Canada Musters Resources to Serve Diverse Student Needs

Sara Raudbari, 4, prepares to sing "O Canada" in kindergarten at Discovery Public School in Vaughan, Ontario.

—Nicole Frugé/Education Week

By Sean Cavanagh

Vaughan, Ontario

Every day in one of the 5th grade classrooms at Discovery Public School , just outside Toronto, a teacher works to raise her students' academic skills—and a second adult works to lift their overall well-being.

As Fernanda Cassano stands at a projection screen, explaining a lesson on graphs and data, a child-behavioral specialist, Melissa McKenna, slips between students' tables, helping those who face social or emotional challenges, which may stem from problems away from school.

On this day, McKenna spends most of her time with four students in particular. She soothes them when they get upset, prods them to continue when they get distracted. Sometimes, Cassano sees that a student is struggling, and asks for her colleague's help. Sometimes McKenna jumps...