Pasma: People for Education report shows de-streaming necessary, but unfeasible due to lack of funding

QUEEN'S PARK – Official Opposition NDP Critic for Education, Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean), is calling for Ford’s Conservatives to follow through on their commitment to equal academic opportunities by de-streaming grade 9 courses. A new report from People for Education reveals that schools lack the necessary resources to implement new curriculum.

“The Ford government told schools to de-stream courses, and then abandoned them to see it through on their own,” said Pasma. “Schools haven’t received funding to hire support staff, train teachers or create learning resources for students. They can’t successfully implement de-streaming without an adequate investment from the Minister of Education.”

Multiple reports show that streaming students into separate courses disproportionately disadvantages Black students, Indigenous students, students with special education needs, students with disabilities and students from low-income families.

To reverse these trends, the province introduced de-streamed grade 9 math, science, and English curriculums, but the Ford Conservatives’ underinvestment hasn’t made implementation possible.

“Not only have Ford’s Conservatives continued to underfund schools, but they also delivered new curriculum to teachers in late spring and expected them to be taught in the fall,” added Pasma. “The way this government has handled de-streaming is yet another example of their lack of respect for educators and students across the province.”

QUICK FACTS:

• The new People for Education report shows that only 20% of Ontario principals have enough resources to support de-streaming.
• Only 34% of secondary schools reported having small enough class sizes to de-stream.
• The resources schools have to implement de-streaming is also dependent on their socio-economic location.
• Only 40% of schools in low-income areas reported being able to reduce class sizes to prepare for de-streaming, compared to 58% of schools in high-income neighborhoods.