Reports on recent College activities and a selection of announcements, events and initiatives in the wider education community.
Toronto Council of Educators
Access to higher education for everyone
United by a common desire to improve postsecondary education access for low-income and historically marginalized youth, representatives of school boards, colleges and universities in Toronto are coming together to identify, share and promote effective strategies.
The Toronto Council of Educators (TCE) - expected to be in full operation this fall - "is a place where all the [access] programs that are being offered can be understood and catalogued and where we can learn from one another's best practice and best ideas," says inaugural chairman John Davies, president of Humber College and former director of the TDSB. Ideally, teachers, counsellors and parents could use the information to assist students struggling to navigate the route from high school to higher education.
The new council will receive $100,000 from the TD Bank over the next two years. The TD Bank has a corporate interest in access issues for young people across the country, says Scott Mullin, vice-president of community relations. "It seems pretty clear to us that recent developments around the topic suggest that you have to offer more than bursaries and scholarships."
The council's first public event will be an expo of access initiatives and resources - to be held this fall in co-operation with the United Way of Greater Toronto and community organizations - to publicize what's already working well.
The council expects to have a web site in place by September. For more information, TCE program manager Helen Tewolde can be reached at htewolde@toronto.ca.
