Promoting tolerance, respect for human rights, democracy, and

The atmosphere of educational institutions has become a source of serious public concern in many parts of Canada, particularly because of the widespread perception that there is a problem of violence in schools. In this section, we will describe first the general policies in place for promoting an atmosphere of tolerance and respect in schools. We will then look more specifically at responses to the issue of violence in schools.

4.1 Promoting tolerance, respect for human rights, democracy, and learning about the diversity and wealth of cultural identities

All ministries and departments of education in Canada have policies designed to promote tolerance, respect for human rights, and learning about the diversity and wealth of

cultural identities. In Sections 2 and 3, we reported on how these goals are being addressed through the curriculum in several provinces and territories. In addition, ministries have a range of policies and practices designed to achieve these goals. There are also various approaches to enhancing democratic participation in educational institutions and linkages between educational institutions and the local community, including families, workplaces, the media, and non-governmental organizations.

PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES

British Columbia

Educational institutions in British Columbia have established policies that seek to achieve an environment where all people are treated with dignity and respect, and within which tolerance and equity can be realized. Within their policies, institutions are committed to the principle that all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, religion or disability have a right to equal opportunity in education and employment. Institutions are also committed to identifying and removing any discriminatory barriers which prevent access to equal opportunity in education and employment.

All postsecondary institutions in British Columbia foster an atmosphere which contributes to the success of international understanding through their international education offices and activities. The public postsecondary system of the province continues to be actively involved in international education activities including

international student programs, study/work abroad and exchange programs, international projects, and institutional and community linkages abroad. International education, a key component of British Columbia’s education policy in Charting a New Course, increases access to learning opportunities and helps to promote economic activity and employment opportunities for British Columbians. Through a variety of strategic initiatives,

international education establishes and strengthens connections in education, government and industry around the world.

Manitoba

Manitoba’s 1992 policy statement on multicultural education has served to build more inclusive curricula and schools. The policy has three primary areas of focus:

• Education for full participation in society by all Manitobans

• Education for cultural and linguistic development

• Education for intercultural understanding

Additionally, a commitment has been made in Manitoba, as articulated in the educational document Foundation for Excellence, to develop and support the implementation of inclusive curriculum, integrating gender fairness, Aboriginal perspectives, and diversity and antiracism.

New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Department of Education is committed to providing learning environments that are safe, orderly, inviting, and conducive to the pursuit of excellence.

All individuals are intrinsically valuable and must be treated as such.

In the spring of 1999, after considerable consultation with parents, students, educators, teachers’ associations, and other groups having an interest in school environments, the Department of Education of New Brunswick implemented its Positive Learning

Environment Policy. Its purpose is to provide a framework for creating positive learning and working environments in the public education system.

This policy recognizes a positive learning and working environment as one in which:

• every person is valued and all individuals, including staff¹, pupils and parents² are treated with respect and treat others with respect.

• pupils have the right to be taught and to learn without being disrupted by others and have the responsibility not to disrupt the learning of others.

• pupils are responsible for their behaviour in accordance with their stage of development and to the extent to which their behaviour is voluntary. When disruptive behaviour is due to exceptional characteristics of a pupil and he/she is unable to control this behaviour, solutions must take the needs of the pupil and the pupil’s classmates into account.

• adults and pupils in the public school system have the right to work and to learn in a safe, orderly, productive, respectful, and harassment-free environment.

• parents, pupils, staff and the community together have defined goals for the learning environment of the school, have agreed on a plan for reaching those

1 Staff includes: educators, support staff, bus drivers, resource staff and volunteers

2 Parents includes guardians

goals, and are communicating and applying the plan consistently at home, in school, and in the community.

• great value is placed on effective teaching so that pupils have a sense of

belonging, feel they are supported by staff in their efforts to succeed, and have a positive relationship with at least one adult in the school system.

• successes, appropriate behaviour, and accomplishments are emphasized and celebrated.

• parents, staff, and the community understand that social skills, self-discipline, compassion, and ethics continue to be learned throughout life and each partner in education plays a role in teaching these things through instruction and by

example.

• administrators at the school, the district, and head office support effective teaching and behaviour management.

In order to ensure the successful implementation of the Positive Learning Environment Policy, the government of New Brunswick has added funds to the Department of Education’s base budget. These monies are transferred to school districts, primarily for the purposes of hiring additional staff, notably behaviour intervention workers and mentors, and for staff training in areas such as choice theory, reality therapy, restitution, non-violent crisis intervention, and anger management.

Newfoundland and Labrador

The Department of Education adopted a Multicultural Education Policy in 1992 (Newfoundland and Labrador 1992). It commits the department to the promotion of multiculturalism, including a recognition of the unique position of the Aboriginal peoples. It defines multicultural education as education that promotes cultural

understanding and facilitates cultural accommodations. The outcomes expected are an increased knowledge about other cultures, an appreciation of other ways of life, and cross-cultural social and communication skills. These aims are addressed through the curriculum, by promoting respect for all cultural groups in the classroom, and by helping all students and educators achieve their physical, intellectual, emotional, cultural, social, and moral potential.

