Office of the Dean Archives | Faculty of Education

Statement from Dean Savage on the Attack in Buffalo, New York

ariley — Wed, 18 May 2022 15:19:31 +0000

Dear colleagues, students, and all in our community,

I write following the very deeply troubling violent events this weekend in Buffalo where distorted white supremacist notions and actions led to the death of 10 Black people. There are hardly words to describe this dreadful attack aimed at the Black community there. The worst that society can produce was in evidence.

We recognize that the events in Buffalo have made some members of our community feel extremely unsafe or vulnerable. I know that many among us also feel a close connection to Buffalo and to communities there in many senses. We all share this bewilderment and sense of outrage at this senseless violence. We also share a collective determination that such hatred and all the forces that help to create it will not prevail. We stand together.

In the Faculty of Education at York and in our wider community, we are mindful that while we have made significant steps since the death of George Floyd nearly 2 years ago focused attention internationally on the ongoing issues of racism and oppression, there is much to do everywhere to ensure black flourishing in our community. This gunman's actions are at the extreme end of a continuum of behavior within oppressive structures that our Faculty is committed to counteract and dismantle. We will continue to counter this and other forms of oppression as an intellectual and moral community.

Robert Savage

Robert Savage, PhD
he / him
Dean & Professor
Faculty of Education

The post Statement from Dean Savage on the Attack in Buffalo, New York appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Two Indigenous educators join the Faculty of Education

acoward — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 23:03:19 +0000

This story is published in YFile’s New Faces Feature Issue 2021, part two. Every September, YFile introduces and welcomes those joining the �첥��Ƶ community, and those with new appointments. was published on Sept. 3.

Two Indigenous educators join �첥��Ƶ’s Faculty of Education this fall as full-time faculty members. They are Kiera (Kaia’tanó:ron) Brant-Birioukov and Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing.

“We are delighted to welcome two new colleagues: Kiera (Kaia’tanó:ron) Brant-Birioukov and Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing. Each are respected scholars and teachers in their particular fields of study,” said Faculty of Education Dean Robert Savage. “They bring a diverse range of expertise to the Faculty of Education in Indigenous understandings and development. We very much look forward to the new ideas, perspectives, and contributions that they will make to our faculty and towards our ongoing mission of reinventing education for a diverse, complex world.”

Kiera Brant-Birioukov

Kiera (Kaia’tanó:ron) Brant-Birioukov

Kiera (Kaia’tanó:ron) Brant-Birioukov is a Haudenosaunee (Kanyen’keha:ka) educator and educational theorist from Kenhtè:ke, also known as the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario. She joins the Faculty of Education and the Wüléelham community at York as an assistant professor and will support the Indigenous cohorts, courses and programs in the Faculty of Education.

She is a certified teacher in Ontario and British Columbia and is committed to ethical Indigenous education across all K-12 and post-secondary classrooms. Some of her current projects include the repatriation of historical Haudenosaunee stories, artifacts and journal diaries to communities across the Six Nations Confederacy, as well as collaborating in the knowledge mobilization of Indigenous-Settler food sovereignty through the Earth to Tables Legacies project.

Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebin

Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebin

Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing joins the Faculty of Education as an assistant professor. She is Métis, adopted into the Anishinaabe bald eagle clan in the Three Fires Midewiwin lodge. Her family has roots in the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community and Manitoba, and they are registered with the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Beaulne-Stuebing is also of French and Austrian settler ancestry. Her PhD thesis, “Grief Medicines,” focused on learning about what helps community members through ongoing experiences of loss. Beaulne-Stuebing facilitates mashkiki gitigaanan, an urban Indigenous medicines sovereignty project in Toronto.

The post Two Indigenous educators join the Faculty of Education appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Dean's Message: A welcome to new and returning students, faculty and staff

acoward — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 13:12:51 +0000

Faculty of Education Dean Robert Savage offers his welcome back greeting to all new and returning students, faculty and staff.

The post Dean's Message: A welcome to new and returning students, faculty and staff appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Statement on the Discovery of the Marieval (Cowessess) Residential School Unmarked Graves

ariley — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 19:32:57 +0000

I want to acknowledge the absolutely numbing report of the 751 unmarked graves of Indigenous adults and children at the site of a residential school in Saskatchewan. We cannot stay numbed however. We also know this will not be the final report of this type that reflects the legacy of residential schools. Given that residential schools result in trauma passed from generation to generation, and that some say it takes seven generations to heal, non-Indigenous peoples have much to do to work towards reconciliation.

Besides offering our condolences to Indigenous communities and colleagues, we must support healing through acts of reconciliation such as understanding the past, recognizing treaty agreements, building equitable relationships and supporting the restoration of Indigenous peoples language and culture.

For anyone who would like resources to undertake this work of understanding and recognition, please take the time to look at Shelia Cote-Meek’s letter to the York Community to mark this month, which is National Indigenous History Month.

Sharon Murphy, PhD.
Gender Pronouns she/her
Professor & Interim Dean
Faculty of Education

The post Statement on the Discovery of the Marieval (Cowessess) Residential School Unmarked Graves appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Statement about the London Attack

ariley — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:08:19 +0000

On behalf of the Faculty of Education at �첥��Ƶ, I extend my condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims of the attack in London, Ontario as well as to the Muslim community. As a Faculty of Education, this incident means that we need to be even more attentive to addressing racism and hatred in the curriculum, and in doing so, we can reassure the Muslim community that our efforts in educating the teachers of tomorrow offer one step towards creating a more peaceful, just and inclusive society.

