Conversations Series

join the conversation

Welcome! We are excited to kick off our Join the Conversation series for 2023. TDSB families are invited to join us for a series of engaging and informative conversations on topics we heard you want to learn more about. Hear from leading experts and participate in question and answer sessions online.

These conversations are jointly hosted by the TDSB's Parent and Community Engagement Office and the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee and generously supported by the Ministry of Education's Parents Reaching Out Grants.

See below for more details about each session including speakers. Access information will be added to this page closer to the date of each session.

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Dr. Gholnescsar (Gholdy) Muhammad

Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy . She also co-authored Black girls’ literacies: An Edited Volume. Her Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Model has been adopted across thousands of U.S. schools and districts across Canada. In 2022 and 2023, she was named among the top 1% Edu-Scholar Public Influencers due to her impact on policy and practice. She has also received numerous awards from national organizations and universities. She was named the American Educational Research Association Division K Early Career Award and the 2021 NCTE Outstanding Elementary Educator in the English Language Arts. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms. Her forthcoming book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Sarah Baldeo

Sarah Baldeo is an accomplished neuroscientist, technologist, corporate strategist, and successful entrepreneur with almost two decades of leadership experience. Her expertise lies in futures, innovation, technology, and digital and cloud transformation, and she is currently an Executive Director at CGI, one of the world's largest IT and business consulting services firms. Throughout her career, Sarah Baldeo has founded and exited two consulting firms, helped three companies IPO, and held senior executive roles at top organizations such as Ceridian, FinancialForce, and Deloitte Canada. Her contributions to the industry have earned her several accolades, including the 2023 Global Business Elites Top 40 Under 40 Awards, the 2021 University of Toronto Rotman Social Impact Award, and a nomination for the 2023 WXN Canadian DEI Awards.

Conversations Series

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