Northwest Territories

Working in an environment with several distinct Aboriginal cultures, the NWT

Department of Education, Culture, and Employment understands that, when people learn, they learn within a particular learning context. This context lets them take in information and experiences, interpret these experiences, and use them for day to day living. The learning context is made up of people’s particular culture, heritage and language. Culture is a people’s way of life. It is their connections, their spiritual relationships, their

relationship with the land and with other people. It is reflected in what they do and how they do it. It is the customs and laws and values that guide them. It is the way they live together and raise their children.

Because they shape and form what people learn, culture, heritage and language form the foundations for learning. These bases for all other learning develop in the home and the community. Each part of the community makes its own indispensable contribution to the learning and development of individuals and the community. The daycare, the school, the community learning centre and the college hold special significance as places of learning.

Staff facilitate learning and help learners apply classroom knowledge to the realities of community life. They also help learners reflect their community experiences and transfer them into principles, values and skills for daily living.

Each community has its own cultural needs and priorities and each must determine the programs and services that will respond to these priorities. The department has a dual mandate to provide programs and services and also to coordinate support for culture, heritage and language development at the community level.

Ontario

Key statements of the Ministry of Education’s position on the atmosphere of educational institutions can be found in the recently released Ontario Schools Code of Conduct: “A school is a safe place that promotes responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment. All students, parents, teachers, and staff have the right to be safe, and feel safe, in their school community. With this right comes the responsibility to be law-abiding citizens and to be accountable for actions that put at risk the safety of others or oneself.”

The Code of Conduct wants to create an atmosphere in which:

“Members of the school community are expected to use non-violent means to resolve conflict. Physically aggressive behaviour is not a responsible way to interact with others.”

“Insults, disrespect, and other hurtful acts are considered disruptive to learning and teaching in a school community; hence members of the school community have a responsibility to maintain an environment where conflict and difference can be addressed in a manner characterized by respect and civility.”

The Ministry of Education’s position on anti-discrimination education is contained in Ontario Secondary Schools: Diploma Requirements Grades 9–12, first implemented for grade 9 in 1999. The statement describes a number of principles including:

• respect for diversity in school and the wider society

• responsibility for providing a safe learning environment that is free from harassment of all types, and free from violence and expressions of hate

• responsibility for providing an inclusive learning environment.

Quebec

The Ministry of Education of Québec promotes tolerance, respect for human rights, democracy, and learning about the diversity and wealth of cultural identities primarily through its curricula, described in Section 2. The teacher training programs developed in

the context of the Éducation à la citoyenneté dans une perspective planétaire (ECPP) project, described under “Global Education” in Section 3, also addresses these goals.

Another Québec ministry, le Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de

l’Immigration (MRCI), addresses this goal through its programs. Its school exchange program is designed to bring young people from the Montreal region closer to those from other regions of Quebec. It focuses on secondary and senior elementary students. Young people participate in joint activities to become more aware of Quebec’s current reality, of its history and its people. Through the exchange, they can also share their reality and become more open to that of others.

In the areas of linkages between schools and local communities, including families, the MRCI’s Programme de soutien à la participation civique (PSPC) provides funding to about thirty organizations to implement activities related to reinforcing parenting skills and civic participation.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Education has implemented a policy on multicultural education. The policy contains 22 goals of multicultural education grouped into the areas of self-concept development, understanding and relating to others, spiritual development, and

membership in society. Through Saskatchewan Education’s social studies curricula, students from grade 1–12 engage in activities that promote the understanding that all persons, including themselves, are unique and important. They learn that while all groups of people have differences, they also have similarities. They also learn that the

differences are what make Canada so culturally rich and diverse as a nation where we live together in a variety of interdependent relationships.

The government of Saskatchewan recently conducted an extensive survey of citizens on the question of involvement by parents and the community in schools. The report on this process was released in 1999 (Saskatchewan Education 1999). The survey found a diverse set of mechanisms for parent and community involvement throughout the province, with significant differences between rural and urban schools. In general, citizens recognized the importance of strong links between schools, families, and the community. There was satisfaction with current structures of involvement, but

respondents asked for better communication between school authorities and parents in order to facilitate more active involvement. The government of Saskatchewan has undertaken to make such improvements.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, Saskatchewan Education, and other

organizational partners in education together produced a policy framework in 1999 to support and promote an atmosphere in schools that invites parent and community

participation (see Parent and Community Partnerships in Education: Policy Framework at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/parent.

The Community Education Unit of Saskatchewan Education develops and manages policies and programs designed to address barriers to learning and enable school systems,

community groups and families to be responsive and innovative in meeting diverse learning needs. These are described in Section 7.