Nova Scotia (NS) has been home to people of African descent for over 400 years. Mathieu DeCosta (1604), freed Black Loyalists (1782-84), exiled Jamaican Maroons (1796), African refugees from the war of 1812, along with other original inhabitants formed 52 historic Black communities throughout NS (Saney, 1998). The Preston township (Cherry Brook, Lake Loon, North Preston, and East Preston) remains one of those historic Black community areas whereby 68.8% of the community identifies as Black (Canadian census, 2016). Until the 1950s schools were segregated and a series of racist legislation was passed to keep Black Nova Scotians on the margins of society. Given the extensive history of racist legislation and the continued miseducation (streaming students, stereotyping, lack of cultural safety and representation) as reported by African Nova Scotian Affairs (2019) and Halifax Regional School Board (2017) it is no surprise many students in this region experience disparities in academic performance compared to the wider population of NS (Hamilton-Hinch, 2021). There are in-school and community services aimed to help families with students most affected by the opportunity gap, however, these informal/formal services have been described as challenging to navigate, and complicated to understand. This study explored how parents/guardians with students most affected by the opportunity gap in the Preston township make decisions regarding whether to access services, along with  the experience of following through with their decisions.

Authors: K. Mahmoud, B. Hamilton-Hinch, M. Aston, A. Chircop, M. Harkin, J. Hughes, J. McIsaac

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2024

• Date of Conference: 23-25 July, 2024
• DOI: 10.20533/CICE.2024.0019
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-65-5
• Conference Location: Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada