January 20, 2010
Innu village of Sheshatshiu out of crisis, into the classroom
A new school in Sheshatshiu, Labrador, has revolutionized teaching and re-energized the whole town. Photo courtesy Innu Nation via Flickr. Many Canadians associate Sheshatshiu with images of children sniffing gas from paper bags. The troubled central Labrador Innu community received nationwide attention in the ’90s as a place in crisis. Now, years later, with the opening of the new Sheshatshiu Innu... [More >>]
January 18, 2010
Olympic Countdown: B.C. teachers fight Games’ classroom hype
Vancouver 2010 Anti-Olympic mascot Bitey the Bedbug. Photo by Lotus Johnson. [This post has been amended, see note below] They were told to wear red and white, to cheer loudly and smile. They were handed little Canadian flags and instructed to wave them with gusto. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” they were told. Some 540 students at L’École Victor Brodeur in Esquimalt, B.C., where my... [More >>]
September 30, 2009
Transitional-program fans give U of T a failing grade
The University of Toronto has come under fire by students, community activists, and even former minister of education Zanana Akande over proposed changes to its Transitional Year Program, a specialized academic program that helps students without the usual educational credentials make the leap to university. The 38-year-old program has been particularly successful at recruiting high school dropouts,... [More >>]
September 28, 2009
How the University of Manitoba revolutionized HIV care in Nairobi
John Mathenke, a Nairobi sex worker, was diagnosed with HIV in early July. He is working with the Sex Workers' Outreach Program to educate other sex workers about HIV prevention. Photo by Siena Anstis. Blended into the colourful storefronts of Nairobi’s River Road area is the Sex Workers Outreach Program (SWOP), a discreet but accessible clinic offering HIV and STD testing and treatment to the... [More >>]
September 22, 2009
Saskatchewan stems population crash with $20,000 payments to recent grads
Can $20,000 payments to recent grads prevent Saskatchewan from becoming the "Land of the Living Old"? It hasn’t been easy being Alberta’s neighbour these last few years. While Canada’s economic wunderkind enjoyed double-digit growth, next-door Saskatchewan saw the near-disappearance of the family farm and watched 35,000 residents in five years flee to other provinces. So when the Conservative... [More >>]
July 27, 2009
Creative writing courses: cash cows of the humanities
Can creative writing be taught? It's complicated. Illustration by Dave Donald. While a degree in creative writing may not top your career counsellor’s advice for a quick professional turnaround, the formal study of writing was a North American growth industry even before the recession sent more people back to school (or kept them there longer). In an anguished and incredulous Harper’s article,... [More >>]
July 8, 2009
The Case for All-Black Schools
Africentric education could be the key to success for a generation at risk. Some say it’s just segregation by another name. The city had been embroiled in a racially charged public debate for months leading up to that landmark night last winter. At 6 p.m. more than 200 people crowded into the Toronto District School Board’s headquarters to offer passionate pleas both for and against a controversial... [More >>]
May 12, 2009
Mi’kmaq PhD dissertation a Canadian first
This June, York University student Fred Metallic hopes to make a bit of Canadian university history. That’s when he plans to complete the first draft of his PhD dissertation, tentatively titled “Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi: Goqwei Wejguaqamultigw?” (The English working title is “Reclaiming Mi’kmaq History and Politics: Living our Responsibilities.”) Written entirely in Mi’kmaq, it will be... [More >>]
