Affiliative Networks 
Collectives within an organization that bring together employees with similar identities, backgrounds, experiences or interests, to provide members with connection and support, to offer a forum for the sharing of information and ideas, and to influence areas of work or the workplace.

Anti-Black Racism
Prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping or discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and colonization. Anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in Canadian institutions, policies and practices, to the point that it becomes a part of our systems.

Anti-Indigenous Racism
Anti-Indigenous racism is the ongoing race-based discrimination, negative stereotyping, and injustice experienced by Indigenous Peoples within Canada. It includes ideas and practices that establish, maintain and perpetuate power imbalances, systemic barriers, and inequitable outcomes that stem from the legacy of colonial policies and practices in Canada.

Anti-Racism
Anti-racism is a process, a systematic method of analysis, and a proactive course of action rooted in the recognition of the existence of racism, including systemic racism. Anti-racism actively seeks to identify, remove, prevent, and mitigate racially inequitable outcomes and power imbalances between groups and change the structures that sustain inequities. 

Bias-Free Progressive Discipline
Progressive Discipline is an approach to discipline through which principals determine appropriate consequences and/or supports to help students improve their behaviour, while taking into account individual circumstances, with the goal of ensuring that the inappropriate behaviour does not happen again. Accounting for “individual circumstances” in discipline decisions involves considering the student stage of growth and development; the nature and severity of the behaviour, and the impact of the behaviour on school climate. Bias-Free Progressive Discipline signifies an approach that, in practice, does not allow individual biases to influence discipline decisions, leading to disproportionate consequences for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students.

Black Student Networks
Networks of students who identify as Black currently existing within select TVDSB secondary schools. These networks developed organically out of informal Black student support networks that emerged to bring together staff, students and families.

Cultural Appropriation
The unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects. 

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP)
An approach to teaching that intentionally nurtures the uniqueness of each student in background, language, family structure, and social and cultural identity, integrating the student’s background and identity into curriculum and teaching to create effective conditions for learning.

CRRP has an institutional dimension, in the values demonstrated by administration and leadership in policy and procedure; a personal dimension, in the mindset of educators who are both self-aware and deeply knowledgeable of their students; and an instructional dimension, in the practices adopted by educators in a culturally responsive classroom. 

Culture
The customs, beliefs, behaviours and/or achievements of a particular time and/or people; beyond ethnicity, race and/or faith, encompassing broad notions of similarity and difference reflected in multiple social identities.

Culturally Safe Learning Environments
A culturally safe learning environment is one in which students feel comfortable about expressing their ideas, opinions, and needs and about responding authentically to topics that may be culturally sensitive.

De-streamed
Curriculum content that is not differentiated as between two “types” of courses (academic and applied), but instead is suitable for all students at a particular grade level, regardless of their wishes or intentions for post-secondary education and training. 

Disaggregated data
Disaggregated data is broken down into component parts or smaller units of data for statistical analysis. In the context of race-based data, this means breaking down the composite (aggregate) “racialized” category into its component parts such as Black, South Asian, East/Southeast Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, White, etc. 

Discrimination
Unfair treatment through either imposing a burden on a particular person or group, or denying them a privilege, benefit or opportunity enjoyed by others, because of their race, citizenship, family status, disability, sex or other personal characteristics.

Diversity Kits
Collections of tools and resources to support the use of particular texts by classroom educators. Texts are selected to reflect the diversity of the TVDSB community and explore topics such as gender identity and sexual orientation, mental health and well-being, and racial diversity. All Diversity Kits also contain curriculum connections and instruction prompts for educators to use in their classes.

Equity
A condition or state of fair, inclusive and respectful treatment of all people.  A distinct process of recognizing differences within groups of individuals and using this understanding to achieve substantive equality in all aspects of a person’s life.

Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs)
Student-run collectives that bring together students who identify as  2SLGBTQ+ with allied students to build a community of support and organize around issues impacting them in their schools. Alliances are supported by a dedicated staff member. 

Human Rights
The fundamental, universal rights that all citizens of the world have agreed we are all entitled to. Human rights are intrinsic, meaning we are born with them, and they are the same for every person. They are captured by the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which define in all aspects a life of equality, dignity, and respect, and a life free from discrimination. Countries have human rights laws to make sure that people and governments are held accountable if rights are not respected. In Canada, human rights are protected by provincial, territorial, federal, and international laws.

