first nations metis and inuit students in ontario's pse november 2012

8/10/2019 First Nations Metis and Inuit Students in Ontario's PSE November 2012

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FirstNation,Mtis,andInuitStudentsinOntariosPostSecondaryEducationSystem

PolicyPaper

November2012

ByTamaraPopovicResearchandPolicyAnalyst

CollegeStudentAlliance

301372

Richmond

Street

West

Toronto,ON M5V1X6T:(416)3141212E:[email protected]

AboutOurOrganization

TheCollege StudentAlliance (CSA) is amemberdriven advocacyorganization thathasbeenproudly servingOntarioscollege studentssince1975.TheCSAcurrently representsstudents

from

15

colleges

and

23

student

associations

with

over

135,000

full

time

student

members

throughouttheprovince.


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ACKNOWLDGEMENTS.....................................................................................................................................................IEXECUTIVESUMMARY...................................................................................................................................................1INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................3ADESCRIPTIONOFFIRSTNATIONS,MTISANDINUITPEOPLES..................................................................................5PROFILEOFFIRSTNATIONS,MTIS,ANDINUITPEOPLESINONTARIO........................................................................7ELEMENTARYEDUCATION&EARLYCHILDHOODEDUCATION...................................................................................18SECONDARYEDUCATION.............................................................................................................................................24POSTSECONDARYEDUCATION(PSE)..........................................................................................................................42CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................................................43BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................................................45ENDNOTES...................................................................................................................................................................56

TABLEOFCONTENTS


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Thispaperwouldnot havebeenpossiblewithout the supportofmanypeople.Wewish toexpressourgratitudetothestudentsandstakeholders,aswellastheAssemblyofFirstNations,theChiefsofOntario,and theMtisNationofOntario,andotherorganizations thatwish toremain anonymous, for their comments and reviewof thispaper and the EffectingChangethrough Education:Aboriginal Students inOntariosPostSecondaryEducation System issuepaper, thepredecessorof thispaper.Without their knowledgeandassistance, this researchprojectwouldnothavebeenaswellinformedabouttheissuesthataffectFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitstudents.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


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1

Inthe

Province

of

Ontarios

pursuit

of

a70%

postsecondary education (PSE) attainmentrate,FirstNation,Mtis,and Inuitpeoplemustbe aprimary consideration to ensure that theprovincemeetsitstargetedgoals.FirstNations,Mtis, and Inuit (FNMI) peoples are theyoungest and fastestgrowing demographic inCanada,yet they faceavarietyofbarriers thathindertheireducationalsuccess.Thesebarriersinclude, but are not limited to, financial,institutional, historical, geographical,educational, and personal barriers, many of

whichoften

intersect.

To

tackle

these

barriers,

there needs to be a coordinated and holisticapproach to resolve the issues that studentsencounterastheypursuehighereducation.

InordertoimprovetheeducationalattainmentofFNMIpopulations,theprovincialandfederalgovernments must ensure that FNMI childrenreceive the culturallyrelevant early childhoodeducation that iscomparable toOntariosFullDayKindergarten.Thisstartwillallowstudents

tohave

afoundation

upon

which

to

build

up

their communities. Furthermore, the federalgovernmentmustprovideadditionalsupporttoFirst Nations in developing financial andknowledgesharing resources in theirdevelopmentofFirstNationseducationwithintheir communities as students do not haveparitytothepublicschoolsystem.Inthepublicsystem, educators need to include indigenousways of learning into the mainstreamcurriculum to facilitate an understanding of

FNIM

peoples

and

to

engage

FNMI

students

in

helping them overcome feelings of alienation.This could be done with the province makingFNMIlanguages,cultures,andworldviewsmorevisibleintheprovincialcurriculum.Theprovincemust further expand the provincial curriculumand the teachers resource guides to highlightthe impact of Residential Schools, Treaty

Education, and past historical issues whoseimpactslingerincommunitiestoday.

Inorder to increase the ratesof graduationatall levels of schooling, the provincialgovernmentmustcollaboratewithFirstNation,Mtis, and Inuit communities educationalinstitutions and other stakeholders to ensureprogramsandservicesaredesigned toaddressthe needs of FNIM and to expand outreachactivitieswith community partners to improveearly outreach initiatives. Postsecondaryinstitutions, communities, and secondaryschools should expand mentorship programsthat help students to make informed postsecondarydecisionspriortoleavinghighschool,throughadvice from familymembersandhigh

schoolaged

or

adult

mentors.

In

order

to

continue these efforts, secondary schools, PSEinstitutions, and the different levels ofgovernment must continue to offer andimprove preparatory and transitioningprograms for secondary school students toensureaccess tohighereducation.Abarriertoeducation isthe lackof informationatayoungage, and so the Ontario government mustensure thatteachersandguidancedepartmentstaff have the resources to help students in

their

transition

to

life

after

high

school

and

incorporate more postsecondary educationand financial aid information into thecurriculum.

Asmanystudentsarenotabletoaccessahighschool education in their communities, thefederalandprovincialgovernmentsshouldworkwith communities to create accommodationfacilities for high school students who studyaway from their home communities. Anotherway toaddress thesegeographical issues is for

theprovincial

and

federal

governments

and

the

MinistryofEducationtodeveloptheelearningstrategy for secondary school students in ruralandFirstNationscommunitiestoimprovetheiraccess to secondary education, all whileallowing students to stay within their homecommunities. These options would allowstudents to prepare for a higher education in

EXECUTIVESUMMARY


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2

their home environments. As many FNMIpeoplepursuePSEata latertime in lifeor lackpreparedness for higher education, thedifferent levels of government must cometogether with FNMI communities to developand implement an adult literacy strategy forAboriginal peoples to ensure their access topostsecondaryschooling.

Limited funding available is the most citedbarrier to a higher education. As such, thefederal government must remove the 2%funding cap placed on the PostSecondaryStudentSupportProgramand increase fundingtomeettherequired levelsoffinancialsupportto ensure access of higher education forstudents. TheNational ProgramGuidelines for

thePost

Secondary

Student

Support

Program

(PSSSP) and University and College EntrancePreparation (UCEP) Program should bereviewed with First Nations and revised toinclude options for First Nations coping withadditional students and a funding shortfall.Asmany students cannot access these federalprograms and have an aversion to taking ondebt, PSE institutions and government shouldlookatexpandingnonrepayablebursariesandgrants for FNMI students, and these must be

separated

from

financial

assistance

applications.Furthermore,theexistenceofsuchfunding opportunities should be bettermarketed to FNMI students so that theseprogramswillhave greateruptake rates.Withregard to the Ontario Distance Grant, theprovincial government should increase thevalue of this grant, revise the criteria for thegrant so that it is more inclusive, and allowstudentstoaccesstheapplicationoutsideoftheOntario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)application. Eligibility for the new Ontario

TuitionGrant

should

also

be

expanded

for

FNMI

students due to the fact that they have highfinancialneeds.

Once students are ina collegeor auniversity,these institutions should increase retention

effortsandmakechildcarefacilitiesavailableforallstudentsorhelpstudents findsuchservicesinthecommunityasmanyFNMIstudentshavedependants. These institutions must maintainorcreateanorientationprogram to familiarizeFNMI students to the various support serviceson campus, especially those that are FNMIspecific andworkwith governments to createtargetedfundingrelocationgrantsforruralandnorthern students. Furthermore, postsecondary institutions, including staff andfaculty, should welcome Elders and otherAboriginal community members to serve asstudent advisors, counsellors, guest lecturers,and resource personnel on campus.Furthermore, Aboriginal Educational Councilsmust be supported in postsecondary

institutions.

Tofurtherhelpstudentscopewiththestressestheywillexperience intheirpursuitofahighereducation, postsecondary educationinstitutions must offer culturallyspecificcounsellingtoFNMIstudentsoncampusaswellasmaintainandexpandtheAboriginalspacesorAboriginal centres that exist on each campus.These institutionsshouldexpandor implementMtisspecific programming and support

services

to

help

Mtis

students

succeed

in

a

PSE

environment.Astheretentionpracticesdependon the number of FNMI students on campus,institutionsmustpaymore care and attentionto thesubtlebut importantdifferencesofselfidentificationterminologyinordertocollectthemost accurate data about the participation ofFNMI students within PSE institutions.Furthermore,theMinistryofTraining,Colleges,and Universities must continue to develop aprovincewide system of data collection asoutlined in its 2011 Aboriginal Postsecondary

EducationFramework

in

consultation

and

collaborationwithFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitcommunitiesandorganizations.


