Hello there, we’re GEEC, the Greater Equity in Early Education and Care: Child, Family, and Community Engaged Research team. We are a research collaborative working with community partners to promote equity in learning and care for children through child, family, and community engaged research.
The Toronto Star released an article1 following a news rally at Firgrove Public School in the Jane and Finch area, Toronto on May 15, 2026. Parents, trustees, union leaders, education advocates, researchers, and community members including Dr. Sejal Patel, are calling for renewed and sustainable funding for the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Model Schools for Inner Cities program.
Model Schools for Inner Cities is an internationally recognized initiative that started in 2006 and has supported more than 56,000 elementary-aged students each year who live in lower sociodemographic neighbourhoods. The program improves access to opportunities for student educational success and well-being that go beyond standard classroom teaching including:
Decades of data7 show that Model School students have significant improvements in early childhood language and cognitive development and EQAO test scores compared to the general population, along with improved high school graduation rates.
The announced cuts by the TDSB to hundreds of positions including all Model School community support workers means the dismantling of essential support for TDSB’s equity deserving communities.
To preserve and enhance access to opportunities for all students:
References:
Meet Tiffany Cao, a Research Assistant on the GEEC team. Tiffany is a(n incoming) PhD student studying Urban Health at Toronto Metropolitan university
As a lifelong learner and researcher, Tiffany is passionate about making learning and research accessible for everyone. She believes everyone deserves the chance to gain knowledge that can help them make informed decisions for themselves or for others who need support.
Tiffany has some experience working with preschool children in daycare settings, and elementary students through tutoring.
As a member of the GEEC Research Team, she looks forward to learning more and supporting projects related to education and early childhood education.
Within the context of the Model Schools for Inner Cities (MSIC) initiative, what leadership strategies and practices do school administrators use to foster family-school-community partnerships?
Method
Case study techniques were used to investigate leadership strategies in two MSIC schools over time in order to gain in depth understanding of participant experiences. The research is informed by a critical place-based perspective, which emphasizes responding to the unique community context that a school is situated in (Gruenewald, 2003; Haymes, 1995), as well as a critical social justice perspective, which aims to identify and proactively address systemic inequities (Sensoy & Di Angelo, 2012).
Key Takeaways
Based on interviews with school administrators (i.e., principals and vice principals) and focus groups with families, the following seven leadership practices were identified as key to supporting family-school-community partnerships:
To learn more, read the full manuscript here.
Document citation: Cummins, N. & Patel, S. (2025). Leadership and family-school-community partnerships in the Model Schools for Inner Cities initiative. Improving Schools, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/13654802251397190
The 2023 Enhancing Equity in Ontario Elementary Education symposium invited participation by all Ontario district school boards, education stakeholders, and scholars focused on educational equity and human rights. The hybrid symposium included over 300 participants and created space for reflection and sharing of promising practices around equity-based initiatives, in support of enhanced equity for elementary school students.
To promote further mobilization of the ideas and resources that were shared at the symposium, several outputs have been created, including panel summaries and podcasts with transcripts. Podcasts were generated based on panel discussions, conversations that took place at our onsite voicEd Radio Speaker’s Corner and with others post-symposium. Podcast topics include:
For a list of links to all podcasts with transcripts along with panel summaries that have been published thus far, click here.
More forthcoming!
The thirteenth episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Faith-based Equity, is now live!
Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel, this episode features Elder Joanne Dallaire, Aasiyah Khan, and Leora Schaefer.
In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on faith-based equity. The discussion was guided by the following questions:
To cite this podcast:
Patel, S. (Host), Dallaire, J. (Guest), Khan, A. (Guest), and Schaefer, L. (Guest). Faith-based equity (No. 13) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/educational-equity-podcast-faith-based-equity–66930515
To listen to the podcast and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
The twelfth episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Equity for Students Living in Low Sociodemographic Neighbourhoods, is now live!
Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel, this episode features Yvonne Kelly, Maria Yau, and Michael Kerr.
In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on equity for students living in low sociodemographic neighbourhoods. The discussion was guided by the following questions:
To cite this podcast:
Patel, S. (Host), Kelly, Y. (Guest), Kerr, M. (Guest), and Yau, M. (Guest). (2025, July 10). Equity for students living in low sociodemographic neighbourhoods (No. 12) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/educational-equity-podcast-equity-for-students-living-in-low-sociodemographic-neighbourhoods–66930514
To listen to the podcast and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
The eleventh episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Equity for Indigenous Students, is now live!
Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel, this episode features Jodie Williams, Tesa Fiddler, and Dr. Nicole Ineese-Nash.
In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on equity for Indigenous students. The discussion was guided by the following questions:
To cite this podcast:
Patel, S. (Host), Fiddler, T. (Guest), Ineese-Nash, N. (Guest), and Williams, J. (Guest). (2025, July 10). Equity for Indigenous students (No. 11) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/educational-equity-podcast-equity-for-indigenous-students–66930512
To listen to the podcast and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
The tenth episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students, is now live!
Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel, this episode features Ilana David, Malissa Bryan, and Jo Jefferson.
In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. The discussion was guided by the following questions:
To cite this podcast:
Patel, S. (Host), Bryan, M. (Guest), David, I. (Guest), and Jefferson, J. (Guest). (2025, July 10). Equity for 2SLGTBQIA+ students (No. 10) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/educational-equity-podcast-equity-for-2slgtbqia-students–66930511
To listen to the podcast and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
The ninth episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Equity for Disabled Students, is now live!
Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel, this episode features Dr. Maria Karmiris, Luke Reid, and Ingrid Palmer.
In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on equity for disabled students. The discussion was guided by the following questions:
To cite this podcast:
Patel, S. (Host), Karmiris, M. (Guest), Palmer, I. (Guest), and Reid, L. (Guest). (2025, July 15). Equity for disabled students (No. 9) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/educational-equity-podcast-equity-for-disabled-students–66989026
To listen to the podcast and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
The eighth episode of the Educational Equity podcast, titled Melanin Magic: A Conversation about Black Joy is now live!
Hosted by Jahiem Thomas, this episode features Coleen Dudley, Holidae Robinson, Tiasia Robinson, Dr. Alana Butler, and Dr. Janelle Brady.
In this podcast a panel of Black advocates, students and professors share their lived experiences, insights, and reflections on the meaning and significance of Black Joy in education.
The discussion was guided by the following questions:
Special thanks to Tanitiã Munroe, Research Coordinator, Centre for Excellence for Black Student Achievement and Research & Development, Toronto District School Board for helping us to bring the wonderful youth participants of this podcast together.
To cite this podcast:
Thomas, J. (Host), Brady, J. (Guest), Butler, A. (Guest), Dudley, C. (Guest), Robinson, H. (Guest), and Robinson, T. (Guest). (2025, July 9). Melanin magic: A conversation about Black joy (No. 8) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Educational Equity Podcast. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/melanin-magic-a-conversation-about-black-joy–66918303
To listen to the podcast, access the transcript for this episode, and for more information about each speaker and their work, head to https://www.torontomu.ca/educational-equity-symposium/podcasts-/
