World 7

Education and Policies

Policy Changes

After a close examination of the many policies that Egerton Ryerson had in place, it became evident that something needed to change. Although many changes were being made to his previous policies which embodied the idea of segregation, aggressive assimilation, imperialism, and colonialism we decided that the entire education system needed to change. PROJECT REFORMATION was then created.

PROJECT REFORMATION meant taking out the existing education system in 2020 and creating our own that was appealing to everyone. Although there were many changes being made to the education system put into action by Egerton Ryerson we felt that more needed to be done. 2020 was a year of many realizations, and many issues were brought to light. The York University 4 used this to their advantage and decided to make an education system that benefited all students, and not just a select few of them.

We took a close look at how important the education system is within society. We realized that all citizens need to be educated in order to give back to their communities, however, we also realized that not everyone wishes to have the same education. Skills, trades, and technology is something that we value, along with reading and writing skills. As a group, we decided that any form of testing will be eliminated simply because to us the only thing that tests show is how well a student is able to memorize the course content. We want our students to be well-informed citizens and want them to be able to apply what they have learned in their own lives.

We also looked at history, and how history tends to be presented within schools in 2020. We realized that history follows a very Eurocentric view, and leaves out many important perspectives which if included in history would completely shift the narrative of Canada. We want our students to know about events like the destruction of Africville, and why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is so important to understand. We want our students to understand that immigration was not always fair and equal to all.

Society

With our commitment to PROJECT REFORMATION, we decided that it was essential to have a look at what social problems exist in the 2020 education system. We noticed that the major problems, like racism, have existed for many years and we needed to eliminate these for when we traveled to 2050. The first issue we looked at was how harmful the Residential School System was for the Indigenous population. We saw how traumatizing this was for students and their families and how Indigenous culture was not valued in the education system. As the York University 4, we took action and abolished the whole Residential School System. When we landed in our time-traveling phone booth, we were fascinated with the changes we saw in 2050. We noticed that there was a vast amount of students who identified as Indigenous and they practiced their culture as if the Residential School System never existed. The first thing we noticed was that students were wearing sacred clothing, like moccasins and feathers in their hair. Students had sage at their desks to promote healing and wisdom. Cree, Inuktitut, and Ojibway were languages spoken at recess between Indigenous students. There was a sweat lodge in the school that allowed students to cleanse their body, mind, and soul. It was clear that the Indigenous community was strong and valued within society. Looking back at our decision to remove the Residential School System, we knew that it was a success!

During our board meeting in 2020, we noticed that racism was still prevalent in the education system. Racialized students were more likely to live in poverty and come from low socioeconomic families. This had a major impact on their access to education and resources. We knew this needed immediate attention so we went back to 1877 and stopped segregating students based on their race. When we entered the phone booth, we could not help but be excited for the changes we were about to see in 2050. As we entered the school, we saw diversity and students did not categorize each other based on their race. Black students and students of colour had an equal opportunity to participate in sports with no fear in regards to costs. Discrimination, bullying, and prejudice were non-existent. When we looked at academic achievement, we noticed that students of colour were very successful and held averages that were equally as high as their peers. These individuals obtained honourable jobs and were seen as highly intellectual members of society. After analyzing our work, we knew this was another massive achievement!

After investigating racism in schools, we saw that Black students and students of colour were disproportionately exposed to the implications of streaming. This practice places students in classes related to their skill level and it is problematic because students can get stuck in classes that do not accurately reflect their intellectual abilities. This can cause students to do more poorly or not challenge them enough. Although changes were made with streaming in 2020, we knew that we had to go beyond this and eliminate it from when it first began. When we took the phone booth into 2050, we saw that the averages of students were 20% higher in the year 2050 compared to 2020. This advancement occurred because students were able to alternate between skill levels until they found the level that they were most successful in. When the York University 4 resumed talking about all the changes we made, we were ecstatic because we knew that PROJECT REFORMATION was done for the betterment of society!

Group Members

Kyle Kowalchuk

Erin Rowe

Julia Cerundolo

Jaishri Singh