Over 20 years ago, the book Stacking the Deck: The Streaming of Working Class Kids in Ontario Schools asked,“Will we waste another generation?” The book was written in the wake of a government commission that recommended the abolition of ability grouping and the deferral of streaming in schools until Grade 10; and subsequent destreaming initiatives met strong resistance from some parents and teachers committed to the status quo.
Today, destreaming—and the deepening of student equality that goes with it—is not really part of the public debate about education. Yet the research evidence indicating that working-class and minoritized youth do better in schools with mixed-ability grouping and that youth from more affluent backgrounds do no worse under these circumstances remains compelling.
A new iteration of that early book, Restacking the Deck: Streaming by class, race and gender in Ontario schools, takes a close look at whether today's students are well-served by the present system, and speaks to the need for a destreamed schooling reform.
Click here to preview and order this special of Our Schools/Our Selves, Restacking the Deck: Streaming by class, race and gender in Ontario schools.