Close the Gap to Help All Children Succeed (From the General Secretary)

More than 40 years of research has shown that children from disadvantaged backgrounds do less well in school than their peers from wealthier families.

Disadvantaged children bring with them many issues: lack of adequate food and nutrition; lack of access to external professionals, such as psychologists, speech and hearing specialists, eye doctors, and dentists. Poor families often have a great deal of difficulty accessing broader health care and wellness programs that middle class families, or those with employer-sponsored benefit plans, take for granted. Making these specialists available in schools is part of the Toronto Model Schools program (see page 26) and requires ongoing financial support from the province.

But research also shows that the work teachers do makes a difference and this issue features examples of that work. As Joe Flessa points out (page 9), success for disadvantaged students depends on a balance of societal resources and teacher skills, creativity, and determination. With access to adequate resources the committed teacher can help all students succeed.

The key is providing the resources to support educators in this work. We know that children do not all learn the same way. We know that a broad array of programs is needed to tap the diverse talents children have, to instil in them the confidence that they can learn, to increase their self-esteem, and to allow them to succeed.

The programs required go beyond literacy and numeracy, although they contribute greatly to success in those areas. All children benefit tremendously when schools have teacher-librarians; music, drama, and art specialists; well-developed physical education and technology programs; and specialists who can assist with learning and behavioural difficulties. Middle-class parents can often pay for these kinds of programs out of their own pockets. When schools don’t provide this kind of learning, it is the children whose families can’t pay who are most disadvantaged.

It is exactly this kind of rich educational experience that can happen for all children when ETFO’s Closethe Gap campaign succeeds. The aim of our campaign is to ensure that per-pupil funding for elementary students is equal to that provided for secondary students. For decades elementary schools have been funded at a lower level because it was thought that secondary education was more important. We now know that the seeds for academic success are sown in a child’s formative years. The elementary years are the key to lifelong academic success.

Equal funding for elementary pupils will mean improved working conditions for teachers and better learning conditions for students: smaller class sizes at all grade levels, enriched and broadened programs and curriculum, and improved special education supports.

ETFO’s Close the Gap campaign will benefit all elementary educators and students, but it is disadvantaged children who will benefit most from the richer opportunities and increased resources that schools will have.