Sharon Murphy
Professor & Interim Dean

The post Statement about the London Attack appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Message about the discovery at the Kamloops Indian Residential School

ariley — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 12:57:07 +0000

On behalf of the Faculty of Education at �첥��Ƶ, I ask that we each take the time tomorrow, June, 1, 2021, the beginning of National Indigenous History Month, to hold in our minds and our hearts the 215 children discovered on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School. These children never returned home from school, a chilling statement that calls us all to be more than witnesses to the evidence of wrongdoings against Indigenous peoples. Not only must we bear witness but, as educators, we must lead change by our actions and curriculum as we engage with our students who share in the formation of the political and social leaders of tomorrow.

My condolences to Indigenous communities as they deal with yet another tragedy.

Sharon Murphy
Professor & Interim Dean

The post Message about the discovery at the Kamloops Indian Residential School appeared first on Faculty of Education.

New Dean Appointed to the Faculty of Education

acoward — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:37:39 +0000

�첥��Ƶ President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton issues the following announcement:

I am pleased to inform members of the Faculty of Education and the York community that the search for Dean of the Faculty of Education has reached a successful conclusion.

In 2019, I established a search committee, comprised of members of the Faculty of Education (faculty, staff, and students), one member appointed by me, and chaired by Provost Lisa Philipps. The committee undertook an extensive national and international search which attracted outstanding candidates.

On Sept. 9, the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors concurred with my recommendation, based on the recommendation of the search committee, that Dr. Robert Savage be appointed to the position of Dean. I am delighted to announce that Dr. Savage has accepted our invitation to take up a five-year term appointment, commencing July 1, 2021.

Dr. Savage brings significant leadership and international experience to the deanship. He will join �첥��Ƶ from University College London, a leading UK research and teaching university, whose Institute of Education has ranked first in Education for the past seven years in the QS World University subject rankings.

He is a Full Professor at UCL and has served as Head of the Department of Psychology and Human Development in its Institute of Education since 2017. As Head, he has been responsible for all aspects of departmental leadership and administration, including budget and human resources management and oversight, strategic plan development and implementation, and space and technology planning. He has led a renewal of the department’s pedagogical vision and reputation, a doubling of successful research grant applications, and revitalization of its collegial governance structures and partnerships with communities. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to equity and inclusivity. Before his appointment at UCL, Dr. Savage held an appointment at McGill University from 2003 to 2017, undertaking several administrative roles including Program Director Inclusive Education and Program Director Human Development.

Dr. Savage holds a PhD in Developmental Experimental Psychology, as well as an MSc in Professional Educational Psychology, from the University of London; he also has a post-graduate certificate in Education from Cambridge University. He brings to the position of Dean an excellent teaching record, having taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses on language and literacy development, inclusive education, and exceptionalities; and an outstanding international reputation for collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and policy-relevant scholarship in areas such as cognitive processes in reading and spelling, reading interventions, learning disabilities, inclusive education, the impact of French immersion, and information technologies for literacy. He is the author or co-author of over 100 highly cited peer-reviewed journal and web articles, chapters, and reviews; and frequently presents his research to international conferences. He is currently serving as President of the Society for Scientific �첥��Ƶ of Reading.

It is an important time in the development of the Faculty of Education, as it builds on its teaching and research successes and its outstanding reputation to provide leadership concerning pressing social issues like anti-Black racism, Indigenous education, and educational innovation in the current challenging context.

I look forward to welcoming Dr. Savage and working closely with him in the coming years. I invite all members of the Faculty and the University to join me in congratulating him and wishing him well as he undertakes this important leadership role.

Sharon Murphy will continue in the role of Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education until Dr. Savage takes office. I want to express my profound appreciation to Professor Murphy for her outstanding service to the Faculty and the University in this role.

Finally, I would like to thank the members of the search committee for their contributions to this crucial process.

The post New Dean Appointed to the Faculty of Education appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Faculty of Education Impact Report 2016 – 2020 highlights accomplishments over the past four years

acoward — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 16:47:41 +0000

The following is a message from Dean Lyndon Martin:

Guided by our mission to reinvent education for a diverse, complex world, the last four years have seen the Faculty of Education advance in a wide range of ways. I am delighted to share our to provide you with a snapshot of our accomplishments.

We have launched new and important academic programs; undertaken ground-breaking research that matters; and engaged with our communities. From our work in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, to our growing partnership with the Urban Indigenous Education Centre in Toronto, we have continued to make a difference in, and have a real impact on, the world. I invite you to share and celebrate with us.

Lyndon Martin
Dean, Faculty of Education

The post Faculty of Education Impact Report 2016 – 2020 highlights accomplishments over the past four years appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Message from the Dean about anti-Black racism

acoward — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 17:42:40 +0000

Dear all:

Like many of you, we have been shocked by the tragic death of George Floyd, another unarmed Black man, who died at the hands of police in the USA. As all of us know, this is not an isolated incident, and anti-Black racism is real, deep and systemic, impacting not just those in the US but also Canada. We recognize the pain and frustration felt by our Black community members both within the Faculty and more broadly.

While we condemn all acts of racism, it is also vital that, as a Faculty, we re–assert our commitment to our core principles of equity, inclusivity, the valuing of diversity and social justice, and take actions that both support our Black community members and seek to make change. We are also aware that the Faculty of Education has particular responsibilities for working with teacher candidates (and teachers) in schools to help address the issues and concerns of Black students in terms of educational access and opportunities.

The Faculty does much work through initiatives such as the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and the Diaspora, the Faculty of Education Summer Institute, and our research and teaching, and through these we will continue to endeavor to ensure that racism – understanding its institutional and systemic reality – is challenged and addressed.

Of course, there is much more we need to do and we commit to engaging in further conversations and actions that will address anti-Black racism at all levels and in all spaces.

Take good care.

Lyndon Martin
Dean, Faculty of Education

Sharon Murphy
Incoming Interim Dean, Faculty of Education

The post Message from the Dean about anti-Black racism appeared first on Faculty of Education.