“The job of schools isn’t merely to prepare us to succeed in the world as it is. I think the job of schools is to build our capacity to imagine the world as it is not yet; the world as it could be, and then build towards that world if we so choose.”

Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, is an internationally recognized expert on educational policy, school reform, teacher preparation, and educational equity and social justice. He shares that schools are a place of ideological struggle where many groups converge and try to define who we are and what we are trying to become. He explains that this is why schools are seen as liberatory spaces for many.

He advocates for a more expansive perspective of what success in education looks like.

“Success shouldn’t be measures of how well assimilated or conformed you are to sort-of a narrow way of fitting in the world. Success really has to be far more expansive and disruptive. I think education should be getting us to question what we thought was conventional wisdom, not merely to absorb the conventional wisdom,” he says.

Join the conversation between Waterloo Region District School Board Director jeewan chanicka and Dr. Kevin Kumashiro as they dream together about a future education system that will benefit all and redefine success in education. Continue to dream with us at WRDSB as we work to transform the possibilities and potential for public education.

Learn more about WRDSB’s DreamEd initiative: https://dreamed.wrdsb.ca/

“When I think about the two row education, I think we need to aim towards valuing Indigenous languages, valuing Indigenous knowledge systems; the Indigenous literature, the research, the Indigenous science…All of those things that our people have from ancient times to modern times that we can contribute to the betterment of society.”

Diane Longboat, Knowledge Keeper, a citizen of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Turtle Clan, Mohawk, resident of Six Nations Grand River Territory, and founder of Soul of the Mother, shares how Indigenous wisdom, knowledge, spirituality and way of life should be brought alongside and seen as valid as what is currently taught in schools - much like the Two Row Wampum. Longboat says the education system of the future needs to embody principles that recognize each person as a sacred being with beautiful and unique gifts. Spiritual community leaders provide an essential connection to school boards to help students understand their learning experiences and reach their full potential. “Spiritual training is essential. And I think that’s what we represent as spiritual leaders in our communities. We represent an essential connection to school boards to bring that into the school system,” she says.

Join the conversation between Waterloo Region District School Board Director jeewan chanicka and Diane Longboat as they dream about the future of the education system. Continue to dream with us at WRDSB as we work to transform the possibilities and potential for public education.

Learn more about WRDSB’s DreamEd initiative: https://dreamed.wrdsb.ca/

Important Notice to Listeners Thanks for listening to the DreamEd Podcast. Please note: This DreamEd Podcast episode includes brief references to suicide, alcoholism, drug and substance use, and sex and human trafficking in reference to teaching students about safety and supporting well-being. Please take care as you listen to this episode. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please reach out to local mental health resources, your healthcare provider, or a caring and trusted adult.

“The conversation has to be across sectors, and across generations, and across the country.”

Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education, takes us through her vision for an education system built on partnerships across sectors and across industries, to make schools true hubs of their communities.

Kidder explains how these partnerships must be anchored in a shared understanding of public education as an asset in Ontario and across Canada, with more than 90% of children in Canada attending public schools. Partnerships can amplify public education’s ability to address numerous societal challenges, whether it be poverty, polarization, climate change, or the labour market. “What gets left out in terms of the possible solution, or the thing that could be driving change for society, is public education,” said Kidder.

Join the conversation between Waterloo Region District School Board Director jeewan chanicka and Annie Kidder as they discuss the future of the education system. Dream with us at WRDSB as we work to transform the possibilities and potential for public education.

Learn more about WRDSB’s DreamEd initiative: https://dreamed.wrdsb.ca/