I am Director and Associate Professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies, in the Faculty of Community Services at Toronto Metropolitan University. With training in psychology and education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, I held CIHR Strategic Training and Peterborough K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation post-doctoral fellowships at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael's Hospital. I am an Affiliate Scientist in the Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital Unity Health Toronto.
My program of research investigates the effects of innovation in (1) service provision and education, and (2) the designed environment, on inequities in children’s educational success and well-being. My research on educational success and well-being considers children’s early life experiences, social and community context, neighbourhoods and environments. As a community-engaged scholar, I pursue professional goals by collaborating with community partners to carry out research with marginalized populations to help reduce disparities, and to mobilize knowledge to help inform local practice and public policy.
Research projects:
SSHRC funded longitudinal research project investigating how a school redesign initiative affects children in the context of neighbourhood redevelopment.
SSHRC funded longitudinal research project investigating the effectiveness of Ontario’s educational early years policy on full-day kindergarten.
SSHRC grant for related knowledge mobilization activities.
SSHRC & RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion grants for partnered research with Toronto District School Board investigating their Model Schools for Inner Cities initiative.
SSHRC funded knowledge mobilization regarding enhancing equity in elementary education in Ontario
See https://geec.blog.torontomu.ca/ for more information about my research projects.
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:
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:
Equity for Black Students
Equity for Students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour
Equity for Disabled Students
Equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students
Equity for Indigenous Students
Equity for Students Living in Low Sociodemographic Neighbourhoods
Faith-Based Equity
Equity for Newcomer Students
Indigenous Perspectives on Learning & Unlearning
Melanin Magic: A conversation about Black joy
Speaker’s Corner: Relationships, dialogue and listening
Speaker’s Corner: Community voices and appreciating the whole fruit salad
Speaker’s Corner: Culturally relevant pedagogy
Speaker’s Corner: Human rights and equity initiatives
For a list of links to all podcasts with transcripts along with panel summaries that have been published thus far,click here.
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:
What are some promising approaches to enhancing faith-based equity for students in elementary schools (ages 4-13)?
What are some of the challenges that you/your organization has experienced in working to enhance faith-based equity for students in elementary schools?
In your view, what actions can be taken by education stakeholders in enhancing equity?
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:
What are some promising approaches to enhancing equity for students living in low sociodemographic neighbourhoods in elementary schools (ages 4-13)?
What are some of the challenges that you/your organization has experienced in working to enhance equity for students living in low sociodemographic neighbourhoods in elementary schools?
In your view, what actions can be taken by education stakeholders in enhancing equity?
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:
What does Black Joy mean to you?
In the face of historical and systemic barriers, how does Black Joy serve as a catalyst for resistance, thriving, and transformational change?
How does Black Joy shape pedagogical practices that combat anti-Black racism and foster Black student flourishing?
How can schools move beyond just addressing barriers and actively foster environments where Black students thrive?
Can you share how your understanding of Black Joy has evolved over time, particularly as you’ve navigated different stages of your educational journey?
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