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3

FirstNations,

Mtis,

and

Inuit

(FNMI)

students in Ontario have many barriersimpeding their access to a postsecondaryeducation (PSE). First Nations, Mtis, andInuit people in Canada do not have thesame living conditions as nonAboriginalpeople. This is seen by the poor socioeconomicstandardsthattheymustendure.Although the health of FNMI peoples isgradually improving, it is generally stillpoorer than the health of nonAboriginalpeoples. For example, FNMI peoples stillhavealowerlifeexpectancy,ahigherinfantmortality rate, higher suicide rates, andmuch higher rates of infectious diseasesthannonAboriginalpeoples.

These worrying conditions stem fromhistorical policies and hardships that FirstNations,Mtis,and Inuitpeopleshavehadto endure. Their situation has also been

compoundedby

addictions

and

substance

abusesthatarenowprevalentinAboriginalcommunities.1 Fewer First Nations, Mtis,andInuitpeopleshavejobsandtheyspendmore time inprisons comparedwithothersegments of the wider population.Moreover, thehomesofAboriginalpeopleare more often flimsy, leaky, andovercrowded, and in Aboriginalcommunities,waterandsanitationsystems

are

more

often

inadequate.

2

Furthermore,

an intergenerational cycle of physical,psychological,andsexualabuseand lossofspiritual practices has sprung from thishistoryofdevaluationandcontrolforInuitandFirstNationspeople.3

IntheProvinceofOntariospursuitofa70%postsecondary education attainment rate,collaborationandinnovationwillneedtobeat the forefront of the governmentsagenda. Ensuring the province meets its

target,First

Nation,

Mtis,

and

Inuit

people

must be a primary consideration. FirstNations, Mtis and Inuit peoples are theyoungest and fastestgrowingdemographicinCanada,yettheyfaceavarietyofbarriersthathindertheireducationalsuccess.Thesebarriers include, but are not limited to,financial, institutional, historical,geographical, educational, and personalbarriers,manyofwhichoften intersect.Totackle these barriers, there needs to be acoordinated and holistic approach toresolve the issues students encounter astheypursuehighereducation.

Over thecourseof thepast fouryears, theCollege Student Alliance (CSA) has beenworkingactively toaddress the issues thatFNMI students continue to face. Thesubstandard conditions that are faced byFNMI peoples can be improved by an

educated

populace,

which

is

why

educational achievement in secondary andpostsecondaryeducationmustbemade apriority. The goalof thispolicypaper is toinform thedevelopmentof comprehensivepolicyrecommendationsforFNMIstudentshighereducationsuccess.

In recognizing the fiscal constraints of theprovincial and federal governments,

collaboration

between

all

levels

of

government, including First Nations, Inuit,and Mtis, must be the basis of thegovernments policies. Both theGovernment of Ontario and theGovernment of Canada must work incollaborationwithFNMIpeoplesandotherstakeholders to help make an educated

INTRODUCTION


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4

population a reality in the near future, asthepoorsocioeconomicstandardsofFNMIpeoples are one of the most importantsocial, moral, and economic issues of ourtime.

The three indigenous groups discussed inthis paper are commonly called AboriginalPeoples.The termAboriginalmaynotbe

preferredor

may

not

be

looked

favourably

upon by some members of the groupsbelow. As a result, the following sectiondescribes and attempts to define theterminology and populations of threeindigenous groups, namely the FirstNations,Mtis,andInuitpeoples.

FirstNations

Theterm

First

Nations

came

into

common

usage in the 1970s to replace band orIndian,A which some people foundoffensive.Despiteitswidespreaduse,thereisnolegaldefinitionforthisterminCanada.First Nations (or FirstNations People) isnot a synonym for Aboriginal Peoplesbecause itdoesnot include InuitorMtis.First Nations People generally applies toboth Status and NonStatus Indians.4According to the 2006 Census, there are158,395 First Nations people in Ontario,who represents about 65% of the total

AThetermIndianisonlyusedduethehistoricalcontexttoavoidconfusion,andonlywhereappropriate.Itsuseisrestrictedbecauseitisgeographicallyinaccurateandcancarryracistconnotations.

Aboriginalpopulation inOntario.MostFirstNations people in Ontarioabout 70% liveoutside of FirstNations communities.BOfthepopulationsnotlivinginFirstNationscommunities, 57%, or almost 90,000 First

Nationspeople,

live

in

urban

areas.

5

There

is much diversity among the 133 FirstNations communities and peoples inOntario. There are thirteen distinctIndigenousNations,namely theAlgonquin,Mississauga,Ojibway,Onondaga,Mohawk,Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, Tuscarora, Cree,Odawa, Pottowatomi and Delaware; andeach Nation has their own language,dialectsandknowledgesystems.6

Mtis

The word Mtis is French for mixedblood.7 Mtis people share commonhistories, traditions, and communities andare the result of unions between veryspecific Aboriginal and nonAboriginalpopulations. The Mtis emerged as adistinct people or nation in the historicNorthwest during the 18th and 19th

centuries.The

Constitution

Act

of

1982

recognizes Mtis as one of the threeAboriginal Peoples. To The Mtis NationalCouncil,Mtismeansapersonwhoselfidentifies as Mtis, is distinct from otherAboriginal peoples, is of historic MtisNation Ancestry, and who is accepted bytheMtisNation.8According to the 2006Census, there are 73,605 Mtis people inOntario,upfrom48,340in2001.9

Inuit

Inuitare thepeopleofArcticCanada. Inuitlive primarily in the Northwest Territories,

BSometimesreferredtoasreservationsorreserves.

ADESCRIPTIONOFFIRSTNATIONS,MTISANDINUITPEOPLES


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NunavutandnorthernpartsofQuebec,andthroughout most of Labrador.10 Inuitrepresent 1% of the total Aboriginalpopulation inOntario.Themajorityof Inuitliving outside the four Inuit regions in

Ontario82%live

in

urban

areas.

According to the 2006 Census, there are2,035InuitinOntario,whichisabout1%ofthe roughly 246,000 Aboriginal people in

Ontario.11

According to the 2006 Census andinformation from Aboriginal Affairs andNorthern Development Canada (AANDC),thetotalestimatedpopulationofAboriginalpeoples in Ontario is 296,495.12 Thisrepresented roughly 2% of the provincestotal population. According to the 2006Census,

there

are

more

than

1.1

million

people inCanadawho identify themselvesasanAboriginalperson.Ontariothemostpopulous province in Canadais also theprovince with the largest Aboriginalpopulation.13 One in five of the countrysAboriginalpeoples(21%)lived inOntarioin2006. This demographic information isimportant forpolicyandplanningpurpose,as ithighlights theneed for greaterpublic

policydevelopment

for

FNMI

peoples.

The Aboriginal population is younger thanthenonAboriginalpopulation.Morethanathird of the Aboriginal population consistsof children and teenagers aged 19 andunder, compared with a quarter for the

nonAboriginalpopulation.CThisageprofilemeans that improving educationaloutcomesiscriticalrightnowandcannotbeputonholdformanyyears.Theeducationalfailures sown today will be the social and

economiccosts

reaped

tomorrow,

and

in

thiscase,tomorrowisnotadistantfuture.14

According to the 2006 Census, between2001and2006,OntariosFNMIpopulationgrew faster than the nonAboriginalpopulation, increasing28.3%,ornearlyfivetimes faster than the 6.2% rate of growthfor the nonAboriginal population.DHowever, FNMI peoples in Canada do notenjoy the same or similar socioeconomicstandards as the nonAboriginalpopulations. With regards to educational,labour force, and income, FNMI peopleshave consistently had lower educationalattainment, higher unemployment rates,and lower incomesthanthenonAboriginalpopulationsinOntario.

