Ontario school curriculum doubles down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

TORONTO—Despite repeated promises that the Ontario government would usher in a back-to-basics approach to education in the province’s public schools—and reject diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)—the current school curriculum actually increases its focus on DEI, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Rather than reducing or eliminating this type of content, the revamped school curriculum doubles down on DEI,” said Lydia Miljan, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Analyzing the Ontario Curriculum—How Has It Changed?

“Parents in Ontario should understand that, despite assurances from politicians, the provincial school curriculum still adheres to DEI concepts”

After winning election in 2018, over the next six years the Ontario government implemented a series of curriculum reforms to create an education system that “focuses on the fundamentals.”

However, the study—which used generative AI to examine Ontario’s curriculum documents for grades 1 to 12, comparing the latest curriculum with the previous iteration—found that, despite some changes, DEI remains a priority.

For example, the revised math curriculum includes more financial literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) but retains the existing “Equity and Inclusion” focus and introduces a new emphasis on “social-emotional learning” or SEL. According to the curriculum, SEL will help students “work collaboratively on math problems—expressing their thinking, listening to the thinking of others, and practising inclusivity—and in that way fostering healthy relationships.”

The current curriculum also instructs Ontario teachers to engage in "Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy" and consider the cultural backgrounds, lived experiences and identities of students. The curriculum instructs science teachers to “engage in continual self-reflection—and the critical analysis of various data—to understand and address the ways in which teacher identity and bias affect the assessment and evaluation of student learning.”

“Parents in Ontario should understand that, despite assurances from politicians, the provincial school curriculum still adheres to DEI concepts,” Miljan said.

Media Contact:
Lydia Miljan, Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:
Mark Hasium, Fraser Institute
604-688-0221 ext. 517
mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org