How York Memorial Students Got Blamed for the TDSB’s Mistakes
Sensational reports about violence have dominated the narrative around York Memo, ignoring the reality of how, despite warnings, the Board’s decisions have devastated students' access to education.
How to Feed the Future
Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program—instead, we have piecemeal provincially-funded programs that are leaving children behind.
Tracking COVID-19 in Toronto Schools
A data blog about the pandemic's effects on the city’s 800 public schools.
Fires, Plagues and Also High School
Their school burned down, they survived a pandemic, and endured the ordinary teenage heartbreaks and triumphs under extraordinary conditions. Within the chaos, these York Memorial students found each other and their purpose.
Two School Shootings, 15 Years Apart
The 2007 shooting of Jordan Manners sparked a massive review of school safety. With another fatal shooting last month, advocates are asking what has changed, and what hasn’t, in the years since.
The Kids Left Behind
Shuttered autism services, kids caring for younger siblings, undiagnosed developmental conditions—for many students, the losses of the last two years go well beyond school closures.
Childcare is an Essential Service and a Dysfunctional Business
With ECEs fleeing the industry and a federal childcare deal on the horizon, now is the time to fix a long-broken system.
A Week After Launching RAT Tracker, We’re Still in the Dark
What we learned from our participatory data project asking Torontonians to share rapid antigen test results.
RAT Tracker
A citizen-powered tool for anonymous reporting of rapid antigen test results in Toronto public schools.
Fighting Vaccine Hesitancy at Alternative Schools
High vaccine exemption rates have long been a feature at Toronto alternative schools, but as COVID vaccines roll out to kids, there’s a new urgency to reach these hesitant parents.
Inside the Push to Bring Vaccines to the Schools That Need Them Most
As shots for kids roll out, a small group of exhausted vaccine veterans build what they hope will be their final pop-up clinics.
Trapped in the Ivory Basement
In Toronto's booming public community colleges, part-time educators get none of the privileges of cushy academic jobs. Instead, they are overworked, underpaid, and even pushed out of their union.
Different Schools, Different Risks
A one-size-fits-all-approach hasn’t worked at any stage of the pandemic. Why do we think it will work in schools this year?
The Other Epidemic in Toronto’s Schools
The problems in Toronto’s schools didn’t start with COVID-19—our underfunded education system has been in a slow-motion crisis for decades.
Monday in Lockdown, Without Wi‑Fi
As schools, government services, and life itself seems to move online, those without internet access are struggling to stay connected.
Friday with Charlotte
Teens like Charlotte are caught in a strange limbo, their plans for impending adulthood put on hold as the world freezes in place.
Why a Health Centre Started Teaching Algebra
Pathways to Education's unconventional approach to community health starts with helping kids finish high school.
The Toronto Basketball Powerhouse Nobody’s Ever Heard Of
The kids don’t get free sneakers. The team has to haggle for gym time. The coaches are unpaid. So what makes Toronto Basketball Academy so good?