Inclusion in the Classroom : Examining Feelings of Inclusion of Newcomer and Aboriginal Students in Ontario's Public School System

Although schools have the potential to be inclusive spaces for children and youth from all backgrounds, the current study has found that in Ontario, newcomer and Aboriginal students’ perceptions of inclusion differ from those of their non-newcomer and non-Aboriginal counterparts. Through the analysis of a survey conducted in 2009 students enrolled in public, private or Catholic schools from grade 6 through 12, this essay compares the feelings of inclusion of newcomer and Aboriginal students in Ontario to those not falling within these two categories. Further, it determines whether or not the feelings of inclusion exhibited by the respondents in Ontario were similar to or different from those of their counterparts in the rest of the provinces. Interestingly, though newcomers in Ontario were actually found to feel more included in their schools than their non-newcomer counterparts, this was not the case in the rest of Canada, but, while Aboriginal students felt less included than their non-Aboriginal counterparts in all provinces, in Ontario the gap between the two groups was wider. This essay examines these findings and makes suggestions for improving inclusivity in Ontario’s school system. Key words: social inclusion; social exclusion; schools; newcomer children and youth; Aboriginal children and youth; colonialism.