CASEA session at BELMAS 2013 A Walk Around a Lake: Critical Reflections of Equity and Inclusion in a Rural Ontario School Board Rachael Nicholls, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Current literature written by teachers and researchers often conceptualizes rural classrooms as homogeneous, while urban school classrooms are described as being diverse (Corbett, 2006; Dei, James, Karmanchery, James-Wilson & Zine, 2003; Solomon & Sekayi, 2007). Because the majority of Ontario citizens live in urban centres, teachers are not specifically educated to think of their student population in rural areas as diverse; nor do education policy makers take into consideration the lives of rural students as shaped by their natural and cultural landscapes. My doctoral research analyses how a rural school board takes up equity related policies exploring the barriers to this work. It delves into how teachers’ social and cultural experiences and identifications influence the implementation of provincial equity policies and programs in an effort to enhance their schooling, educational performance, and achievements of students in rural settings. This qualitative study sheds light on teachers’ organized work in school boards. The Impact of Centralization on Local School District Governance in Canada Gerald Galway, Memorial University Bruce Sheppard, Memorial University John Wiens, University of Manitoba Jean Brown, Memorial University Across Canada there have been numerous recent examples of incidents where the political and ideological interests of provincial governments have run counter to the mandates of school districts. In several notable cases governments have intervened to influence or overturn school board decisions. These interventions have ranged from public statements criticizing the policy decisions of school boards to more extreme measures, such as threats to overturn decisions or even the outright dismissal of board members or entire boards. In this pan-Canadian study, completed in 2012, school board trustees and school district superintendents completed questionnaires and participated in focus groups intended to explore the relationships between school districts and provincial governments. Data suggest that the significance of the school district apparatus in Canada has diminished as provincial governments have enacted an aggressive centralization agenda. We theorize that in a politicized environment, the values, reward systems and accountabilities against which school board superintendents and trustees operate are likely to differ substantively from those of politicians and bureaucrats, thereby creating a policy environment that may be antagonistic to local governance. Of critical importance to the future of school boards, therefore, is reversing an apparent weakening of political legitimacy and the intrusion of provincial governments in governance areas traditionally held by the boards. As well, the conflict between school boards and their publics over issues such as school consolidation have led to questions about the ability of school boards to represent the interests of local communities. Since the two are not always in alignment, we believe it is important for school boards to restore an appropriate balance