In Ontario, for example, First Nationspeople do not complete high school as

oftenas

Mtis

and

Inuit.

Their

high

school

completionrateis58%,whiletheMtisrateis70%andtheInuitrateis59%,15accordingtothe2006Census.Itwouldbeincorrecttocompare this data to the current highschool completion rates in Ontario thatstood at 81% as of 2010.16 However, the2001 and 2006 Censuses show that thedirection of the high school graduationtrend is at somewhatof adeclinewithno

improvement

in

graduation

rates

for

C35.7%oftheAboriginalpopulationwhencomparedto25.1%forthenonAboriginalpopulations,respectively.Fromthe2006Census.DSeveralfactorsmayaccountforthefastgrowthoftheAboriginalpopulation,bothdemographicandnondemographic(e.g.,moreindividualschoosingtoidentifythemselvesasanAboriginalperson).

APROFILEOFFIRSTNATIONS,MTIS,ANDINUITPEOPLESIN

ONTARIO


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students living in First Nationscommunities.17

Another worrying trend is that of highunemployment. In Ontario, the Mtis

populationhas

a10%

unemployment

rate,

which is lower than the First Nationsunemployment rateof14%and the Inuitsunemploymentrateof15%whencomparedtothemainstreamunemploymentrate.TheMtis population also has a higher labourforce participation rate at 69% than theFirst Nations rate of 63% and the Inuitsrateof65%.18Thistrendisalsoreflectedinthe lowincome attainment of thesepopulations.TheaverageincomeofInuit,at$28,000, is slightly lower than the Mtisaverage of $29,000 and higher than theFirst Nations average of $24,000. Theseincomepatternsappeartoberelatedtothelevel of education achieved and labourforce participation rates.19 In Ontario,within the Aboriginal populations, 21% offamilies are low income. This is incomparison to the nonAboriginalpopulation,inwhich12%offamiliesarelow

income.20

The low educational and incomeattainments manifest themselves in otherways. For example, First Nations adultsgenerally have higher body mass indexes(BMIs) than the general Canadianpopulation, and the obesity rate fortheFirst Nations population istwice theCanadianobesityrate.21Thecauseofdeath

due

to

alcohol

use

is

almost

twice

the

rate

in the Aboriginal population than of thegeneralpopulationE;however,dataon theextent and impact of alcohol use on

EAboriginals,43.7per100,000,versusgeneralpopulation,23.6per100,000.FromChansonneuve(2007).

Aboriginal communities are lacking.22 Poormental health is also a characteristic formany communities as shown by rates ofsuicidethatareuptosixtimeshigherthanthegeneralpopulationsinCanada.

Another detriment of health is that ofhousing as both poor quality and lack ofaccessible housing can affect physical andmentalhealththrough.23Aboriginalpeopleare disproportionately affected by poorhousing conditions, particularly onreserveFirst Nations people and Inuit in theNorth.24 Also concerning is the rate ofincarceration: while Aboriginal peoplesrepresentroughly2%oftheprovincestotalpopulation,theyrepresentabout9%oftheinmatesinprisonsintheprovince.25

To overcome these issues, different levelsof government must work with the FirstNations, Mtis, and Inuit populations anddifferent stakeholders to help Aboriginalstudents succeed aseducation is away toimprove all of the socioeconomic issuesthese groups face. Just as education had

beenused

in

the

past

to

destroy

Aboriginal

cultureandlanguage,educationcannowbeusedtobuild,restore,andreviveAboriginalculture,history,values,andbeliefsthroughthe schools in which Aboriginal studentsattend.26

Theseeffortscannotstandaloneasasingleindividual,programor initiativewillnotbeable to resolve issuesencounteredbyFirst

Nations,

Mtis,

and

Inuit

learners.

These

problems will require a comprehensiveapproach by policy makers, with theunderstanding that the issues are highlycomplex. As a result, there is no onesolution for these problems, as amultifaceted policy issue such as this willneed a holistic approach to resolving and


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untangling thevariousproblems thatexist.By working in cooperation, the differentgroups and levels of government can helpsupport a more promising future forindividual Aboriginals and their

communitiesand

to

build

astronger

Canadianeconomyandsociety

EarlyChildhoodEducation

Anaspect

of

education

policy

is

that

of

Early

Childhood Education (ECE). In 2011, theprovince began to implement fulldaykindergartenforpublicschoolchildren.Thisis very difficult to compete with for FirstNations schools and communities that donothave the resources inplace todevelopthese programs.27 Coordination of fundingand programming envelopes to meetfinancial need in the development of a

coordinated

ECE

plan

is

a

difficult

endeavourthatplacesanundueburdenonFirst Nations communities, especiallysmaller ones that do not have theadministrativeinfrastructuretosupportthisharmonization.

Early Childhood Education is especiallyimportant for FNMI populations as theyhave the youngest and fastestgrowingdemographicacrossCanada.This issuehasbeen highlightedmany times, including bythe 1996 Royal Commission on AboriginalPeoples in their report with therecommendationthatthedesignofthisECEmaximizesAboriginal control over servicedesign and administration; d) offers onestop accessible funding; and e) promotes

parental involvement and choice in earlychildhood education options.28 Thisrecommendation still have not beenimplemented as shownby the fact that in2011, the Assembly of FirstNations found

that78%

of

First

Nations

children

do

not

haveaccesstolicensedchildcare.29

TheimportanceofculturallyrelevantECEisalsoacornerstonefortheNationalStrategyon Inuit Education, as ECE sets thestandard forbettereducationoutcomesbycreatingexpectationsofsuccessforchildrenand for those parents who are beingintroducedtotheeducationsystemforthefirst time.30TheMtiscommunityaswellsees that ECE is the earliest part of thelifelong learning path and the mostimportant part of the path in terms offorming a strong sense of pride, identity,language and cultural knowledge.31 Policymakers have undeniably recognized thevital importance of Early ChildhoodEducationand thebenefits that thisbringstochildrenincommunities.Itiscriticalthatthe youngest and fastestgrowing

populationshave

access

to

ECE

programs

that are being implemented in Ontario.These issues can only be resolved inpartnerships with First Nations and Inuitcommunities.

Barrier: FNMI studentsmaynot receive aculturallyrelevant early childhoodeducation in Ontario. Furthermore, FirstNations community schools, due to

underfunding,

are

not

able

to

provide

a

comprehensive program that iscomparable to Ontarios FullDayKindergarten.

Recommendation 1: The provincial andfederalgovernmentsmustensurethatFirstNations, Mtis and Inuit children receive

ELEMENTARYEDUCATIONANDEARLYCHILDHOODEDUCATION


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8

the culturallyrelevant Early Childhood

Education (ECE) that is comparable to

Ontarios FullDay Kindergarten. Children

musthaveaccesstocomparableeducation

opportunitieslicensedchildcareandfully

financedfull

day

early

learning

programs

directed by FNIMin order to succeed.

This must be developed in cooperation

with FNMI communities as it is only

through a culturallyrelevant curriculum

thatchildrenwillsucceed.

Benefit: With culturallyrelevant early

childhoodeducation,childrenwillbeable

to have a strong foundation for their

educational career. Furthermore, by

investing in ECE, the two levels of

governmentwouldbeable toensure that

FirstNations,Mtis,andInuitchildrencan

ultimatelyreacheducationparitywiththe

mainstreampopulations.

Elementary Education in First Nations

Schools

When discussing elementary (as well as

secondary)education,adistinctionmustbe

madebetween

First

Nations

community

schoolsandprovincialpublicschools.Many

people are not aware that there is a

differentconstructionofschooling forFirst

Nations students who have status and

attendonreserve schools.These schools

forFirstNationschildrenarealsoknownas

First Nations schools, or First Nations

community schools. Although education in

Canada constitutionally falls under the

jurisdiction of the provinces, First Nations

students education falls under the

jurisdictionofthe federalgovernmentFdue

to the Indian Act.32

Unlike First Nations

schools, the Inuit education system is not

regulatedby the IndianAct. Inuitstudents

education falls under the jurisdiction of

theirprovince/territory.Furthermore,there

islimitedfederalfundingprovidedforpost

secondaryeducation,butthisfundingisnot

always available to Inuit because of the

numberof

student

applicants.

