Education Pluralism

What is Ontario going to do about its private schools? Cardus explores the need for a serious policy review in this discussion paper by Dr. Derek Allison, emeritus professor in the education faculty at Western University. "Something of a chilly climate has developed toward non-public schools in Ontario," writes Allison. This report argues to politicians, bureaucrats, and fellow citizens that both private and public education are goods that can be intertwined and made interdependent to foster a stable, orderly, and integrated society.

This report explores how learning continued in Ontario’s independent schools during the continuous and disruptive school closures of the 2020–21 school year. It also investigates the financial, promotional, and business impact of these disruptions.

The heart of democratic education lies in preparing the next generation to join the community of citizens. Indeed, state-funded public education developed out of the imperative to inculcate the civic knowledge, skills, and attachment necessary for democratic governance. But what is the role of independent schools in the process of civic formation and social cohesion? Do they help or hinder the development of democratic citizenship? What oversight should governments exercise over them? And should governments fund such schools as part of public education writ large?