Faculty of Education at York University
Vision
As a leading education faculty in Canada, we will foster a view of education as an engagement of intellectual, ethical, social, and interpersonal relationships.
We will achieve this by:
1.
Enacting practices of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization in our scholarly and community work
2.
Undertaking academic research that is vital in its energy, sustainable in capacity and informs a pedagogy of excellence
3.
Leveraging democratic models of governance and knowledge
Guiding Principles for the Next Five Years
Over the next five years, we will lead and innovate guided by the following principles:
The Faculty of Education is committed to enact equitable, inclusive, and decolonizing social change. To this end, the Faculty of Education values diversity as a vital resource to:
- cultivate a culture of mentorship and support for all members of the Faculty community while seeking to eliminate marginalization of equity deserving groups through targeted consultation and equitable deployment of resources
- advance decolonization through the ongoing review of faculty resources, pedagogies, policies, and practices through collegial dialogue to drive actions
- identify and remove barriers faced by historically under-represented faculty, students and staff to facilitate access and equity work with high schools and York faculties (e.g., LAPS, Science) in the active recruitment of Black and Indigenous students for direct-entry, concurrent, and consecutive/2-year after degree UG programs, and graduate programs
- engage in community outreach activities which encourage mutually beneficial exchange of ideas between the university and surrounding community, especially with marginalized populations
- engage Black members of the York community in decision-making to advance the university-wide frameworks – Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework on Black Inclusion and Action Plan on Black Inclusion
- enhance understanding of indigeneity and the implementation of the recommendations for education in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada honour the Indigenous traditional territories that York is situated on by ensuring that our programs, pedagogies, policies and scholarship respect/include the original peoples and their lands
- foster relationships with the Indigenous community through the meaningful support of Wüléelham cohort at York
The Faculty of Education is committed to undertaking research and scholarship that is vital in its energy and sustainable in capacity, demonstrating local, national, and international impact. We seek multiple and divergent ways of representing knowledge as we:
- engage in multidisciplinary research that spans the humanities, arts, social and natural sciences and employs a diverse range of complex methodologies and ways of knowing
- leverage synergies across York faculties to bring myriad perspectives and address challenges in innovative ways
- seek internal and external funding opportunities to support inquiries consistent with our diversity within a Research-Intensive university and to affirm Black and Indigenous research and researchers
- co-construct research with community partners to generate meaningful impact across a range of contexts
- respect the diversity in Indigenous ways of knowing/doing/being in research as sacred and time immemorial practices that embody community, land and the more-than-human beings
The Faculty of Education seeks to be a leader in curriculum and pedagogy through theoretically informed, research-based practices to:
- place diverse student experiences and wellbeing at the centre of teaching and supervision
- facilitate research-intensive learning opportunities through advanced study in the graduate program
- develop capacity to respond effectively to challenges in times of uncertainty
- integrate decolonizing pedagogies throughout course content
- create fora to share teaching and supervisory practices and celebrate student success
- respectfully contribute to Indigenous education and the communities by providing the capacity for Waaban teacher education and the Urban Indigenous Education graduate programs to thrive and grow
The Faculty of Education is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 4, Quality Education: “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” As global changemakers, we seek to support democratic education for social justice through the following commitments:
- advocate for equitable access to education across local, national, and international communities
- strengthen and expand mutually supportive global partnerships for change
- build and maintain local and international networks for the exchange of scholarly and professional knowledge
- foster an understanding of the financial health of the faculty and its role in sustaining our commitment to quality education and the advancement of social justice through our programs and research
- prioritize truth and reconciliation efforts with the Indigenous community, for example, by supporting the Wüléelham visioning sessions on education and their outcomes
The Faculty of Education is committed to developing innovative curriculum and program supports to:
- engender collegial discussion on critical topics such as indigeneity, anti-Black racism, decolonization, and human rights
- undertake necessary analyses to review and respond to internal and external evaluative feedback (e.g., Cyclical Program Reviews, student feedback and surveys etc.) to ensure program coherence
- attend responsively to student pathways from recruitment to post-graduation to promote student success
- critically reflect on the challenges and successes of Wüléelham at York and learn from these experiences and stories as a way forward to build Indigenous capacity
The Faculty of Education is committed to strong and productive democratic governance through our equitable adherence to Senate policy. To this end, we:
- implement transparent mechanisms in our decision making to be accountable to all stakeholders
- collectively advance the six priorities of the University Academic Plan (21st Century Learning, Knowledge for the Future, From Access to Success, Advancing Global Engagements, Working in Partnership, and Living Well Together)
- actively value diverse viewpoints as generative and democratic
- exercise an ethics of care within the faculty in support of mental health and work-life balance
- utilize Institutional Resource Plans (IRPs) to set and evaluate accountable annual targets across all domains
- honour Universities Canada Principles on Indigenous Education by ensuring that The Indigenous Framework for York University: A Guide to Action is enacted and built upon in a good way as part of our governance practices
These guiding principles will inform our programs, research, relationships, and partnerships.
