Welcome to The Centre for Urban Schooling (CUS)
The Centre for Urban Schooling is dedicated to improving the quality of the teaching
and learning experiences available to children and youth living in underserved urban communities. Established in 2005, at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, CUS carries out academic and contracted research, offers educational programs and professional development opportunities, and supports students, teachers, schools, parents and district boards in the development of school reform initiatives that have a clear focus on equity for all students.
To learn more about who we are and what we do, please click on the links at left.
____________________
William Waters Scholarships in Urban Education.
For interested in-coming (2010-2011) full-time Masters students - please take note of this opportunity to apply for a very significant scholarship related to Urban Education.
Click on "scholarship" link for more information
The Miyumi Sasaki Education Fund
Miyumi Sasaki was an ardent advocate for social justice and equity in education and in the larger community. She taught in inner-city Toronto schools for many years, and in the three years before her untimely death in March of 2007, she was the course director of a highly acclaimed urban teacher education program located in Regent Park. She is deeply missed by her family and many friends and colleagues. In memory of her devotion to education, a scholarship fund has been created in her name, dedicated to student teachers who plan to make their own contribution to urban education.
Eligibility for the Scholarship Fund: to be awarded to one or more undergraduate initial teacher education student(s) on the basis of financial need, a demonstrated commitment to social justice and equity, and an expressed intent to teach in an inner city neighbourhood. Preference will be given to applicants who have been influenced by, and/or who have a connection to, an inner city community.
Application process: Students must submit a one to two page letter of application along with two references to the Centre for Urban Schooling Miyumi Sasaki Inner City Scholarship in Initial Teacher Education Committee. The application letter and references should be sent, preferably by e-mail, to Jeff Kugler, Executive Director, Centre for Urban Schooling at: jkugler@oise.utoronto.ca. This year there will be two recipients, one elementary and one secondary. Each recipient will receive an award of $575.00.
Application deadline: January 15, 2010
___________________
Up-coming events:
NOVEMBER
Urban Arts High Schools (UAHS) Project Presents - Nov. 9th, 2009
Phase 1: Priliminary Report from UAHS Project.
November 9th, from 5:00-6:30pm OISE Ground Floor Education Commons, Library, 252 Bloor Street W., Toronto. See "flyer" for more information
Forum on Equity and Social Justice in Education (FESJ) - Nov. 10th, 2009
The Centre for Urban Schooling is very pleased to renew our forum on urban/inner city educational issues. This forum is an opportunity for practitioners and academics to focus on a particular area of urban education and its connections to equity and social justice in inner city schools. In 2009-2010, FESJ will focus on urban education, culture and the arts.
Grappling with the Hardest Questions: Why Must Schools Talk Openly About Race and Achievement and What Happens When They Do
"Closing the achievement gap" has become a cause célèbre, invoked in newscasts, political speeches and cocktail party banter. Yet how does such a cause become reality?
Current profiles compiled by No Child Left Behind data label and break down each student by race, culture, gender, language, and social class. Yet questions about how these distinctions actually impact learning - as opposed to test scores - are ignored.
Dr. Linda Nathan, headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy, has found that openly discussing these challenging and sometimes painful issues is making a difference. Please join us as Dr. Nathan discusses her new book, The Hardest Questions Aren't on the Test: Lessons From an Innovative Urban School (Beacon Press, October 2009), and shares heartening successes, instructive failures and what is working for her school and students. Copies of the book will be made available for purchase.
Please see the flyer for more details. Information about the remaining FESJ sessions will be posted here, be sure to visit us often!
DECEMBER
Forum on Equity and Social Justice in Education (FESJ) - Dec. 1st, 2009
The Pastor Phelps Project: A Fundamentalist Cabaret
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Performance at, Robert Gill theatre - 7:00pm
214 College Street, 3rd Floor
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR, PAY WHAT YOU CAN, GENERAL SEATING
The Centre for Urban Schooling in co-sponsorship with the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama invites you to The Pastor Phelps Project, abut the very real fundamentalist pastor Fred Phelps.
Please see "flyer" for more information
back to top
____________________
Reports
2008-2009 Second Annual Report of CUS Activities - Academic Year 2008-2009
2009 CUS Full Framework for a Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy
2008 Towards a Multidimensional Framework for Student Engagement
2007-2008 First Annual Activities Report
____________________
*Update: Teacher Resources Added to the Website
Click on the new TEACHER RESOURCES tab on the menu at left.