Equity Knowledge Network (RSEKN)

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s policy Realizing the Promise of Diversity: Equity and Inclusive Education (2009), reminds us: “Racism, religious intolerance, homophobia, and gender-based violence are still evident in our communities and – unfortunately – in our schools” (p. 7). The Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) in partnership with the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research (KNAER) has established a learning and leading for equity knowledge network to address these challenges. Réseau de Savoir sur l’Équité / Equity Knowledge Network (RSEKN) will connect teacher candidates, teachers, administrators, researchers, and community groups who share a commitment to removing barriers to equity and inclusion for marginalized and racialized children and youth.

Network Overview

The University of Ottawa will host the provincial multi-stakeholder, bilingual Réseau de Savoir sur l’Équité / Equity Knowledge Network (RSEKN). The network will support communities of practice (CoPs), face-to-face and virtually, bringing together researchers, teacher candidates, teachers, administrators, school board personnel, policy makers, community and professional associations who share a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive education from across Ontario. The RSEKN will extend existing local, regional and provincial networks to address the following priority outcomes:

• Identify student, parent, educator and school priority areas via established school and/or community-based networks and research;
• Map innovative research-informed practices that address diversity, equity, and inclusive education within schools and/or communities;
• Translate and mobilize research-informed practices with communities of practice through the co-creation of culturally relevant resources, teaching strategies, and school community, library, curriculum, and classroom tool kits.
• Develop an innovative digital social media strategy (face-to-face and virtual) to mobilize evidence-based practices/initiatives across Ontario in both French and English;
• Support our partners’ capacities to identify, access, apply, and evaluate research data related to diversity, equity, and inclusive education;
• Create, sustain, and evaluate a provincial strategy for bringing teachers, administrators, teacher candidates and community groups (including parent groups) together to attend Lead Associate Teacher Days and co-create communities of practice; and,
• Establish a sustainable Ontario-wide relational RSEKN.

The network will establish communities of practice across Ontario in the following priority areas:

• Anti-Racist Education - developing, implementing, and assessing culturally relevant curriculum and critical pedagogies.
• Refugee and Newcomer Education - including working with marginalized and racialized groups.
• Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities - identifying and building upon successful innovative approaches to inclusive education, developing teachers’ inclusive practices through universal design and differentiated instruction.
• Gender and Sexuality Education – ensuring safe and inclusive spaces.
• Minority Language Education in Pluralist Contexts - with attention to ways to ensure access and equity.

Our partnerships reflect the geographic, linguistic and regional diversities of Ontario with additional university, school board and community partners joining us as we move forward.

To connect with the Equity Knowledge Network, please direct questions, ideas, and insights to the RSEKN Network Coordinator, Noor El-Husseini: rsekn@uottawa.ca

Connect on Twitter: @RECRAE_RSEKN / @KNAER_RSEKN