Building Sustainable Leadership for Inclusive School Communities

This is a research study to examine how Muslim parents in the Greater Toronto Area are engaged in their children’s education and the challenges they face in trying to engage with the public school system. The public schools in Ontario are secular by law and free from any religious affiliation. They are however encouraged to find ways to accommodate the religious practices of students and parents of the Islamic faith and other faiths. Using a qualitative methodology, twelve Muslim parents selected from ethnically diverse backgrounds were interviewed. Data was collected and analyzed utilizing the constant comparative method. Four major themes emerged from the data which focused on the centrality of religion in these parents’ households. Implications point towards the need for a culturally responsive policy that integrates Muslim values, cultural and religious beliefs in schools, which will make Ontario a stronger province that encourages people of all cultures and diversities to succeed and thrive.