a few strategies for parents and educators to help kids understand them when speaking with a mask. Read more in BBC News.

Dyslexia, one of the most common language-based learning disabilities, is front and centre as October marks Dyslexia Awareness Month. With this in mind, OISE profs. Todd Cunningham and Esther Geva provide a short list of tips that parents and educators can use to support students who are struggling with dyslexia. Read more.

The student association of Queen's University will review the history of misogynistic signs at homecoming parties after several appeared at rowdy gatherings over the weekend. Dr. Abby Goldstein, associate chair of applied psychology and human development at OISE, discusses how education and harm reduction measures can ensure students gather and socialize safely. Read more.

Brampton's Bill Boyes was recently named Canadian Fire Chief of the Year. He's also an OISE doctoral student who is looking at ways to transform his occupation. His aim? To improve diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of the Ontario fire service. "There are very few, if any, chief officers who have a PhD, so it will be quite an achievement if I can do it. I hope to give something back to the fire service and leave it stronger for future generations," says Boyes. Read more.

Federal officials overseeing prime ministerial gravesites in Canada are rethinking what should be done to reflect how the country views its past, specifically in light of historical mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples. Prof. Cecilia Morgan, a social and cultural historian from OISE, said the usual tension that surrounds commemorations can be exacerbated when the focus is on a historical figure who has taken on a larger symbolism in the public's mind, and whose actions or achievements are thrown under a more critical light. Read more.

Polarizing words may be throwing progressives off course - but research might hold lessons for the left on how to have more meaningful conversations. For OISE prof. Megan Boler, her interest lies in the role social media plays in online polarization. For those on the left, pithy statements on social media like "check your privilege" amplify anger, and not always in useful ways, says Boler. To cut through a polarizing online ecosystem, you will need to find a way to unite. Read more.

Suddene Stone, who plans to complete a master's and PhD in clinical psychology at OISE, says moving to multicultural Toronto from his native Jamaica expanded his worldview in unexpected ways. Now the future OISE student hopes to gain practical experience in the field of mental health while in Canada. "People who are seriously mentally ill often go undiagnosed or don't have access to proper care," he says. "I want to help change that." Read more about Stone's path to OISE. Read more.

Get to know OISE's new interim dean: what keeps him motivated, how he became interested in sociolinguistics and why teaching underprivileged students in India became one of the most rewarding times of his life. Watch here.

Professor Normand Labrie reflects on his journey to becoming interim dean at OISE - from studying the educational trajectories of Turkish-speaking children in Germany as an undergrad to lending his skills to European Commission, the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, UNESCO and more. Meet Dean Normand Larbie. Read more.

There are many issues surrounding oversight and quality of home child care in Ontario, including health and safety and provider qualifications, say Prof. Michal Perlman and OISE researcher Petr Varmuza - who add that roughly 80% of home child care arrangements are unlicensed. In a new article, Perlman and Varmuza create a case for modernizing the province's home child care licensing and supports and give a model for higher quality home care. Read more.

Elizabeth Buckner wins Connaught New Researcher Award for her research on sustainable development in education. Read more.

Professor Daniel Corral was awarded the Connaught New Researcher Award for his work on the effects of neighbourhood-level factors in post-secondary education participation. Read more.

This prestigious award will support Jasinska's research on the impact of interrupted schooling on the development neural systems of resettled refugee children. Read more.

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation: For generations, the subject of residential schools was absent from textbooks altogether. Although Ontario students are now introduced to it in textbooks, there is still much to be done, says OISE professors Jennifer Brant and Eve Tuck. They read through the pages of a Grade 8 history textbook and highlight changes that still must be made in the way Ontario students are taught about residential schools. Read more.

'Actively working to understand my own complicity:' On the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we asked OISE community members how they are honouring this day. From virtual circles to learning from elders and supporting Indigenous organizations, here are some ways they are spending today. Read more.

'There's no social escape': Queer and transgender people in the Greater Toronto Area have struggled exceptionally in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research by OISE alum Dr. Alex Abramovich shows, from experiencing higher rates of homelessness to worsening mental health symptoms. Read more.

Ahead of Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour residential school survivors, Prof. Jennifer Brant says Canadians must do their own work to reflect on and understand what Truth and Reconciliation means. This involves learning about the country's role in the genocide of Indigenous Peoples and the history of colonialism. In U of T News, Brant discusses how Canadians can mark Sept. 30, where they should turn to learn about the ongoing impact of residential schools, and how, if at all, Canada is moving toward reconciliation. Read more.

Suicide rates are significantly higher in Indigenous communities because of systemic barriers. OISE researchers Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos and Shanna Peltier say Canada must decolonize its approach to suicide prevention and shift the objective from not only reducing deaths to enhancing the quality of life among Indigenous populations. Read more about Ansloos and Peltier's research and how they aim to improve suicide prevention policies and practices. Read more.

A new U of T research project led by OISE alum Notisha Massaquoi and colleague Peter A. Newman is looking to understand the factors that shape COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among racialized sexual and gender minority communities - with an aim to build trust in the healthcare system. The study's results will not only inform ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaigns but also improve planning for future public health emergencies. Read more.

Henderson (Glenn) Scott, who graduated with three degrees from OISE between 1958 and 1965, and his wife Cairine have generously created a bequest to augment their OISE scholarship, the George Flower Award for Advanced Studies in Education. Learn more about their exceptional passion and commitment to our Institute's mission and its students. Read more.

