In 1970, the Toronto Board of Education (Toronto’s pre-amalgamation school board) recognized a need to diversifying its K-12 curriculum. Studies conducted by the Board had shown that Black student’s learning outcomes lagged behind that of White students. In response, Black teachers and community members called for a diversification of the provincial curriculum, stating that a growingly diverse student body required learning materials that reflected their lived experience. This call for educational diversity has been echoed by community members in the decades since, with numerous provincial studies highlighting Ontario’s need for curriculum reform. Though some steps have been made, the Ontario government has continually blocked community engagement and stalled needed diversification of the provincial curriculum. The Ontario curriculum to remains Eurocentric, failing to represent the lives of non-White students.
