Diversity – Equity – Inclusion

Equitable and inclusive education practices are necessary for all learners to develop and prosper and are critical in building a society that is inclusive of all people and their basic legal, civil and human rights. These practices promote the best interest of the learner, dignity, social cohesion, and a sense of belonging. A complete and equitable school experience includes active participation in learning and positive interactions with peers and others within the school community.

Inclusive education is put into practice within school communities that value diversity and nurture the well-being, quality of learning, and future success of each of their members. Inclusive education is based on learners’ diverse identities, languages, strengths, needs, interests, and abilities, which overlap to create a unique experience. It is carried out through a range of public and community programs and services available to each learner and is the foundation for ensuring an inclusive New Brunswick society.

Equitable education: practices that enable every learner to reach their full potential. This requires recognizing and removing the systemic barriers that prevent some learners, including those from historically marginalized populations, from receiving adequate support to access the same opportunities, learning, and future success as other learners. For the learner, these practices promote an approach that considers the uniqueness of the learner's experience and diverse learning needs.

The Positive Learning and Working Environment applies to all participants within the public school system. This includes various settings such as school property, buses, other school-organized transportation, and school-sponsored events. It also extends to instances when the school is responsible for a learner, during representation, and in all school-related communications, encompassing meetings, calls, emails, and interactions affecting the school climate.

Additional standards for the behaviour of adults who have contact with students in the New Brunswick public school system are defined in Policy 701 – Policy for the Protection of Pupils.
 

Neurodiversity is the idea that differences in the way people’s brains work (such as in thinking, learning, and processing information) should be recognized, accepted, and valued as a natural part of human diversity. It emphasizes the uniqueness and strengths associated with various neurological conditions rather than viewing them as solely deficits or disorders.

New Brunswick’s culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms are dynamic environments that invite learning, connection, and exploration. A culturally and linguistically inclusive environment is one in which the variety of cultures (understood as “ways of being, knowing and doing,” or “what we do and why”), and the variety of language skills and levels, from which learners are approaching their education and the world, are recognized and affirmed. Staff and students work together to foster positive learning environments in which the unique strengths of all are valued, which can lead to greater sense of belonging, academic achievement, and opportunity.  

With the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in mind, educators and learners in New Brunswick’s diverse classrooms are also working to understand that being global citizens means actively contributing to society in responsible and inclusive ways. This could mean acting to prevent discrimination by promoting principles of equity and human rights. It could also mean sharing one’s culture, learning about other cultures, and engaging in language learning to build skills, understanding, and empathy. New Brunswick’s children and youth are valuable contributors as we work to realize culturally and linguistically inclusive schools.

ISD is a local and regional governance and service delivery framework that enables partners to better work together, using a coordinated and integrated approach to meet the needs of children and youth at risk. ISD is intended to address service gaps in early assessment and intervention services for children, youth and their families. In the provision of ISD assessment and intervention supports, core areas of functioning and needs related to the positive development of children, youth and their families provide a specific focus of intervention services. The goal of ISD is to enhance the system capacity to respond in a timely, effective and integrated manner to the strengths, risks and needs profiles of children, youth and their families (right service intensity at the right time).