New publication — Policy Options article examines how pandemic school closures have compromised the resilience of our democracy 

For Policy Options, Executive Director Sabreena Delhon and Research Coordinator Vijai Kumar explore how the purpose of public education - to produce an engaged citizenry - has been disrupted over the course of the pandemic resulting in a civic loss in addition to a learning loss. They also review regional variation in pandemic school closures and underscore how the right to education serves our democracy and the Canadian project.

“We are facing an important opportunity to prioritize securing an engaged, informed, discerning, and resilient public as a pandemic recovery measure. Doing so would help to address the inequities in education outcomes that the pandemic has deepened and accelerated while also evolving and safeguarding against the rising challenges of democratic backsliding such as misinformation and polarization.” 

Read: Democratic life and the generational implications of pandemic school closures