Race-Conscious Futures and Educational Justice: Transforming Human Rights Policy Implementation in Ontario’s K–8 Schools

• In Event: Implementing Justice: Race-Conscious Policy Futures and the Practice of Educational Equity

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the implementation of human rights policies to address systemic racism in Ontario’s K–8 public schools, signaling an urgent need to reimagine the structures of policy implementation, educational leadership and accountability within Ontario and beyond. Through interviews with educational leaders, it reveals a significant gap between policy intentions and practice. Without sustained investment and oversight, human rights policies risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative. Drawing on Critical Policy Analysis and Policy Implementation Theory, this study examines how leadership and power dynamics influence policy implementation. It concludes with actionable recommendations for transforming policies into justice-centered practices that embed racial equity and human rights into school culture, leadership practice, and institutional structures for systemic change.

Author

• Shezadi Khushal, University of Toronto - OISE