This past summer, with drums, song and air hugs, the University of Toronto's First Nations House -- founded by OISE alum Kahontakwas Diane Longboat (BEd '76, MEd '78) -- celebrated Indigenous students who either graduated in June or who completed another important milestone in their academic careers. Look back at the highlights, as students and their families cheer for the Class of 2021. Read more.

How can we convince ourselves and others to improve our teaching, will it take a revolution or something more practical, and what happens if we imagine "what would make this easy"? In this podcast, OISE alumna Dr Karen Edge, a Reader in Educational Leadership at University College London, talks about school leadership and school improvement strategies. She is known for her ability to blend theory and evidence-based strategy with practical insights and humour. Watch here.

Learn how one Saskatoon teacher is tackling issues of racism and diversity in their online classroom. Meral Choudhry, who recently began her studies at OISE, wants to teach her young students to have "love for all, hatred for none," and is doing so by making issues like racism, multiculturalism and residential schools accessible to them in a unique curriculum. Read more.

Hear from OISE's own Perry King on CBC Radio as he discusses his new book, Rebound: Sports, Community, and the Inclusive City. In this closely reported exploration of the role of community sports in diverse urban centres, King, a Toronto journalist, offers a compelling roadmap for re-imagining neighbourhoods whose residents are active, healthy, and genuinely connected. Listen here.

#UofTBacktoSchool: Welcome (and welcome back) to OISE. This year will look a lot different - but we will get through it together as a community. In this video, our alumni offer advice on making the most out of your time here! Watch here.

The 2021-2022 school year begins and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education is here to provide a large slate of course offerings for the community. To wade you into this year's course offerings, here is a list of four distinct and interesting courses (one from each of OISE's four main departments) that still have some availability. Read more.

The story behind one of the oldest women's studies programs in Canada begins with the tale of two courses launched 50 years ago. OISE alum Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, then an undergrad in U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science, played an instrumental role in a collective that started "Women in the Twentieth Century," one of the first interdisciplinary history courses at the University. The course and its advocates would help ignite women's studies not just in North America but around the world. Read more.

When Chrystal Smith (MT '19) realized her community at the Boys and Girls Club needed help in math, she created an online school for them. Now she's completing an additional MA in her new favourite subject. As a skilled French teacher, Smith always had an interest in language. She often goes the extra mile to make her classes high-energy and fun-filled. But the 2020 pandemic led her on a different path - to STEM education. Read more in U of T Alumni News.

Research shows that outdoor early learning has significant developmental benefits for children. As early years educators reimagine learning and care post-COVID, governments need to contemplate a Canada-wide system that embraces outdoor learning, writes PhD candidate Christine Alden in The Conversation. Read more.

What should be Ontario's priority as schools reopen next week? Five education experts including OISE prof. Carol Campbell and researcher Beyhan Farhadi share their policy priorities for elementary and secondary schools. Read more.

Notisha Massaquoi, a 2020 OISE PhD graduate, has spent more than 30 years advocating for greater access to primary health care in Black communities across Canada. Now, she is joining the University of Toronto Scarborough's department of health and society as an assistant professor - and will teach a course on health equity and anti-Black racism. She recently spoke to U of T News about her research, teaching philosophy and what she's looking forward to most about being at U of T. Read more.

When Chrystal Smith (MT '19), a skilled French teacher, realized her community at the Boys and Girls Club needed help in math, she quickly completed an additional qualification to start teaching them. With the pandemic forcing students to stay home, Chrystal created an online math school, all while starting a math teaching position at the TDSB - helping her to become the STEM educator she never knew she would be. Read more.

What have politicians learned from Ontario's full-day kindergarten program when proposing their own childcare programs and is FDK a success? Watch OISE's Jane Bertrand, program director for the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, discuss on TVO's The Agenda. Watch here.

Jennifer Barbera (MA '09, PhD '13) decided to become a psychologist after working in homeless shelters and community organizations. The experience brought her to OISE for the career she always wanted, and the rewards of helping people find healing and joy continue to inspire her learning. Read more.

Ontario recently deleted anti-racist language from its math curriculum. But educators say that incorporating anti-racism into math education gives students context about how math has been used to perpetuate racism and how it applies to real-life scenarios that encourage equity. Ultimately, if we want children to see math as a "tool to help us understand the world," says Prof. Beverly Caswell of OISE's Robertson Program for Inquiry-based Teaching in Mathematics and Science, "[teaching] can do that by using math to understand issues of power and privilege." Read more.

OISE researchers found that the oldest child in Syrian refugee families has the most responsibility and the lowest English knowledge compared to peers. These children face many unique barriers, like complex trauma, interrupted education, and racism. Read more to find out what schools can do to support them. Read more.

Noticing, validating and managing emotions is an important part of family health and wellness. Professors Jennifer Jenkins and Mark Wade explain how Covid-19 stress "gets in the family" and how emotion coaching - a simple 2-step process - can help calm the emotional storm at the moment, and also teach children how to manage their own emotions in the future. Read more.

OISE's Scott Davies is one of 15 experts from the Royal Society of Canada's Children and Schools COVID-19 Working Group. The group has created a policy briefing intended to serve as a pandemic recovery resource for educators, administrators, support staff, school mental health professionals, and decision-makers in the education sector, as well as parents/guardians and the general public. It includes 10 recommendations for pandemic recovery in education. Read more.