Both local school boards are adopting a new policy to help identify aboriginal students and ensure they have every opportunity for success.
“We know there is a gap between the achievement levels of aboriginal students and non-aboriginal students,” said Jack McMaster, education director for the Rainy River District School Board.
“We want to close that gap,” he vowed.
McMaster was talking to about a dozen parents, educators, and aboriginal leaders at a public meeting in the Fort Frances High School library Monday night.
Mary-Catherine Kelly, education director for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, also was on hand for Monday night’s meeting.
The two boards are introducing an aboriginal self-identification policy, where students and parents can voluntarily identify themselves or their children as either First Nation, Métis, or Inuit students.
“It’s really important people know it’s voluntary,” Kelly stressed.
Once the students have identified themselves, the boards then can look specifically at the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) results for aboriginal students to determine where they are succeeding and where they need help.
“It’s a process that really is meant to give us an opportunity to see how the kids are doing,” Kelly said.
Currently, the school boards have no way of identifying aboriginal students, with the exception of students living on reserves, who attend school on tuition agreements.
The boards have no way of identifying First Nations students living off reserve or Métis students, or of tracking their success rates.
“Now we use graduation and drop-out rates, and that takes 12-15 years,” McMaster noted.
“If we are able to identify as an aggregate group our aboriginal students, we can see improvements in less than a year,” he added.
James Leonard, the First Nations rep on the local public school board, admitted he was skeptical when he first heard the proposal.
“My immediate thought was ‘Here we go, getting into segregation and stereotypes,’” he remarked. “At first I was somewhat leery of the policy.
“But after putting a lot of thought into it, I could see the benefits far outweighing any possible problems.
“We need to know where our kids are right now,” he stressed.
The policy first was brought to the attention of local boards in 2003 during a forum on aboriginal education in Thunder Bay.
Since then, the Northern Aboriginal Education Circle (NAEC) and the Northern Ontario Education Leaders (NOEL) formed a joint aboriginal steering committee to put together a formal policy.
“By knowing the scores, we can intervene earlier in the student’s career,” Kelly said.
While the main goal is to help identify problem areas and develop education programs to address them, McMaster noted there is a possibility of receiving additional funding for these programs.
In British Columbia, where a similar program is in place, boards receive an additional $950 for each student who self-identifies as aboriginal.
In Ontario, the Ministry of Education provides $1,100 for every identified ESL (English as a Second Language) student—those who immigrate to Canada from countries whose first language is not English.
“The Ministry of Education realized the ESL students were struggling,” McMaster explained.
In the last two years, provincial government funding for ESL students has increased to $60 million—and their achievement scores have doubled, he added.
“Aboriginal students should have the support of the Ministry of Education,” McMaster said.
Both boards already offer programs in later literacy and oral language to assist all students who need help, but receive little or no targeted funding from the ministry to run them.
Many schools also offer First Nations language programs, and Kelly noted she recently attended a pow-wow at St. Michael’s School here where students were very enthusiastic in their participation.
“There is a great sense of culture and respect in our elementary schools,” she said.
While good work is being done, the new policy will help further improve the success of aboriginal students.
“I think this is a positive step of us,” Kelly said.
The long-term goals of the policy include improving the retention and graduation rates of aboriginal students, and to ensure learners are well-prepared to begin post-secondary studies or to enter the workforce.
“I certainly offer my support to the aboriginal self-identification policy,” said Gary Lipinski, chair of the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario.
“I don’t think it’s right for society to sit back and let any group fall behind.”
There currently is no way of formally identifying Métis students. And as a result, those students may miss out on opportunities, such as scholarships, because teachers and guidance counsellors don’t know they are eligible.
The data collected through the self-identification also will give aboriginal leaders a tool to “pressure the governments to put increased resources where they need to be,” he added.
“I appreciate the inclusion and the consultation that’s taken place with the boards,” Lipinski added. “It’s long overdue.”
This September, every student and family of both boards will receive a registration package which will include a pamphlet outlining the policy, as well as a form with the student’s information.
Parents will be asked to review the information, make any necessary changes, and, if desired, check the box to identify the student as an aboriginal person.
These forms are to be returned to the child’s school.
Kelly stressed the data would be secure, and only would be made available to teachers and principals to enhance education programs.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
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