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Toronto board considering school for black youth

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Lincoln:
Toronto board considering school for black youth
CTV.ca News Staff

A published report says the Toronto District School Board's new equity expert is looking at establishing a black-only school in the city, as a way of combating a high dropout rate and problems with suspensions.

Lloyd McKell, the new executive officer of student and community equity for the board, told the Toronto Star that city schools don't do enough to make students of all backgrounds feel valued.

McKell told the Star a black-focused pilot school would be helpful for at-risk pupils, offering more black teachers, an Afro-centric curriculum and a more nurturing environment.

The school board confirmed that it is looking at the idea.

"I think we're talking about the possibility of a school that would have black-focussed programs -- but they'd be available to any student who wanted to attend them," board chair Sheila Ward told CTV News Toronto.

Ward insists the board needs to do more to prevent at-risk students from dropping out. And since the Safe Schools Act was introduced five years ago, more than 1,000 kids under the age of seven have been suspended. The majority of those suspensions are African-Canadian youth.

Ward says that of the suspension hearings she has attended, 98 per cent involved students of colour. "That says to me -- there's some kind of a problem."

McKell told CTV News he didn't want to comment directly on the proposal.

"I'm not going to speculate on what kind of a model we develop," he said Wednesday. "We do know that we are looking at the particular needs of students who have come forth to us and tell us that they need some adjustments in the way we deliver education."

Ward says a model for the school has been developed over the past summer. "Black students have told us they have had particular needs to be engaged in our schools that makes them feel a true part of our system."

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126753727013_118?hub=Canada

Bill O Reilly:
Whats next, mandatory armbands?

Shallow:
I actually think this a great idea. As much as I feel pride is a sin I fully understand the part it plays in bringing up a community. To fill young blacks with self pride and identity, and give them the tools they need to adavance in Toronto would greatly benefit the black community. Faith or culture based schools are nothing new to Toronto. We've yet to have a school as prominant as the one proposed here, and these schools arre usually requested and paid for privately by the parents of the children, but in this case we have a small problem with black youths and it could become a big problem. I feel this is a great step in preventing that from happening.

It doesn't discriminate. You don't have to be black to go to the school, although I feel bad for all the as we say it in Toronto, "wiggers", who think it'll be cool to go to a black school. As long as they don't take out important Canadian history and replace it with black history I'll be fine. There is room to teach both. I also hope that they don't do what the greek schools up here do and teach the culture as superior. I hate talking to fellow greeks who won't shut up about ancient Greece and how great it was. I also feel it would be important to have a majorty black staff, with a back principal, but with white, asian(both Indian and oriental), arab and west indian teachers as well, as it would nbe smart to expose the children to proper examples of all prominant races here in Toronto.

Once again, great idea. It feels good to be Canadian (as it always does).

ToOoOoN!!!:
  ;D

Real American:
They have all black schools with all black staff and curriculum here in America. They are called Afro-centric schools and they are 100% bullshit. They are supposed to"uplift self esteem and pride" among black students and ultimately improve their learning. Of course it doesn't work.

Basically they are always looking for new excuses to improve black people's poor academic performance. It is funny how other ethnic groups don't need these schools to achieve.

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