Thefederalgovernmenthasaresponsibility

to provide funding for some students

becausetheCrownnegotiatedtreatieswith

FirstNations.Thesenegotiationsresultedin

theseveraltreatieswhichprovidedspecific

guarantees related to the provision of

education, which includes funding for

formal education.33

In contrast, Mtis

students

do

not

receive

any

federal

funding

becauseoncetheNumberedTreatieswere

signedand following theBattleofBatoche

FHowever,someAboriginalcommunitieshave

authorityovereducationoutsideoftheIndianAct

duetoajurisdictionaltransfer,liketheMikmaqin

NovaScotiawiththeMikmaqEducationAct(1998).


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9

in1885,formaleducationforMtischildrenbecamedifficult in thatneither the federalnor provincial governments claimedresponsibility for the education of Mtischildren. These children were caught in a

jurisdictionalvoid.

34

As

aresult,

Mtis

childrenattendpublicschoolsinOntario.

Elementaryeducation,aswellassecondaryeducation, for First Nations students isstrongly criticized because the educationalattainment of children is not comparablewith children who receive their schoolingoutside of First Nations communities,usually inpublicschools.Themajor reasonfor this lack of parity is that First Nationsschools are chronically underfunded incomparisontopublicschools,whichwillbediscussed later in this document. Thisunderfunding is partly due to the cap thefederal government placed on the fundingformula in 1996. To quantify thisunderfunding, the Canadian Governmentprovided First Nations children about$2,000to$3,000lessperstudent,peryear,than theprovincesand territoriesprovided

to

nonFirst

Nations

children

for

education.35 This cap, along with thehighest population growth rate in thecountryandan increasedcostof livinghasresultedinthechronicunderfundingthatisdetrimentaltoFirstNationscommunitiesinOntario.ThisisexacerbatedbythefactthatFirstNationsschoolscontinuetobefundedwith the Aboriginal Affairs and NorthernDevelopment Canada 1980s funding

formula.

Thisrealitygoesagainstthepurposeoftheelementary and secondary schoolprogramming as, the Department ofAboriginal Affairs and NorthernDevelopmentCanadasownwords:

The overall objective ofelementary/secondary education (ESE)programming is toprovideeligiblestudentsliving on reserve with educationprograms

comparable to those that are required in

provincial

schools

by

the

statutes,

regulations or policies of the province inwhich the reserve is located. It isexpectedthat eligible students will receive acomparable education to other Canadianswithinthesameprovinceofresidence,withsimilar educational outcomes to otherCanadians and with attendant socioeconomic benefits to themselves, theircommunitiesandCanada.36G

Almost all federal officials working inIndianandNorthernAffairsCanada(INAC)Hwillinformyouthatthefederalgovernmentundertakes to fund education for onreserve residents to levels comparable tothose to be found in similarlyprovinciallyfundedschools.37However, theconsensusamongstFirstNationsstudents isthattheirschools are not comparable and are inreality, twogradesbehindpublicschools.38

Inan

internal

department

audit

of

the

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, onlyabout 20%I of First Nations educationaladministrators andprincipalsbelieved thattransferability between onreserve schoolsandprovincialschoolshadbeenachieved.39Of the25departmentofficials surveyed inthe audit, not one of them believed thattransferabilityhadbeenachieved.40

As

the

Auditor

General

concluded

in

her

2004 report, the Department does notknowwhetherthefundingprovidedtoFirst

GEmphasisadded.

HNowtheDepartmentofAboriginalAffairsandNorthernDevelopmentCanada(AANDC).I18%oftheFirstNationseducationaladministratorsand22%oftheschoolprincipals.


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10

Nations is sufficient tomeet theeducation

standardsithassetandwhethertheresults

achieved, overall and by the different

delivery mechanisms, are in line with the

resourcesprovided.41

Therefore, claimsof

parityfrom

AANDC

are

misplaced

and

uninformed. Furthermore, this lack of

clarity is compounded by the fact that

mostFirstNationsschoolsonreservesare

stuck intheoldmodelofthevillageschool

that existed prior to rural school

consolidation and the enhancement of

provincialeducationministries.42

This lack

of a formalized education system like the

one that exists for the provincesmakes it

difficult for individual school to develop,

plan,evaluate,andimplementaneducation

program that canmeet the needs of First

Nationscommunitiesonagreaterlevel.

Whilesomearguethattheprovincesshould

simply take over First Nations schools to

providethestudentswiththesupportthey

need, this overly simplified idea does not

take intoconsideration thecomplexitiesof

First Nations affairs. Additionally, First

Nationswould

reject

the

transfer,

as

would

most provinces due to a variety of

administrative and legal issues. The

knowledgepathways thatexistneed tobe

improved between First Nations and

government,asthisisatwowaystreetthat

can benefit all parties in support of their

goals.

Barriers:Theeducationforelementaryand

secondary

school

children

in

First

Nations

communities is chronically underfunded

andfragmented,therebydenyingstudents

ample opportunity to be prepared

academicallyforpostsecondary.

Recommendation 2: The federal

government must provide additional

support to First Nations in developing

financialandknowledgesharingresources.

Furthermore,thefederalgovernmentmust

provide equitable resources to facilitate

the creation of First Nationsdriven

education

systems

with

appropriate

linkagesandpartnershipswithmainstream

service providers if optimum student

successistobeachieved.

Benefit: FirstNations childrenwillhave a

chance to be educated in a culturally

relevantenvironment thatpreserves their

traditions and worldviews of their

communities. The lack of educational

attainmentforFirstNationspeoplesisone

of the most critical moral, social, and

economicissuesfacedbygovernmentsand

must be addressed as these communities

have some of the youngest and fastest

growingpopulationsinCanada.

ElementaryEducationinPublicSchools

The

educational

experience

is

completely

different for students attendingpublic and

provincial schoolswhen compared to First

Nations Schools.J According to the 2006

JManyFirstNationspaytuitiontopublicschoolsat

theelementaryandsecondaryschoolleveltoenroll

childrenwhodonothaveaschoolwithintheir

communitiesbecauseelementaryandsecondary


15/65

11

Census, over twothirds of Aboriginalpeople now live offreserve and theirchildrenattendprovinciallyrunschools.Thetwothirdsof theAboriginalpeople includeall Mtis, the small Inuit population, and

roughlyhalf

of

those

who

identify

as

Indian/FirstNations.Basedon theseratios,onreserve, bandoperated schools areresponsible at any point in time foreducatingaboutoneAboriginalchildinfiveandprovincialgovernmentsareresponsiblefor the other four,43 which highlights theimportanceof theprovinces inelementaryand secondary education. There are over50,000 Aboriginal students who attendpublicelementaryandsecondaryschoolsinOntario.44 That is not to say that thegovernment should focusmoreon theonreserveoroffreservepopulation;theneedsofstudentswithinthetwosystemsmustbeaddressed.

InorderfortheFNMIchildren inprovincialschools to do well, indigenous worldviewsmust be included in the mainstreamcurriculum,asonlythroughthereflectionof

FMNIculture

will

students

fully

engage

in

the classroom.Simply stated, the inclusionof FNMI culture and history in theclassroom will help students from thesepopulations success if they see theiridentities reflected in the classrooms.Likewise, nonAboriginal students will alsobenefitfromamulticulturalperspectiveandthe diversity that comes from indigenousperspectives.45

In Canada, the average performance ofindigenous children is below that of non

educationforstatusFirstNationschildrenistheresponsibilityofthefederalgovernment.TheseagreementsarecalledEducationalServiceAgreements.

indigenous students in terms ofconventional performance measures.Indigenous knowledge is holistic as it hasboth an empirical side (that is, based onexperience) and a normative side (that is,

basedon

social

values),

and

distinguishing

betweenthemoralandempiricalcontentisdifficult. It is often passed on throughmodelling, sharing circles, dialogue,meditation, storytelling, practice, andanimation rather than through thewrittenword.46 It is difficult to measure bymainstream, conventional performancemeasures thatareused inOntariospublicschools.

