A Discourse Analysis of Peel District School Board Documents: Situating the Realities of Black Male Students

This paper used a methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the education of Black males in the Peel District School Board. Using a theoretical framework comprised of anti-Black racism I examined four documents published by the Peel District School Board: Safe Schools Policy, Equity and Inclusive Education Policy, We Rise Together report, and Fighting an Uphill Battle: Report on the Consultations into the Well-Being of Black Youth in Peel Region. My findings revealed three main discourses evident from the policy documents, which are the following: 1) institutional/systemic racism, and 2) discourse of fairness, objectivity, and neutrality, and 3) Whiteness. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for Black males and Black families.