1. KNOWLEDGE NETWORK FOR
APPLIED EDUCATION RESEARCH
(KNAER)
Demographic Data and
Student Equity
Congress, CSSE, CASEA Symposium
June 2, 2013
Rob Brown, TDSB, and Louise Gormley, YCEC

2. InvestigatingAchievementScores BYDemographics - Pros
(1) Assess which groups are vulnerable & are underperforming
(2) Once clearly identified gaps are observed, programs can be
implemented to fill them
(3) Ability to monitor & assess improvements in the academic
functioning of vulnerable groups
(4) Encouraging the fulfillment of each student’s potential
(5) Moving closer to providing an educational system that is free of
systemic bias
(6) Increased achievement in society & more successful integration
by vulnerable groups into all levels of society

3. InvestigatingAchievement Scores BYDemographics - Cons
(1) Self-fulfilling prophecy - reduced sense of academic competence
(2) Stigma on members of certain groups in society. May increase
prejudicial attitudes & stereotyping
(3) May lead teachers to implicitly or subconsciously teach students
from underperforming groups below their potential
(4) Contributes to labelling & false homogenizing
(5) May be used by those in dominant positions to keep vulnerable
minorities down
(6) Potential backlash from parents & community members from high
achieving groups

4. Methodological
Considerations:
• No “one size fits all” so decisions such as variable
selection, frequency of data collection can be
made at school board level
• Data collection needs to follow accepted
protocols for ethical research and compliant with
privacy legislation
• May be helpful to consult with the Information
and Privacy Commissioner, and if applicable, the
Ontario Human Rights Commission

5. Suggestions for creating a
Community Consultations &
Communication Strategy
• Clearly communicate the rationale,
method and benefits of collecting data
• Clarify who has access to the information
& why;
• Outline how the information collected will
be handled and stored;
• Important to consult with appropriate
stakeholders throughout entire process

6. Communicating research
results:
• Plain language summaries
• Reframe the issues to avoid stigmatization of certain
groups (e.g. underserved vs underachieving)
• How the research findings will be applied to the goal of
improving the delivery and quality educational services:
• describe steps towards addressing gaps and barriers,
• give immediate and long-term timelines,
• Include how progress will be monitored and reported,
• describe process of inviting input from stakeholders
• Media Strategies (collaboratively planning key messages)

7. Moving forward:
To engage in further dialogue on these issues,
please contact us at:
York Centre for Education and Community
(YCEC) at ycec@edu.yorku.ca , or at 416-650-
8458.
Draft discussion paper available at:
http://knaer.wordpress.com/second-
discussion-forum/