Barrier:Children fromFirstNations,Mtisand Inuit communities have a lowereducational performance than nonindigenouschildren inCanada.This isduepartially to the fact that provincial publicschools do not reflect indigenous viewsandwaysoflearning.

Recommendation 3: Educators need toinclude indigenous ways of learning into

themainstream

curriculum

to

engage

First

Nations,Mtis,and Inuit students tohelpthemovercomefeelingsofalienation.

Benefit: Success for all students isimproved when there is an inclusion ofindigenous worldviews and teachingmethods,notjustFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitchildren.

High

motivation

and

engagement

in

learning have consistently been linked toreduceddropoutratesand increased levelsof student success. A student who isengaged is likely to have more success inschool. Student engagement is influencedby a variety of factors, one of which iscontext.Relatingmaterialtostudents lives


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12

makesthemmuchmore likelytoengage inthematerialandcourses.Teachersneedtohave a strongunderstandingofhow FNMIstudents learn and how to better engagethemusingavarietyofapproaches.

In fact, when Indigenous knowledge wassystemically and holistically included intoschools and curriculum, practices, andprograms student achievementimprovedwhen the curriculum reflectsbothEurocentricandIndigenousknowledgesuccessforallstudentsisimproved.K47TheMtisNationofOntariopointsoutthefactthat within a mainstream education,studentsaredisadvantagedbythefactthata that a mainstream education does notrecognizeexistingknowledgeandskillsetsupon beginning a formal educationcontribute to a lack of academicachievementandlossofconfidenceintheseveryearlyyears initiatingandperpetuatingthecycleofstudentswhomaynevercatchup.48

Another way that the mainstream

educationsystem

could

be

improved

is

through the expansion of FNMI history,language,andcultureinthecurriculum.Theimportance of language inclusion inmainstream curriculum to FNMI groups isparamount to the successofchildren fromthese groups. To illustrate this, it isimportanttonotethatthecentralgoalforMtis education is thepreservationof theMtisNation, including thepreservationof

the

history,

culture,

language

and

identity

and the relationship of the Mtis to theland.49 Likewise, theNational Strategy onInuit Education also emphasizes theimportanceofabilingualeducationforInuitchildren.50

KEmphasisadded.

The provincial schools only teach in onedominant language, which inadvertentlydenies children with indigenous and FirstNations background to learn and master

indigenous

languages,

even

if

the

provincialteachermaybesympatheticandknowledgeable about First Nations.51However, until the principles of FirstNations Control over First NationsEducation can be fully implemented ineducationpolicy,theprovincemustprovidea better way of delivering language andcultureeducation toFirstNations studentsthatrepresenttheircommunities.Thismustalsobeapplied to InuitandMtisstudentsinOntario,asfouroutoffiveFNMIchildrenarewithintheprovincialpublicschools.

Barrier:ThereisalackofreflectionofFirstNations, Mtis, and Inuit languages,cultures,andworldviews in theprovincialcurriculum. This impedes theunderstanding of the general populationsoftheissuesFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitcommunities face, as well as alienates

studentsfrom

First

Nations,

Mtis,

and

Inuit communities due to the lack ofinclusionoftheirInuit languages,cultures,andworldviews.

Recommendation 4: The province mustmake First Nations, Mtis, and Inuitlanguages,cultures,andworldviewsmorevisible in the provincial curriculum. Thiscould be expanded with the provincial

Teachers

Tool

Kit.

The

Teachers

Toolkit

is

a collection of electronic resources forOntarioselementaryandsecondaryschoolteachersand ismeant tobringAboriginalperspectivesintotheclassroom.

Benefit:Students fromFNMIcommunitieswill be able to have higher academic


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13

achievement and confidence if theirlanguages,cultures,andworldviewsmorevisibleintheprovincialcurriculum.

Theenactment and implementationof the

ConstitutionAct

of

1867

(also

known

as

the

BritishNorthAmericaAct)andoftheIndianAct (1876)L gave responsibility of FirstNations education to the federalgovernment. From these two Acts,M thefederalgovernmentwas givenauthorityofthe education of First Nation students,givingthemcompletecontrolofeducationfor all Aboriginal students living onreserves.52TreatyEducationhasnotbeenapriority inOntarioas ithasbeen inotherjurisdictions. For example, in 2007 theSaskatchewan Speech from the ThroneNbroadly set out the agenda of thegovernmentandidentifiedTreatyEducationasapriorityfortheK12educationsystemsand committed to making mandatoryinstruction in history and content of theTreatiesintheK12curriculum.53

In order to adequately address the

educationalissues

faced

by

FNMI

students

in Ontario, one must be aware of theexperiences related to education.Historically, the policy that guided FMNIeducation inCanada is thatofassimilation,

LTheIndianAct,whichhasbeenrevisednumeroustimessinceitsinception,istheprincipalfederalstatutedealingwith:Indianstatus;localgovernment;themanagementofreserveland;andmanagementofcommunalmonies.FromHenderson.

MThe1867ConstitutionAct,section91(24),vested

alllegislativeauthorityforIndiansandIndianlandsinthefederalgovernment.Asaresult,FirstNationseducationwasdefinedasafederalresponsibilityandseparatefromprovincialresponsibilityforeducation(sec.93).NBytheLieutenantGovernorofSaskatchewan,theHonourableDr.GordonL.Barnhart.

meaning that the education system wasused to integrate Aboriginal children intomainstream Eurocentric society. Asindigenous knowledge and traditions didnotmirrorthetypicalCanadianorderoflife,

therewas

abias

against

indigenous

ways

of

lifewhichstilllingerstoday.OThisledtotheidea that FMNI people were not civilizedand needed to be enlightened to the socalled proper ways of living, whichresulted in the creation of residentialschools in Canada. Residential schoolsopenedinCanadainthe1880s,andthelastresidentialschoolcloseditsdoorsin1996.

Duetotheassimilationpoliciesadoptedbythefederalgovernment,morethan150,000children who were placed in residentialschools, often against their parentswishes,54 were prohibited from usingindigenous languages and culture,55 andwerestrippedofparentingskillsastheydidnot have role models to show themappropriate and culturallyrelevantparenting techniques. The governmentworked with Christian missionaries to run

theseschools,

which

were

little

more

than

forced labourcampswhere students spenthalfthedayintheclassroomandtheotherat work.P In residential schools, Christian

OTotheEuropeanandCanadiangovernmentsofthepast,anythingthatwasnonEuropeaninoriginwasnotseenaslegitimate.PStudentsspenthalfthedayintheclassroomandtheotheratwork.Thetheorybehindthiswasthatstudentswouldlearnskillsthatwouldallowthemtoearn

aliving

as

adults,

but

the

reality

was

that

work

hadmoretodowithrunningtheschoolinexpensivelythanwithprovidingstudentswithvocationaltraining.Fundingwasadominantfactorintheresidentialschoolsystem.Fromthe1890suntilthe1950s,thegovernmenttriedconstantlytoshifttheburdenoftheschoolsontothechurches,whosemembersmadedonations,andontothestudents,whoselabourwasafinancialcontribution.


18/65

14

religionandEuropeanvaluesandtraditions

werecompulsory,andphysical,sexual,and

mental abuse was prevalent.56

57 With a

revision of the Indian Act in 1911,

residential school attendance became

mandatoryfor

all

children

between

the

agesof7and15.58

Toillustratethebeliefs

of the time, Duncan Campbell Scott, the

head of theDepartment of Indian

Affairsfrom1913to1932,notoriouslysaid:

I want to get rid of the Indian

problem.Idonotthinkasamatterof

fact, that the country ought to

continuouslyprotectaclassofpeople

who are able to stand alone Our

objective is to continueuntil there is

notasingleIndianinCanadathathas

not been absorbed into the body

politicandthereisnoIndianquestion,

andnoIndianDepartment.59

Theseracistanddiscriminatory ideasabout

the use of education as a tool of

assimilation continued on to the post

secondary school realm. From 1876 until

1951,the

Indian

Act

statedthat

any

Indian

who obtained a college diploma or

universitydegreewould automatically lose

hisorherIndianstatus.Thisprocess,called

enfranchisement,60

was designed to be a

voluntary process that would give

Aboriginalpeopletherightstovoteandgo

toschool,whichwereforbiddenfromthem.

