Looking Backward and Forward: Fifty Years of Alternative Schools

Abstract

This chapter is a personal reflection on 45 years of experience with alternative schools in Toronto. It recognises the influence of A. S. Neill and the impact of the Canadian Hall–Dennis Report which contributed to lively discussions on what schools could be. It examines the political power of an NDP (New Democratic Party)-dominated Toronto Board of Education to create a rich menu of alternative schools. It discusses differences among philosophies of alternative schools and documents the establishment of City School in Toronto in 1980. Finally, the article explores some of the ongoing thorny issues facing alternative schools such as their relationship to teacher unions and the failure of some to attract significant numbers of visible minority students.