Intersectionality
Intersectionality is the way in which people’s lives are shaped by their multiple and overlapping identities and social locations, which, together, can produce a unique and distinct experience for that individual or group, for example, creating additional barriers, opportunities, and/or power imbalances.

In the context of race and Indigenous identity, this means recognizing the ways in which people’s experiences of racism or privilege, including within any one group, may vary depending on the individual’s or group’s relationship to additional overlapping or intersecting social identities, like religion, ethnic origin, gender, age, disabilities or citizenship and immigration status.

Marginalized
Describing groups that become permanently confined to the fringes of society through a long-term, structural process of systemic discrimination (“marginalization”) that creates a class of disadvantaged minorities. The marginalized status of groups is perpetuated through various dimensions of exclusion, particularly in the labour market, from full and meaningful participation in society.

Minoritized
Used in place of the noun “minority” to highlight the social oppression that minoritizes individuals. Minoritized groups are those defined as minorities by the dominant group that is numerically larger. The label of “minority” suggests that a group is subordinate to the larger, dominant group.  The term minoritized extends beyond race to include, for example, other identities and experiences of non-majority populations such as and not limited to: 2SLGBT2Q+, newcomers to Canada, people affected by poverty, etc.. 

Oppression/Anti-oppression
The use of power to disempower, marginalize, silence or otherwise subordinate one social group or category often further empowering and/or privileging the oppressor. / An active and consistent process of change to equalize power imbalances through the elimination of individual, institutional and systemic oppression and injustice.

Pathways
Describes the three types of programs available to secondary students in the Ontario curriculum: academic, applied and locally developed. Pathways are intended to connect students with particular post-secondary education options – academic programs prepare students for entry into university; applied programs prepare students for college or apprenticeship; locally developed programs support students with entry into the workforce. 

Promoting Positive Behaviour Toolkit 
A collection of resources, tip sheets and other tools, carefully selected to reflect strong research and evidence-based practices, to support staff to create positive, safe school climate. The Toolkit is intended to contain quick references to help staff understand student learning and social-emotional needs and assist staff in addressing behaviour concerns as they arise. 

Racialized
Racial meaning attributed to a person or group based on geographic, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors, as well as physical traits, in ways that negatively impact their social, political, and economic life.

Restorative Practices
A set of strategies rooted in restorative justice that emphasize repairing the harm done to people and relationships through negative behavior or conduct, rather than punishment of the perpetrator(s). Use of restorative practices in classrooms and schools supports social-emotional learning by all parties, student mental health, belonging and inclusion and therefore helps to build supportive learning environments for all students. 

Safe and Inclusive Schools Plan (SISP)
A plan created by each elementary and secondary school, replacing the former Safe and Accepting Schools Plan and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan, the goal of which is to create and maintain a positive school climate. A positive school climate is understood as one in which principles of equity and inclusive education are embedded in the learning environment. A SISP Team in each school identifies local priorities and goals, and is responsible for creating and implementing a plan to meet those goals – as well as for monitoring progress throughout the year. 

School Improvement Plans (SIPs)
A roadmap that sets out the changes a school needs to make to improve levels of student achievement, identifying goals, strategies, timelines and methods of measurement. A school’s SIP is developed by its principal, teachers, school council, families/caregivers and community members and identifies the roles and responsibilities of each. 

Student Associations
Groups or networks of students within schools that bring together students who share a particular identity, e.g. Black Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Indigenous Student Associations. Association activities are student-led, with the support of a dedicated staff member.

Student Success Teacher (SST)
An educator in each secondary school who supports school-wide efforts to improve outcomes for students with a focus on knowing and tracking the progress of students at risk of not graduating in order to re-engage and provide direct support to those students. The SST forms part of the school’s Student Success Team, together with the principal, a guidance counsellor and a special education teacher.

Systemic Racism
The existence of institutions or systems that create or maintain racial inequity, often as a result of hidden institutional biases in policies, practices and procedures that privilege some groups and disadvantage others.

Third Path/Third Path Toolkit
An approach to student well-being and achievement that focuses on a caring, intentional, and responsive educator/student relationship as essential for a student’s learning and growth.  More broadly, the Third Path encourages the establishment of eight conditions describing a hierarchical series of needs (e.g. belonging, engagement) that create an environment for all students to thrive. The TVDSB Toolkit is a collection of tools, training and resources that support educators, administrators and staff to develop their capacity to implement a Third Path approach.