However,givinguptheirstatusmeantthat

theywouldhavetogiveuptherighttolive

on

reserves,

further

destroying

families

and

communities. Residential schools and

enfranchisement practices greatly harmed

Aboriginal communitiesacrossCanada and

the issues from these practices remain

today. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen

Harper issued an apology to former

residential school students, stating that

assimilation policies were wrong, [have]

caused great harm and [have] no place in

ourcountry.61

The

impact

of

education

is

intergenerational meaning that the

education experience and attitudes of the

parents and prior generations impact the

current generation.62

While there are an

estimated 80,000 former students living

today, the ongoing impact of residential

schools has been felt throughout

generations and has contributed to social

problems that continue to exist.63

The

impactof

residential

schools

on

FNMI

communities has been extremely negative

and has destroyed the different cultures

and families. One way the federal

governmenthastriedtoaddressthelegacy

of residential schools is with the Indian

Residential Schools Settlement Agreement

(IRSSA), which is the largest class action

settlement in Canadian history. In 2006,

survivors of the residential school system,

the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit

representatives,and churchentities signedan agreement with the Government of

Canada in the hopes of achieving a

comprehensive resolution to the legacy of

Indianresidentialschools.


19/65

15

A component of the Indian ResidentialSchoolsSettlementAgreement is theTruthand Reconciliation Commission(TRC). Thiscommission is mandated to hold sevennationalevents,supportcommunityevents,

createapublic

historical

record,

and

promote awareness about the ResidentialSchoolssystemanditsimpacts.TheTRCwillprepare a comprehensive historical recordon the policies and operations of theschools and produce a report that willinclude recommendations to theGovernmentofCanada concerning the IRSsystem and its legacy.The federal RoyalCommissiononAboriginalPeoplesof1996which found that many of the problemsencountered in Aboriginal communitiestodayviolence, alcoholism, and loss ofpride and spiritualitycan be traced backto the sense of disconnect that Aboriginalchildren experienced as a result of beingsenttoaresidentialschool.

The legacyof residential schools remainsamajor barrier to FNMI studentsparticipation in postsecondary education.

Nunavutand

the

Northwest

Territories

have

expanded the grade 10 curriculum toinclude mandatory studies of ResidentialSchools. This curriculum will be taught aspart of a mandatory Northern Studiescourse to all grade 10 students, and wasdeveloped in partnership with the Truthand Reconciliation Commission and theLegacy ofHope Foundation to give insightintothechallengesfacedbysurvivors.64

Barrier:Theprovincialcurriculumdoesnotreflectthehistoryofresidentialschoolsortreatynegotiations.As a result, therearemany misconceptions of the lingeringimpact of these events on First Nations,Mtis,andInuitcommunitiestoday.

Recommendation 5: The province, incollaborationwithFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitcommunitiesmustfurtherexpandtheprovincial curriculum and the teachersresourceguides tohighlight thehistoryof

ResidentialSchools,

treaty

negotiations,

and past issues whose impacts linger incommunitiestoday.

Benefit: The expansion of the publiccurriculum will allow students to learnabout the impact that the past has notonly on First Nations, Mtis, and Inuitcommunities,butalsoonCanadiansocietytoday.

Teachersandotherstaffmemberswhousethe Teachers Toolkit should be aware ofthegapsofFNMIhistoryandsocialissuesinthe toolkit.While the ideas and strategiesfor teaching FNMI perspectives aredefinitely a step in the rightdirection, themoretabootopicsregardingthebrutalandembarrassing history and the roles of theCanadian government and otherstakeholders played in Aboriginal history

shouldbe

taught,

especially

in

the

higher

grades in secondary school. This isespecially important with regards toassimilation and residential school policiesofthepast,aswellastheissuesthatexistinAboriginalcommunitiesinthepresent.

When discussing the pathway fromelementary to postsecondary education,early outreach initiatives (EOIs) play a key

role

in

increasing

PSE

participation.

EOIs

seektoaddresstheacademic,personal,andsocial barriers to valuing and completingeducation. As well as promoting literacy,math skills, and an appreciation foreducation,theseprogramsworktoenhancetheconfidenceandselfappreciationof theparticipants. FNMI youth, like the youth


20/65


21/65

17

EOIsoughttobecommunitybasedinorderto develop strong ties between theseprograms participants and members oftheir communities, such as the differentFNMI populations across the province.

TheseEOIs

should

operate

with

flexibility,

in

thesense thatprogramsshouldbecreatedtoaddresstheuniqueneedsofthespecificFNMI communities. These outreachprograms have the advantage of allowingstudents to remain in their homecommunities, while simultaneouslymaintaining family ties and communitysupport.70 The utilization of communitypartnerships, like with Friendship Centresthatexist throughout theprovince,Qwouldhelp improve the delivery of services tostudents by sharing government functionwith individuals or community groups.Having a cooperative pursuit of sharedobjectives between organizations wouldbetterservestudentsandwouldhelptheseprograms reach a broader audience.Cooperation between the FNMIcommunitiesandotherstakeholdersisvitaltothesuccessofearlyoutreachinitiatives.

In order to build lasting and sustainablerelationships, colleges should work withFNMI communities to build mutuallybeneficial relationships based on mutualunderstanding. Colleges that have forgedthese relationships have better FNMIrepresentation within the collegesthemselves. Initiatives that help to buildrelationships should be started very early,

establishing

relationships

with

the

students

when they are very young because most

QFriendshipCentresarenotforprofitcorporationswhicharemandatedtoservetheneedsofallAboriginalpeopleregardlessoflegaldefinition.ThisnecessitatesrespondingtothousandsofAboriginalpeoplerequiringculturallysensitiveandculturallyappropriateservicesinurbancommunities.

make the choice to attend PSE as soon asgrades seven or eight. These relationshipscan help inform students and thereforeempower them to choose the correctclasses in secondary school so they can

beginto

forge

their

own

paths

to

PSE

at

an

early age. These relationships are veryimportant because they help students seepostsecondary education as a viableoption.

For example, Fanshawe College, whichenrols over 250 aboriginal students, hasrecently hired a community outreach andtransitionadvisorwho is incontactwith10local First Nation communities. The intentofthisroleistopromotetheinstitution,butalso to increase participation and supportfor the students. In order to build lastingand sustainable relationships, collegesshouldworkwithAboriginalcommunitiestobuild mutually beneficial relationshipsbasedonmutualunderstanding.

Earlyoutreachinitiativesinallcommunitiesare thus that much more important.

Studentsmust

see

PSE

as

aviable

option

duetothefactthatsomanychildrenmakeuptheirmindtopursuePSEatanearlyage.Studentswhoseeotherssucceedaremorelikelytothinkthatthey,too,havetheabilityto succeed. Many children lack strongmentorstoguidethemintheirpathtopostsecondary education due to the fact thatAboriginalpeoplesinCanadagenerallyhaveaverylowPSEparticipationrateinrelation

to

the

general

population

and

that

many

Aboriginal students are the first in theirfamiliestoattendaPSEinstitution.


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18

Inordertosucceedinthemoderneconomy

FNMI

children

need

to

acquire

anacceptable education which today means

more thanhighschoolgraduationapostsecondary diploma or degree, or a tradecertificate, is requiredbut high schoolgraduation isthedoorthroughwhichmoststudents must pass to go on to postsecondary schooling.71 Finishing secondaryschoolisakeysteponthewaytoearningapostsecondary education. In todaysknowledge economy, students need toremain

competitive

and

apost

secondary

educationisanecessity.

