TORONTO, Nov. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ZOOM series of four free talks is designed for a broad audience interested in the past, present and future of Canadian education. Sponsor Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation is presenting the lectures under the title: Opening the Schoolhouse to All.

Speakers include academics, teachers, and community leaders whose work, writing, and public engagement have enhanced our understanding of the schooling world.

The first session (November 17) explores The Promise of Equity: Race, Multiculturalism, and Indigenous Education, and features panelists: Carl James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University; Natasha Henry, President of the Ontario Black History Society; University of Toronto’s, Rob Vipond, author of Making a Global City: How One School Embraced Diversity; and Ryerson University historian, Ian Mosby, a specialist in the study of indigenous health and the politics of settler colonialism. The session will be chaired by University of Toronto historian, Funké Aledejebi, author of the forthcoming book, Schooling the System: A History of Black Women Teachers.

Session Two (November 24) asks Are We Moving Closer to Gender Equity in Education? Former Premier and Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, will be joined on the panel by University of Waterloo Professor Kristina Llewellyn, author of Democracy’s Angels: The Work of Women Teachers; Toronto teacher Sachin Maharaj, a Toronto Star contributing columnist; and Jane Gaskell, former Dean of OISE-University of Toronto, and author of numerous publications on gender and education.

The third Session (January 12, 2021) is entitled: Doing the Right Thing: Disability, Autism and Special Education. Panelists include University of British Columbia Professor, Jason Ellis, author of A Class By Themselves: The Origins of Special Education in Toronto and Beyond; Natalie Spagnuolo from the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, and co-founder of Memory Witness and Hope: Sharing Stories About Surviving Institutions; Gillian Parekh, Canada Research Chair: Inclusion, Disability and Education at York University; and Margaret Spoelstra, President of Autism Ontario. Sue Winton of York’s Faculty of Education will chair the session.

The final session (January 19, 2021) turns to higher education, and asks “Does Liberal Education Matter in the 21st Century?” Lorna Marsden, former President of York University, is joined on the panel by Paul Gooch, past president of Victoria University in the University of Toronto and author of Course Correction: A Map for the Distracted University; the University of Waterloo’s Ian Milligan, author of History in the Age of Abundance? How the Web is Transforming Historical Research; and Qiang Zha, York University professor, and co-editor of International Status Anxiety and Higher Education: The Soviet Legacy in China and Russia. The session will be chaired by Paul Axelrod, former dean of York University’s Faculty of Education.

Through provocative questions and informed discussion, the series will probe the achievements, limitations and prospects of schooling and higher education in disquieting times.

Series Co-ordinators are Paul Axelrod, Professor Emeritus, York University and Jason Ellis, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia.

All sessions begin at 7 P.M. The Free series will be recorded and made available to everyone. Registration at EnochTurnerSchoolhouse.ca for the first two sessions is open!

The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation is a not-for-profit charity with the registration number 11927 2862 RR0001. Its mission is to support the conservation, interpretation and public enjoyment of the Schoolhouse; to develop and finance Schoolhouse education programs; to celebrate and promote the Schoolhouse, to build and maintain public support for the Schoolhouse.

Questions about Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation: info@enochturnerschoolhouse.ca. The Schoolhouse is located at 106 Trinity Street Toronto, ON M5A 3C6.

Contacts:
Paul Axelrod, paxelrod@edu.yorku.ca 647-808-2997
Jason Ellis, j.ellis@ubc.ca @jasone_history
Lynne Kurylo, lkurylo@georgebrown.ca 416-415-5000, ext 3298
Leonard Knott, PR, leonard.knott@gmail.com 416-988-3290
Miriah Bough, miriah.bough@gmail.com 416-327-6997