Trauma-Sensitive Practice/Approach
Sometimes referred to as Trauma-Informed Practice, an approach to creating welcoming, caring, respectful and safe schools that acknowledges the impact of prolonged stress created by neglect, abuse, and other forms of trauma, on students’ well-being and their availability and capacity for learning. The approach focuses on creating learning environments that are calm, predictable and supportive, including through educator strategies that show empathy and healthy ways to handle emotions and relating to others.  

Two-Spirit
An English umbrella term to reflect and restore Indigenous traditions forcefully suppressed by colonization, honouring the fluid and diverse nature of gender and attraction and its connection to community and spirituality. It is used by some Indigenous People rather than, or in addition to identifying as 2SLGBTQ+.

Tasks:

Provide professional learning to educators on the use of tools and information that promote an understanding of each student’s interests, abilities, needs and identity, to inform responsive instruction and assessment (e.g. Student Profile, Learning Engagement & Activity Profile). 

Provide professional learning to administrators and educators in Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP), Trauma-sensitive approaches and Restorative Practices. 

Develop and share a decision-making tool for educators to identify, select and use culturally relevant and responsive resources that reflect a range of student identities and promote social justice education.  

Update resources that affirm student identities and provide representation of minoritized communities in broader societies, (e.g. Diversity Kits, Third Path Toolkit, Promoting Positive Behaviour Toolkit).

Offer First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies courses throughout TVDSB Secondary Schools, ensuring educators are well prepared to teach the courses through ongoing professional learning and support from the Indigenous Education team. 

Ensure schools develop initiatives that affirm student identities based on input from staff and students with relevant lived experiences. 

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Professional learning feedback forms. 

Feedback and use of tools, toolkits and resources. 

Availability of culturally relevant learning materials in libraries as tracked on library inventories.

What this will tell us:

Educators will have a better understanding of student identity, ability and experiences which informs culturally relevant and responsive instruction and assessment. 

Resources and learning opportunities will represent and affirm student identities and the diverse identities in broader society.

Number of students enrolled in the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies courses.  

Tasks:

Ensure that all TVDSB schools have all-gender washrooms.  

Develop a document with information and guidance for supporting Indigenous Students and Families/Caregivers. 

Develop a document with information and guidance for supporting Black Students and Families/Caregivers.   

Develop a document with information and guidance for supporting Students and Families/Caregivers of all Faiths and Creeds. 

Support schools to develop and execute a Safe and Inclusive Schools Plan.

Support schools to identify opportunities for dedicated space for Indigenous Students in their buildings, with guidance from the Indigenous Education team and input from the Indigenous students and families. 

Ensure that TVDSB schools with an Oneida language program have a dedicated classroom for Oneida language learners.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Number of schools with all-gender washrooms.  

Inclusion of stakeholders and representative voices in the creation of information and guidance documents.  

Distribution and use of information and guidance documents among administrators, educators, and staff. 

Safe & Inclusive Schools Plans. 

Student voice data from student networks and student conference..

What this will tell us:

All students, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black or minoritized will experience increased safety, affirmation of identity and inclusion.  

Tasks:

Support established Black Student Networks by establishing meeting dates, ensuring that staff advisors are in place to facilitate meetings, working with TVDSB communications department to encourage student participation. 

Encourage schools to organize student alliances for minoritized students, such as Gay Straight Alliances, Indigenous Student Associations, Black Student Associations, Muslim Student Associations etc. 

Offer Indigenous, Black and minoritized students conference opportunities that deepens understanding of identity, intersectionality, equity and ways to engage in positive change. 

Develop a Student Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee representative of diverse identities of students to consult on student-related policies, programs and initiatives.

Support the establishment of an Indigenous Student Advisory Council. 

Provide opportunities for students to learn more about the diverse identities and experiences within their school community and TVDSB.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Student participation in networks, alliances, conferences, and advisory committee.  

Student voice feedback from network, alliance, conference, and committee participants. 

Feedback from staff advisors for networks and student alliances.

What this will tell us:

Indigenous, Black and minoritized students will experience increased safety, affirmation of identity and inclusion. 

TVDSB will develop an understanding about what is going well for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students and how these students continue to be underserved.   

Tasks:

Offer professional learning for Senior Administration, System Leaders, School Administrators and Educators in areas of equity, anti-oppression, anti-racism and Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP).  

Update resources such as Diversity Kits, Third Path Toolkit, Promoting Positive Behaviour Toolkit to support understanding of equity, anti-oppression, anti-racism and culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy. 

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Professional learning feedback forms. 

Use of tools, toolkits and resources through feedback form. 