FNMI students have lower high schoolgraduation rates compared to the nonAboriginal population, which presentsgreater challenges to participating inOntario's knowledge economy. Datasuggest that the dropout rate forAboriginalsbeforecompletionofgradenine

isabout

20%

and

40%

before

completion

of

grade 12, compared to with 3% and 16%,respectively, for the nonAboriginalpopulation.72 Approximately 60% of FirstNations onreserve residents ages 2024still have not completed high school norobtained an alternative diploma orcertificate.73 Similarity across Canada, thestarkrealityofInuiteducationtodayisthatroughly75%ofchildrenarenotcompletinghigh school, and many who do find thattheirskillsandknowledgedontcomparetothoseofnonAboriginalgraduates.74R

RDataforthehighschoolcompletionratesforInuitwerenotavailablefromallfourInuitregions;the75%couldbehigherorlower.

It isworthnoting,however,thatAboriginalstudents who have graduated fromsecondary school have similar, thoughslightly lower, overall PSE participationratesasthenonAboriginalpopulation.This

indicatesthat

increasing

the

secondary

schoolcompletionrateisanimportantstepin raising postsecondary participation ofAboriginal youth as a whole.75 The issuesthat FNMI students face in elementaryschool are only exacerbated in secondaryschool.Theseissuesencompassavarietyofbarriers, including personal, institutional,familial, and geographical barriers. Thereare many reasons why youth drop out ofschool:racism;lackofparentalinvolvementand guidance; resentment andembarrassment caused by feeling lesssuccessful scholastically than otherstudents; instabilitycausedbyhighratesofresidential mobility; feelings of isolationcaused by being in environments that arenotculturallysensitive;aninabilitytoaffordtextbooks, sporting equipment, andexcursion fees; anunstablehome life; andpoverty.76

Anecdotally,manychildrenarehamperedintheir success by taking on responsibilitiesforfamilycareataveryyoungage.Broughton by the legacy of residential schools,many children deal with serious issueswithin their families such as alcoholism,drug addiction, and abuse. Many highschool students become parentsthemselves at a very young age. It is a

common

experience

when

First

Nations,

Mtis, and Inuit students are the first intheir families to pursue a PSE; they oftenlack mentorship to help them with thetransition.77 These issues are furtherintensifiedby themisunderstandingof theexisting issues by thosewho are trying tohelp students succeed.Thebarrierscanbe

SECONDARYEDUCATION


23/65

19

overcome with a stronger emphasis fromboth levelsofgovernment, institutionsandcommunities by increasing early outreach,mentorship,andpredatoryprograms.

Barrier:Due

to

the

low

PSE

attainment

of

FirstNations,Mtis,andInuitcommunitiesin Ontario, many youths do not see ahigher education as a viable option.Mentorship plays a large role in thedevelopment of these views as theinteraction of thosewho have attained ahigher education can make theaccomplishmentseemfeasible.

Recommendation 7: Postsecondaryinstitutions, communities, and secondaryschools should expand mentorshipprograms that help students to makeinformedpostsecondarydecisionspriortoleaving high school, through advice fromfamily members and high schoolaged oradultmentors.

Benefit:Mentorshipprogramswouldallowstudents fromFNMIcommunitiesaccessa

PSEby

providing

students

with

guidance

thatistailoredtotheirlifeexperiences.

The expansion of mentorship programswould give students opportunities such ascareer shadowing, involvement incommunity activities, and participating involunteer initiatives. Having a program inschool that helps these students to setpositive examples would improve their

knowledge

of

options

that

are

available.

As

research shows, more attention must bepaid to improving studentmotivationandperformanceat (orbefore) thehighschoollevel, providing better information tostudentsand their familiesabout thecostsandbenefitsofeducationfromanearlyageand carrying out other interventions

targeted at the earlyrooted and familybased factors that seem to be the mostimportant determinants of access.78 Thiscan also be help by the early outreachinitiativesmentionedabove,as thegoalof

thegovernment

should

be

to

make

sure

that students inOntario can accesshighereducation, especially those students fromvulnerable groups who do not finish highschool.

Not only are Aboriginal students facingbarriersdue to lowhigh schoolgraduationrates, they are also less academicallyprepared forhighereducation,which thenleads to higher dropout rates at the postsecondary education level. Rural, remote,and reserve schools typically do not offerthe academic preparation required for asuccessful transition to postsecondaryeducation. Transitioning programs areessential in helping Aboriginal studentsprogresstheireducationasthetypicalnonAboriginal student is a young high schoolgraduate, which differs from the typicalAboriginalstudentwhoisolder,female,has

familyresponsibilities,

and

enters

aPSE

program.This iswhybridgingprogramsaresovital.

Barrier: Many First Nations, Mtis, andInuitstudentswhowishtoaccessahighereducationmaynothavetherequisitelevelofknowledgeneeded to succeed inaPSEenvironment. This situation can beimproved with remedial preparatory and

transitioning

programs.

Recommendation 8: Secondary schools,PSEinstitutions,andthedifferentlevelsofgovernment, in partnership with FNMIcommunities, must continue to offer andimprove remedial preparatory andtransitioning programs for secondary


24/65

20

schoolstudentstoensureaccesstohighereducation.

Benefit: Transition and preparatoryprograms can fill in the educational gaps

thatstudents

may

experience

on

their

pathwaytopostsecondaryeducation.

A great preparatory program is theUniversity and College Entrance Program(UCEP),afederalprogramonlyavailable toFirst Nations that have status under theIndian Act and Inuit people. UCEP helpsunderqualified Aboriginals participate inPSE through preparatory programs. Thefederal government provides financialassistance for one year to eligible FirstNationandInuitstudentstoenablethemtoattain the academic level required foradmittanceintoapostsecondaryeducationprogram. The curriculum contains culturalcomponents, focuses on Aboriginal rolemodels, mentoring and peer support, andparticipation in cultural events.S Thisupgrading program covers concepts fromgrades10,11,and12inaPSEsetting.

Preparatoryprogramscanalso include,butarenot limited to, literacyprograms,adult

SAboriginaladministrativeorganizationsmanagetheprogramandprovideinformationontheapplicationprocess.

basic education,Ontario Secondary SchoolDiploma (OSSD)equivalencyprograms,anddual credit programs. For example, dualcredit programs allow students in highschool to take collegelevel classes in their

senior

years

in

high

school.

Upon

completion, the credits earned can counttowardstheirhighschooldiplomaaswellasa postsecondary certificate, diploma,degree,or apprenticeshipcertification. Theprograms objectives are to increaseaccessibility by allowing students toexperience postsecondary education in aseamless manner. They allow students toacculturate to the PSE realm before theyeven leave high school and a greatretention and accessibility tool. Targetingthese programs for FNMI students woulddefinitelybeastepintherightdirection.

What secondary schools could do toimprove students access PSE is providemore information for students on therealities of college and university studies,including the costsandbenefitsassociatedwithhighereducation.Oneof theways to

addressthese

issues

is

to

improve

the

mandatoryCareerStudiescourse forgrade10 students. The course curriculummakesreference to the importance of postsecondary education but places a muchgreater emphasis on employmentrelatedtopics such as selfassessment, the jobmarket,andemployment strategies than itdoes on educational planning.79 Withregards to the high school curriculum,

improved

information

about

financial

assistance and the different streams andopportunities available to students couldincreasestudentsparticipationinPSE.

Research suggests that students frompoorersocioeconomicbackgrounds,suchasAboriginalstudents,maybemoreaverseto


25/65

21

borrowing and the possibility of default, aphenomenon known as debt aversion.80This is especially worrying due to the factthatdebtaversionappears tobe themostimportant single financial obstacle to

participationin

post

secondary

education,

both among those who did not pursue apostsecondaryeducationafterhighschoolfor financial reasons, as well as for thosewhodroppedoutforfinancialreasons.Thisissueneeds tobe addressed very earlyonas studentsmake thedecision to attend ahighereducation institutionataveryearlyage.

