Op-Ed: First Nations Elementary & Secondary School Education – A National Dilemma

During the past five years, First Nations elementary-secondary education has been the focus of some useful recommendations in two major reports: The Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples in 2011, “Reforming FN Education: From Crisis to Hope,” and the 2012 Report of the National Panel on First Nations Elementary-Secondary Education. In response, the Harper government introduced Bill C-33 in 2014, the first-ever federal First Nations Education Act. Both reports identified much-needed reforms and despite vociferous opposition by most First Nations leaders the First Nations Education Act was a serious effort to accommodate some of them. But neither the reports nor the eventually torpedoed Bill C-33 zeroed in on the three key components that serve as the foundation of any education program: teachers, principals, and the curriculum. If these three elements remain untouched in the new Liberal government’s First Nations education policies, First Nations education outcomes will continue to be a national humiliation. This conceptual paper offers a critique of the provincial and federal governments’ approaches to remedying the dire condition of elementary and secondary school education for First Nations youth, with a focus on teachers, principals, and curriculum.

A Blended Approach to Canadian First Nations Education

This chapter describes a research study that investigated how a blended approach to Canadian First Nations education could be used to foster student engagement and success. The study examined the SCcyber E-Learning Community program through the lens of the Seven Principles of Effective Teaching (Chickering & Gamson, 1999). Data was collected via an online survey, interviews, and site visits. The study participants indicated that the deliberate and intentional integration of mentors at local learning centers with online teachers, who provide synchronous tutorials through the use of a Web-based learning management system and conferencing tool, was the key to academic success.

A Blended Approach to Canadian First Nations Education

This chapter describes a research study that investigated how a blended approach to Canadian First Nations education could be used to foster student engagement and success. The study examined the SCcyber E-Learning Community program through the lens of the Seven Principles of Effective Teaching (Chickering & Gamson, 1999). Data was collected via an online survey, interviews, and site visits. The study participants indicated that the deliberate and intentional integration of mentors at local learning centers with online teachers, who provide synchronous tutorials through the use of a Web-based learning management system and conferencing tool, was the key to academic success.

Let’s Not Call in the Lawyers: Using the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Decision in First Nations Education

In January 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal released its decision regarding the provision of Child and Family Services to First Nations living on reserves and the Yukon. The Tribunal found that the government of Canada had discriminated against First Nations children on the basis of their race. Many of the arguments made by the government of Canada to describe their actions in the provision of First Nations child and family services can be easily transferred to the provision of First Nations education programs and services to First Nations children throughout Canada. This article has replaced child and family services terms and phrases with education terms and phrases in the decision. Hopefully, the federal government of Canada will see the futility of fighting First Nations in education as they did in child and family services. It is time to provide First Nations students on reserves a comprehensive system of education.

Overview of Benefits of First Nations Language Immersion

In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report into the ‘cultural genocide’ perpetrated by the State of Canada against First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, through the widespread use of Residential Schools, the federal government offered an apology and an apparent opportunity for reconciliation[i]. Part of this programme was new legislation that would govern the relationship between First Nations and the federal government over First Nations education. Entitled the First Nations Control of First Nations’ Education (FNCFNE), the proposed bill promised a new deal and an apparent chance to renew a tarnished relationship. Yet in spite of its name, the bill offered very little in terms of progress. Indeed if it had been implemented, in many cases, the bill would have done little to increase First Nations’ control over the education of First Nations’ children and likely would have made effective language education extremely difficult. Indeed, this article’s analysis of the bill shows that, at its core, the law represents little more than the reinforcing of existing settler-colonial power dynamics. In particular, while it would have shifted virtually the totality of administrative responsibility for on-reserve education to First Nations it would have reserved ultimate power – manifest through control over funding – to Ottawa. As a result the FNCFNE would have represented a profound step in undermining First Nations language rights and language education in Canada. [i] “Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement of apology”, CBC News, 11 June 2008

First Nations Education in Canada: The Circle Unfolds by M.A. Battiste

Battiste, Marie Ann. First Nations Education in Canada: The Circle Unfolds. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1995. Print. The book tells me what happened in history. A person named Daniel Liston argued to understand the ways in formal education. Aboriginal people resolve to assume control in every community.I like that the book is a true story and it’s history. I did like everything nothing is there that I did not like. I rate this book 5 Stars because it’s the BEST BOOK EVER! Highly recommended: 5 out of 5 stars Reviewer: Kaydence My name is Kaydence I am 10 years old. I like to read true stories because it tells me about history and all things good. I enjoy reading because it is entertaining, fun and relaxing. I'm reading a book called First Nations Education in Canada: The circle Unfolds by Marie Battiste and Jean Barman. This is an interesting book.

Rethinking conceptions of educational leadership within a First Nations setting in Canada

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide to First and non-First Nation educators, scholars, and policy makers alternative perspectives that can reshape research on educational leadership in First Nation education with new imaginings that question fundamentally the cultural-political-economic-space defined by Euro-centred notion of modernity. Design/methodology/approach – The paper addresses two questions in dealing with issues of conceptions of educational leadership in a First Nations setting: first, in what socio-cultural paradigm and epistemic framework, should the paper ground the view of relations among persons and between them and their environment, in a way that opens up spaces for prospects for action of those located outside a Euro-centric epistemic and ontological field; second, how could this paradigm assist us in formulating a conception of educational leadership that increases the leverage of First Nations education in constructing alternative sociocultural and educational worlds not grounded in the Eurocentric modernity? Findings – For non-First Nation educators, power brokers, and policy makers who want to create alliances with First Nation people, this paper outlines the necessity to consider cross-cultural dialogue about conceptions of educational leadership as an “opportunity to challenge conventional assumptions about knowledge, power, and a sense of place” (Marker, 2006, p. 21). Originality/value – The originality of this paper resides in its presentation of alternative conceptual horizons for educational leadership, horizons that acknowledge power inequities between mainstream societies and institutions on the one hand and First Nations peoples and their institutions on the other.

Seeking the Elusive Fit: What Do Educational Leaders Look for When Hiring New Teachers for First Nations Schools?

This article reports on the preliminary findings of a qualitative research study that explored the perceptions of five directors of education in Manitoba’s First Nations’ educational authorities as they assess prospective teachers for fit for both their schools and their local communities. The findings of this study illustrate that in order to meet the challenges of teaching effectively in First Nations’ schools, those responsible for hiring teachers want to find candidates who (a) contribute to the establishment of a new culture of teaching in the schools, (b) form respectful relationships with students and other members of the particular First Nation community, (c) possess a worldview that is commensurate with those held by First Nations peoples, and (d) are competent to teach academic subjects and also support students’ development as Indigenous youth. I conclude with recommendations that can support the preparation of a greater number of prospective teachers capable of teaching effectively in First Nation schools. Keywords: First Nations education; Teacher recruitment and selection; educational leadership