“Diversity is who we are. It is quantitative. It is defined by ‘otherness.’” Most obviously it is determined by race, gender, and culture. On a more subtle level, it includes class, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and appearance. As a democratic nation we define ourselves through diversity. We believe in equal opportunity and equal access. Diversity exists in spite of, and sometimes because of, the action we take.”
The statement above is taken from the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) website’s section on Equity and Justice. NAIS has adopted a highly proactive approach to fostering diversity in their member schools with their AIM initiative (Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism). I wonder aloud if Canada, traditionally “… viewed by world leaders as a model of successful pluralism …” as The Globe and Mail puts it, is not falling behind our neighbours to the south in promoting and celebrating diversity in our society.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pluralism as “a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain an autonomous participation in and development of their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization.” Dr. David Ley suggests “there are those who worry that multiculturalism is fragmenting, that it creates ‘hyphenated Canadians’ with competing loyalties.”
Recent events surrounding religious accommodation in the province of Quebec point to potential tensions about multiculturalism in parts of Canada.
The Canadian population continues to evolve, with Statistics Canada predicting that by 2031, 78 per cent of the population of Toronto, 70 per cent of the population of Vancouver, and 31 per cent of the population of Montreal will be immigrants or children of immigrants born in Canada of immigrant parents, the Globe and Mail reported. York University professor Valerie Preston states: “On an everyday basis, we live very civilly with that diversity, but we must think about what we can do to address the growing inequality that threatens to undermine it.” This inequality often stems from socio-economic differences between recent immigrants and those who have been in Canada for a longer period of time.
Having set the “statistical stage,” it is now time to turn to the role of schools in promoting and protecting diversity in Canada.
The changing nature of the composition of Canada’s population has a natural expression in the composition of residential neighbourhoods in towns and cities across the country. This leads to a certain “multiculturalism by default” in neighbourhood-based publicly funded schools. However, a colourful mosaic of students does not, in itself, promote multiculturalism. Schools must make a conscious effort to celebrate their diversity and teach kids to support the development of what NAIS calls “cohesive and supportive” communities within their schools.
When we begin to examine independent schools, we may find that they are more homogenous. NAIS collects data on their schools, including enrolment broken down by diversity of their student populations. NAIS day schools in 2010-2011 consisted of 74 per cent European-American students, while boarding schools for the same period consisted of 62 per cent European-American students, according to NAIS. If we assume that these statistics would hold true for Canada, these numbers are almost the polar opposites of the predicted composition of Canada’s three major urban centres for 2031. As such, Canada’s independent schools would not be representative of the population of the country as a whole by 2031.
Obviously, as Canadian independent schools, we need to collect data on the diversity of our schools to ensure that we are not drifting away from an important Canadian value – multiculturalism.
My impressions from visiting schools is that we need to be more cognizant of increasing diversity in our schools, both from the student and faculty perspectives. We then should look south, to NAIS, for strategies to accomplish this goal.
NAIS has stated part of its role is: Emphasizing that diversity has many dimensions – including gender, race, class, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and ability; Leading all to understand that the greatest challenge in addressing multicultural education is to build cohesive and inclusive school communities.
To help schools achieve their goals of promoting and celebrating diversity, NAIS has established Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice that outlines steps for “Creating and sustaining an inclusive, equitable, and just independent school community requires commitment, reflection, conscious, and deliberate action, as well as constant vigilance based on the overarching principles of inclusivity, diversity, and multiculturalism.”
NAIS further has developed The Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) which is a comprehensive assessment tool that engages a school community in evaluating inclusivity and multiculturalism. This tool provides a ready-made framework for school communities to achieve their goals pertaining to diversity.
I believe that it is now the time for Canadian independent schools to engage in a national dialogue around the issue of diversity. It is also the time for schools to begin to take positive action in this area to ensure that acceptance and respect for difference remains a cherished and visible Canadian value.
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We welcome your ideas and article proposals on how schools are addressing diversity, our new theme for the 2012 issue of Dialogue. The growing concerns about discrimination, racial prejudice, homophobia, religious intolerance, gender-based violence and (cyber)bullying in our diverse school communities make this issue more urgent than ever before. Read more on how to contribute story proposals for the print edition by May 10, and articles on diversity throughout the year.
About George Briggs
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