Redefining Risk: Human Rights and Elementary School Factors Predicting Post-Secondary Access - Vol 28 - Abstract and Keywords

Sep 30, 2026

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Widespread consensus holds that students’ pathways toward postsecondary education are shaped early in life, yet research has offered limited evidence on which elementary school factors steer those pathways. Educational “risk factors” help highlight barriers that may require scrutiny or action under human-rights legislation. Using longitudinal data from the Toronto District School Board, the study identifies key elementary-established factors affecting how many Ontario students fail to enter post-secondary education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University Volume 28 Number 21 February 3, 2020 ISSN 1068-2341 Redefining Risk: Human Rights and Elementary School Factors Predicting Post-Secondary Access Robert S. Brown Toronto District School Board Canada Kelly Gallagher-Mackay Wilfrid Laurier University Canada Gillian Parekh York University, Toronto Canada Citation: Brown, R., Gallagher-Mackay, K., & Parekh, G. (2020). Redefining risk: Human rights and elementary school factors predicting post-secondary access. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28 (21) . EPAA will add doi Abstract: While there is a widespread consensus that students’ pathways towards postsecondary education are influenced early in life, there is little research on the elementary school factors that shape them. Identifying educational ‘risk factors’ directs attention to barriers that may warrant scrutiny or action under human rights legislation. New findings from a unique, longitudinal data set collected and developed by the Toronto District School Board highlights key factors, established in elementary school, as to how many students do not enter into post-secondary studies in Ontario. The majority of students suspended at any time, students in self-contained special education programs, and/or students who missed more than 10% of classes in grade 4 do not go on to PSE. These organizational factors are more predictive of students’ acceptance to PSE than individualized measures of preschool readiness, academic achievement in grade 3, race or parental education. These structural ‘risks’ are strongly correlated with of race and disability. In light of research that identifies promising, evidence-based practices available to reduce these risks, breaking down these barriers should be a priority from the perspective of improving PSE access and overcoming what may well amount to systemic discrimination. Keywords: Post-secondary access; elementary school; Toronto, Canada; absenteeism; special education; suspensions; longitudinal cohort study; 2000-2017 Redefiniendo riesgos: Derechos humanos y factores en la escuela primaria que pueden predecir el acceso a la educación postsecundaria Resumen: Aunque hay un consenso amplio de que la vida temprana influye en el camino de los estudiantes hacia la educación postsecundaria, no ha habido muchas investigaciones sobre los factores en la escuela primaria que juegan un papel en eso. La identificación de riesgos educacionales dirigen la atención a barreras que justifican un escrutinio o acciones conforme a las leyes sobre derechos humanos. Nuevas descubiertas de un conjunto de datos longitudinales específicos, coleccionados y analizados por el Consejo de Educación del Distrito de Toronto, indican factores clave que operan en la escuela primaria y que explican porque muchos estudiantes no llegan a la enseñanza postsecundaria en la provincia de Ontario. La mayoria de los estudiantes suspendidos acualquier tiempo, de los estudiantes en grupos separados de educación especial y/o de los estudiantes que faltaron a más de 10% de sus clases en el quarto año de la escuela primaria no llegana la enseñanza postsecundaria. Eses factores organizacionales pueden predecir mejor la admisión de estudiantes a la enseñanza postsecundaria que medidas individualizadas de preparación preescolar, el rendimiento escolar en el tercer año lectivo, la raza o el nivel educativo de los padres. Eses "riesgos"estructurales tienen una fuerte correlación con la raza y la invalidez. A la luz de las investigaciones que identifican medidas prometedoras y comprobadas y disponibles para reducir eses riesgos, derribar esas barreras debería ser una prioridad del punto de vista de mejorar el acceso a laeducación postsecundaria y de superar lo que posiblemente es una forma de discriminación sistémica Palabras clave: educación postsecundaria, escuela primaria, Toronto

FAQs

What does the study focus on regarding post-secondary access?

It examines elementary school factors that predict whether students in Ontario enter post-secondary education.

How does the article frame “risk factors”?

It uses educational risk factors to identify barriers that may warrant scrutiny or action under human-rights legislation.

What data source supports the findings?

The findings rely on a unique longitudinal dataset collected and developed by the Toronto District School Board.

Sep 30, 2026

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