The Council of Ministers of Education has recently completed a survey of initiatives within public and secondary schools designed to enhance the status of women (52). The Council found that in every province and territory in Canada, there are steps being taken to improve curriculum. However, as we have noted elsewhere in this report, the piecemeal implementation of policy initiatives directed at structural change has little impact. The effect tends to be similar to punching a pillow -- pressing on one area simply creates bulges in another, and ultimately, the pillow tends to regain something very close to its former shape. In order for structural change to take place, there needs to be a coordinated and multi-faceted plan of action, so that pressure comes from several directions at once. One place where this kind of effort seems to be taking place is within the Toronto Board of Education.

A Status of Women Committee was formed in the Toronto Board of Education 10 years ago. The Committee is still in place and is involved in personnel, policy and classroom issues that concern women. The Committee put pressure on the Board to develop the position of Women's Studies and Labour Studies Coordinator. The position has been in place for 10 years now. Toronto is the only Board of Education that has such a position and only seven Boards in the province have a Women's Studies Coordinator position.

The Mathematics Department for the Toronto Board published a report based on a study of females and mathematics in the Toronto elementary and secondary school system. The report, called "Mathematics: The Invisible Filter" (January, 1983), called for changes in the mathematics curriculum.

Another study was commissioned by the Toronto Board of Education in the early 1980's. The report from the study, entitled "Encouraging Girls and Women to Consider Non-traditional Jobs" was published in July 1985. This report called for the development of a comprehensive communications strategy directed to female students of all ages.

A discussion paper titled "The Economic Order and the Impact of Technology on the World of Work" was published in August 1984 by the Thinking and Deciding in a Nuclear Age Advisory Committee of the Toronto Board of Education. A student activity booklet was published to go along with the paper in December 1985.