Streaming And Inclusivity

Abstract


 
 
 The purpose of our collaborative research is to explore the most significant ways in which streaming in high schools inhibit inclusivity. The negative impacts of streaming include: unequal career, educational, and life opportunities for Applied and Academic stream students; (Ontario Educators, 2023); social hierarchies/divisions (Hallan & Ireson, 2006); differences in mental health supports; and inequitable intellectual expectations based on race, gender, and socioeconomic position (Barry et al., 2022). Findings suggest that educators can improve experiences of student inclusivity in high schools by emphasizing the focus on the learning setting and student needs rather than on streams. Teacher Education programs can emphasize cultural competence and differentiated instruction. Governments can continue to dismantle streams by developing new accessible and inclusive curricula and utilizing a variety of accessible assessment approaches to dismantle systemic discrimination of streaming that marginalizes Black, Indigenous, racialized, low-income, disabled, and special needs students.