William Henry Giles CM QC (September 1, 1930 – December 5, 2021) was a Canadian educator who was regarded as a pioneer in early academic intervention and French immersion.
Giles established the prestigious pre-university competitions, the Canadian Chemistry and Physics Olympiads, and started the first GCE Ordinary ("O") and Advanced ("A") examination centre in Canada.
He received membership in the Order of Canada in 1973 for his initiative in creating and directing the first private school in Toronto offering instruction in the French language.
Committed to providing their own children with the advantage of a bilingual education, Giles and Anna hired a French language teacher and started an extended home learning programme for six students.
Following the addition of the Mildenhall Branch in 1971 and the former Sifton estate in 1981, Giles set out to merge the geographically sprawling Toronto French School premises.
In an attempt to counter the exclusive process of private school student selection, Giles instituted a first-come, first-served admissions policy based on the conviction that his unique educational programme would improve the overall academic achievement of any child, regardless of his or her initial or apparent aptitude.
The founding of the Toronto French School coincided with what later proved to be education-altering research in neuroscience, cognitive psychology and early childhood development.
During the 1980s and 1990s, interdisciplinary researchers, such as Canadian neurologist Dr. Fraser Mustard, illuminated the connection between optimal early development and durable social health.
Giles' longstanding educational philosophy was further borne out by the realization that early intervention (especially the first three years) has a lifelong effect on the brain's wiring and sculpting, setting the stage for future competence and coping skills.
McCain, Margaret Norrie and Mustard, J. Fraser(1999), Early Years Study, Final Report: Reversing the Real Brain Drain, Publications Ontario.