Canada is still dealing with the aftermath of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which addressed historic injustices perpetrated against the country’s Indigenous peoples. But do truth commissions actually accomplish what they set out to do: heal divided nations? Today in The Conversation Canada, Bonny Ibhawoh of McMaster University writes about dozens of similar commissions held around the world and examines how effective they have been in reconciling historic wrongs.

We’ve got another TRC-related story that looks at the commission’s recommendation which called on academic institutions and their faculty members to make meaningful contributions to the reconciliation process. Veselin Jungic of Simon Fraser University explains a fascinating community-led partnership project where his university is using mathematics to explore the tradition of Indigenous basketweaving.

The makeup of classrooms around the world has transformed as international migration patterns have changed. We’ve got an interesting report from three education experts who look at the concept of “culturally responsive teaching,” which is concerned with teaching methods and practices that recognize the importance of including students’ cultural backgrounds in all aspects of learning.

And finally…almost 10 million people around the world are diagnosed with dementia every year. Geriatric psychiatrist Nicole Anderson of the University of Toronto tells us about a growing body of evidence that’s “discovering early-life, mid-life and late-life contributors to dementia risk that we can do something about — either for our own or our children’s future brain health.”

Regards,