Unit 8
Diversity, Equity, and Fairness

Overview

Because Canada is constitutionally and demographically a multicultural society, teachers, despite the difficulties, would be failing in their duties as educators if they did not make the necessary adjustments to their teaching. Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates, “This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural inheritance of Canadians.”

And now that equality and non-discrimination are constitutionally protected rights, educators must also be cognizant of their legal, professional, and ethical responsibilities. For instance, Section 15 of the Canadian Charter, which lays down the principles of equality and non-discrimination on enumerated and non-enumerated grounds, has been used by many plaintiffs in a variety of educational conflicts, including cases concerning students’ rights, teachers’ duties, and teachers’ employment. Other sections of the Charter are also relevant.

In addition to considering the ethical dimensions of the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of their students, it is incumbent upon educators to understand the legal obligations and strategies required for implanting the principles of equity and fairness. Furthermore, when making decisions, it is important for teachers to have some knowledge of procedural and ethical due process so that they cannot be accused of unfairness, unreasonableness, or bias in their decisions.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. analyze decisions concerning equality and fairness from the consequentialist and nonconsequentialist perspectives.
2. analyze, using case method study, the applicability of moral theory to decisions teachers make where equality is an issue.
3. discuss the use of intuitive ethical decision making.
4. review ethical theories by applying them to hypothetical situations, such as de facto racial segregation or grading practices.
5. state why a school’s culture, methods, and objectives must be more inclusive, both on legal and moral grounds, of students with diverse backgrounds and educational needs.
6. discuss the teacher’s role in, and response to, the increasingly varied nature of students’ ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
7. explain the principle that to be ethical, a teacher must focus on openness, awareness, knowledge, and curriculum.
8. discuss the nature of fairness, equity, and equality in education.
9. explain the challenges teachers face in teaching across cultures.
10. identify ways of developing culturally appropriate curricula.
11. discuss the importance of dealing equitably with students who have nontraditional sexual orientations.
12. evaluate the impact legal cases such as Ross, Jubran, and Trinity College are having on the responsibilities of teachers, school boards, and teachers’ professional associations.
13. discuss the Canadian educational system’s failure to educate First Nations’ students.
14. outline the fundamental changes needed to address the educational needs of First Nations students.
15. discuss the notion that teachers are in the forefront of equity, equality, and fairness in education.
16. identify the challenges the Canadian education system faces, and the role of the law, with respect to special needs children.
17. outline the basic principles of due process in the expulsion or exclusion of students.