Application of CRRP, Trauma-sensitive and Restorative Practices through information gathered related to suspensions and attendance..

What this will tell us:

Staff capacity to address disproportionalities and disparities in outcomes for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students will increase. 

Areas of further learning needs for staff related to equity, anti-oppression and anti-racism will be identified.    

Tasks:

Administer the Every Student Belongs Survey to collect identity-based data about the students in TVDSB. 

Analyze student demographic data to identify and address disparities in outcomes. 

Build the capacity of administrators, educators and staff to utilize student demographic data and understand the gaps in outcomes of marginalized and minoritized students through professional learning opportunities.  

Support Safe and Inclusive Schools Plan (SISP) Teams to identify, understand and make decisions based on data related to disparities for marginalized and minoritized students.  

Identify strengths and successes evidenced by student data to ensure continued support for best practices. 

Review, analyze, and address the strengths and gaps identified in the data of self-identified Indigenous Students. 

Establish benchmarks of data to be shared with system leaders to measure progress. 

Develop a comprehensive learning plan for staff that builds their knowledge about Indigenous People.  .

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Student participation in survey. 

Safe and Inclusive Schools Plans. 

Professional Learning feedback forms. 

What this will tell us: 

Who the students that we serve are. 

What the student outcome gaps are and for whom. 

Decisions to address gaps in student outcomes for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students will be informed by data. 

Tasks:

Engage in a Ministry of Education project piloting Grade 9 de-streamed Math & English to eliminate the disparity and disproportionality of Indigenous, Black and minoritized students whose outcomes have been traditionally impacted by being placed in Pathways that limit their post-secondary choices. 

Develop professional learning, resources and system supports to successfully implement de-streamed Grade 9 Math across schools in TVDSB. 

Provide professional learning related to Bias-free Progressive Discipline and Restorative Practices to address the disparity and disproportionality of suspensions received by Indigenous, Black and minoritized students.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Grade 9 Student feedback from pilot Ministry of Education project. 

Grade 9 achievement data and pathway selections

Professional learning attendance and feedback forms.

Suspension data for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students.

What this will tell us:

Students and families will be supported to make informed decisions related to Pathway choices. 

Administrators, educators and staff will implement CRRP practices when planning, delivering and assessing Grade 9 de-streamed Math and English. 

Suspensions for Indigenous, Black and minoritized students will be reduced.  

Tasks:

Establish an Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee to offer community voice and diverse perspectives on the development of System initiatives to promote equity. 

Provide professional learning to administrators, educators and staff related to equitable approaches to parent, family and caregiver engagement.  

Share Promoting Positive Behaviour toolkit with teachers and administrators to support the use of a restorative approach when engaging families/caregivers in progressive discipline conversations. 

Offer restorative practices training to administrators, teachers, school social workers. 

Plan a Student and Family Voice conference where students from Indigenous, Black and minoritized identities are invited to provide feedback and suggestions to improve the social and academic experience in our schools.

Ensure the TVDSB Indigenous Education team is included in developing approaches to engage with Indigenous students, families, caregivers, staff, and communities.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Participation, engagement and feedback from Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee members. 

Meeting agendas. 

Educator, staff and administrator participation in Professional Learning. 

Professional learning feedback forms. 

Feedback and use of tools, toolkits and resources. 

Student and Family voice conference feedback.

What this will tell us:

Relationships and trust are strengthened among Advisory Committee members to support further collaboration. 

Opportunities for further learning and sharing within the Advisory Committee 

Educators, staff and administration are using tools, toolkits, resources and training to develop equitable parent, family and caregiver engagement strategies. 

Successful strategies for supporting Indigenous, Black and minoritized students and their families; areas of need for these students and families.   

Tasks:

Create opportunities for supported collaboration of minoritized staff members through the establishment of affiliative networks. 

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Number of affiliative networks established to represent minoritized staff and number of staff participants. 

Number of meetings held by the affiliative networks. 

Feedback from affiliative group members.

What this will tell us:

Increase in partnership and collaboration among members of affiliative networks will be formed. 

Strengthened relationships with minoritized staff members will be established. 

Objective 1: Diversify applicants for TVDSB staff positions.

Tasks:

Develop and implement an Equitable Recruitment Strategy to increase representation of minoritized staff at all levels of the organization. 

Enhance existing community connections to identify new opportunities for outreach and recruitment activities in underrepresented communities.  

Participate in job fairs and other recruitment activities to intentionally attract applicants with underrepresented identities and backgrounds.  

