Does Ontario's Ministry of Education Promote Critical Theory in K-12 Education

Abstract

Critical Theory (CT) has evolved from European neo-Marxism into American Identitarianism. Its pedagogy seeks societal revolution by re-focusing children’s education on identity power conflicts. CT has been criticized in the literature as pedagogically misguided, harmful to low SES students, dependent on stereotyping, hostile to evidence, and self-serving; therefore, any adoption by educational policy-makers begs for an explanation. This thesis examines whether Ontario’s Ministry of Education has indeed promoted CT in K-12 education. I employ mixed methods to define key terminology, and track its usage in 673 Ministry policy documents spanning 1982-2022. I find that the Ministry – even under the Conservatives – has increasingly adopted CT terms while poorly and inconsistently defining them. I attribute this to opportunistic framing, institutional isomorphism, and elite agenda-setting, arguing that the Ministry is generating disregard for empirically-tested teaching methods necessary for literacy, numeracy and critical thinking proficiency. Additionally, CT’s pessimistic divisiveness threatens social and civic cohesion.