Expand and diversify the TVDSB workforce by advertising on websites and social media with an intentional focus on underrepresented communities. 

Collect and analyze voluntary racial identity data from all new TVDSB employees.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Number of staff hired, retained and promoted representing minoritized groups from Staff Census and new hire data. 

Number of outreach and recruitment activities held in underrepresented communities.

What this will tell us:

Representation of minoritized staff at all levels of the organization will increase. 

Community connections to support recruitment of underrepresented communities will increase.  

Objective 2: Ensure equitable access to employment by removing barriers and biases in the hiring process.

Tasks:

Review employment assessment guidelines, scoring rubrics and other documentation requirements in the selection process to identify gaps in consistency and transparency. 

Create assessment tools to support diversity and equity in staff hiring. 

Expand bias-aware training program to all individuals involved in the hiring process.  

Ensure shortlisting and selection decisions are made by at least two hiring committee members.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Regular reviews of job competitions. 

The existence of assessment guidelines, scoring rubrics, and other documentation to support transparent decision-making in the hiring process. 

Number of participants in bias-aware training.

What this will tell us:

Candidates will experience a consistent and transparent hiring process. 

Staff involved in hiring will have tools and strategies to acknowledge and examine personal bias and its impact.

Objective 3: Develop equitable promotional practices and procedures to increase staff diversity in leadership roles.

Tasks:

Review Vice Principal and Principal application packages and interview questions to ensure that all candidates are required to provide evidence of equity work in their current role.  

Review hiring and onboarding practices with new external Vice Principals and Principals to understand their experiences and identify any barriers in the process. 

Ensure that leadership opportunities are provided to all employee groups, including those from underserved communities, through the lead program.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Frequency of review of application and interview questions.  

Number of successful Vice Principal and Principal candidates. 

Identified gaps in hiring and onboarding process. 

Staff Census data to measure staff diversity in leadership roles.

What this will tell us:

Representation of underrepresented staff in leadership roles will increase. 

Identified gaps and barriers will be removed. 

Representation of underrepresented staff aspiring to be leaders in TVDSB will increase.  

Objective 1: Build educator, staff and administrator understanding of principles of human rights, Indigenous rights, anti-oppression and equity as outlined in plans, policies, practices, and guidelines.

Tasks:

Provide professional learning and resources to Administrators, educators and staff in areas of equity, anti-oppression, anti-racism, Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP), Indigenous rights and human rights.  

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Professional learning feedback forms. 

Trends in complaints and support requests related to the implementation of plans, policies, practices, guidelines.. 

Policies and guidelines related to Human Rights in schools and classrooms developed. 

Consistent process for human rights complaints created/developed.

What this will tell us:

Staff have increased capacity to respond to issues related to equity, human rights, Indigenous rights, anti-oppression and anti-racism. 

Learning opportunities provided respond to gaps in staff and administrator learning.  

Objective 2: Embed human rights principles, practices to uphold Indigenous rights, anti-oppression strategies, and equity practices in all system and school-level planning, classroom practices, guidelines, policies.

Tasks:

Review all TVDSB policies and procedures under revision to ensure compliance with, and advancement of principles of equity, inclusion and human rights. 

Identify gaps and areas of need in policy guidance. 

Develop, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, new policies and procedures to guide equitable practices in schools, classrooms, and community. 

Create a consistent process for human rights complaints from students, families and staff. 

Support schools to incorporate equity focused monitors and measures in School Improvement Plans. 

Provide system-wide direction and support on human rights issues in schools and classrooms (e.g. prohibition of the use of racial slurs and epithets). 

Develop a consistent process for responding to classroom practices that cause harm or create negative experiences for students that supports staff understanding of culturally safe learning environments. 

Develop a system document/guidelines on how to avoid Cultural Appropriation and a process that addresses Cultural Appropriation when it takes place that includes professional learning for staff and support in communication of wrongdoing to students and families.

Key Indicators:
What we will monitor and measure:

Number of policies and procedures reviewed through the Equity and Inclusive Education (EIE) Policy Review Committee process. 

Number of existing policies and procedures adapted and created to support goals related to equity and inclusion. 

Review of School Improvement Plans to ensure equity focused monitors and measures. 

Policies and guidelines related to Human Rights in schools and classrooms developed. 

Consistent process for human rights complaints created/developed.

What this will tell us:

More tools are available to guide the conduct and practice of educators, staff and administrators in relation to equity and human rights.  

Expectations for the conduct and practice of all TVDSB employees and community partners are clear and transparent.