Furthermore,researchhasfoundthatmanybursaries targeted at lowincome andunderrepresented students have notincreased access partly because thesebursaries reach those who have alreadysucceededinapplyingandenrollinginpostsecondaryeducation.Thebursaries impactwas limited in secondary school, becausemany students were unaware of theirexistence and qualification criteria.81 Withthat in mind, the benefits that students

attainfrom

aPSE,

including

better

socio

economic conditions, need to be bettercommunicated to the students, as do thevariety of options available to students,including financial aid, debt management,and bursaries in secondary school wouldmakeprogramsmore effective in reachingthose with the greatest need. The act offilling out a mock bursary, scholarship, orloanapplicationinschoolcouldbeawayfor

FNMI

students

that

the

applications

are

accessible.

Canadian studies show that schoolguidance counsellors and teachers werethought to have very little impact on thedecisions made by students and thatstudents needed more information on

admissions,programs,careerchoices,costs,and financingoptions.82School counsellorswho facilitate guidance and careereducation through credit courses, exitprograms, and informal assistance are

helpfulto

students

to

plan

for

and

transition into PSE. Counsellors and theprovincial governments have madeconsiderable progress in recent years toimprove guidance through both theestablishment of Student Success Teamsandtheexpansionofcompulsorycoursestoinclude guidance credits, but guidancecounsellorservicescanbeimproved.

Barrier:Studentsdonothaveaccesstotheinformation they need tomake informeddecisions regarding their educationalpathways and are not aware of thebenefits of higher education due to thesupports and curriculum in secondaryschool. Furthermore, counselling andstudent support services in First Nationscommunities are critical to assistingstudentstosucceedbuttheseservicesareunderfunded.

Recommendation 9: The Ontariogovernmentmustensurethatteachersandguidance department staff have theresources to help students in theirtransition to life after high school andincorporate more postsecondaryeducation and financial aid informationintothecurriculum.Moreover,thefederalgovernment must ensure that the

counselling

and

student

support

needs

are

also met in First Nation communityschools.

Benefit: Students will be aware of thebenefits of higher education and wouldhave the knowledge needed to advancetheireducationwithinOntario.


26/65

22

As mentioned above, many students face

geographicalbarrierswhentryingtoaccess

secondary school.FirstNations,Mtis,and

Inuityouthwholiveonreserves,orinrural

andremote

communities,

do

not

always

have access to a high school education

because theremight not be a high school

nearthem.Asaresult,studentsleavehome

to access secondary education in more

urban areas, such as in Thunder Bay.

Leaving their home communities requires

reconciling Native values, dealing with

disruptions to the usual support system,

and attempting to acculturate toanurban

lifestyle.83

In Ontario, only 62% of

Aboriginalpeople live inurbanareas,while

therestoftheOntariopopulation(48%)live

in rural and onreserve areas. Currently,

students from rural communities board

with host families in urbanized cities to

attend secondary school.While this seems

likeagoodpracticefromwhichmanyhave

benefited, there is definitely room for

improvementastherearemanyissuesthat

exist.

Studentsemotional,physical,spiritual,and

mentalneeds for safetyarenotaddressed

when students move outside of their

communities to attend secondary school.

Therehavebeengraveconcernsexpressed

by the communities and families of the

students attending schools in urban areas

since the practice of students boarding

began, especially due to the suicide and

disappearancerates

of

Aboriginal

youth,

such as in Thunder Bay.Most notably, 24

Nishnawbe Aski communities in the Sioux

Lookout District in northwestern Ontario

have suffered more than 300 child and

youth suicides over the last decade.84

In

Thunder Bay, seven native teens have

disappearedanddied since2000.Allcame

from remote northern First Nations

communitiestoattendhighschoolbecause

there was no suitable school for them in

theirhomecommunities.Boarderswhofeel

alienated and estranged from the greater

communityaremorelikelytoneedsupport

services that will address the students

emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental

needsforsafety.

Accommodation facilities, such as student

housing, could be a way to address the

complex issues that students face when

theymove

from

rural

communities

without

secondary schools to urbanized to attend

high school. Thesehousing facilitieswould

havetobedesigned,built,andoverseen in

cooperation with FNMI communities in

order for them to succeed. The

accommodation facilities would go far in

addressing the social, emotional, mental

andphysicalneedsof the students, in line

with their cultural teachings. This

recommendation

stems

from

an

accommodation facility proposal from the

NorthernNishnawbe Education CouncilT in

TTheauthorwouldliketoexpressherthanksto

JenniferManitowabiforsharingtheNorthern

NishnawbeEducationCouncilsBusinessPlanforthe

DennisFranklinCromartyHighSchool

AccommodationFacility.


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23

ThunderBay.ThiswillhelpFirstNationsandInuit students successfully complete highschool as they will be supported in theireducationalendeavoursbyqualifiedstaff.

Barrier:Some

students

from

rural

and

northern communities do not havesecondary school facilities available tothem in their communities in order topursueahighschooleducation.

Recommendation 10: The federal andprovincial governments shouldworkwithcommunities to create accommodationfacilities for high school students whostudyawayfromtheirhomecommunities.

Benefit: The creation of accommodationfacilitiesthathavesupportservicesgearedtowards FNMI students will ensure thatthese students can attend secondaryschool with culturally relevant supportsthat will ensure their academic andpersonalsuccess.

Oneotherwaythatthegeographicalbarrier

couldbe

solved

is

through

the

expansion

of

online learning for secondary schoolchildrenfromruralandnorthernareas.Thismethod of learning has been extremelysuccessful into college and universitysectors. To illustrate this, Ontarios highereducation system has more than 18,000courses and over 1,000 online programsanddistance learningopportunities,85withmore than half a million student

registrations

in

college

and

university

online

courses.86 The most significant aspect ofonline learning for First Nationscommunities are Contact NorthsU online

UContactNorth/ContactNordisOntariosdistanceeducationandtrainingnetwork.Establishedin1986,

itisanonprofitcorporationfundedbythe

distance centres,87 ofwhich 29 are placedwithin First Nations communities.88 Thesephysical online learning centres areequipped with distance educationtechnologies such as audioconferencing,

videoconferencing,

web

conferencing,

computer workstations, and highspeedInternet(whereavailable).89

The Ontario Ministry of Education has ELearning, a strategy designed to allowstudents access to online learning forlearners from K12. A component of thisstrategy is the provincial LearningManagementSystem(LMS),whichisgearedtowardssecondaryschoolstudentsthatarenot able to access specific courses due toscheduling conflictsor theunavailabilityofcertain classeswithin their home school.90These courses are standardized and mustmeet the same requirements as coursesdelivered in a traditional classroom,specificallywithregardstotheassessmentand evaluation of student achievement ofcurriculum expectations, the recording ofstudents marks, and other relevant

information.91The

Keewaytinook

Internet

High School is an example of an onlinesecondary school developed by FirstNations communities and is the firstinternet high school approved by theOntario Ministry of Education.92 TheKeewaytinook Internet High School allowsstudentstostayintheirhomecommunitiesand pursue education as the communityprovidesaplaceforstudentstolearn.

Barrier:Duetogeographicalbarriers,manystudents are not able to access a high

GovernmentofOntariothatoffersaccesstoeducationopportunitiesforOntariansthroughonlinelearning.


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24

school education in their homecommunities.

Recommendation 11: The provincial andfederal governments and the Ministry of

Educationshould

work

to

develop

the

e

learning strategy for secondary schoolstudents in rural and First Nationscommunities to improve access tosecondary education all while allowingstudents to stay within their homecommunities.

Benefit: Online learning has been provento increase access to postsecondaryschoolingbyallowingstudentswhoarenotable to relocate forschool.Theexpansionofthispracticewouldgreatlybenefitthoseyoung students who cannot access asecondaryeducation in their communitiesandwouldallowthemtostaywithinthosecommunitiesatsuchayoungage.

Access to a quality secondary schooleducation is paramount to the success ofstudents in higher education. The

acceptance

of

a

student

into

post

secondary program is largely dependentupon his/her high school grades.93However,manyAboriginal studentsdonotcomplete high school but attend postsecondary education as mature students.Other students graduate from high schoolbut without necessary courses such asmathematics and science, or lacking studyskills, time management abilities, and

computer

literacy.

94

In general, colleges inOntariohavehigherrates of participation of students fromunderrepresentedgroupsthanuniversities.According to the 2006 Census 38% of theAboriginal population has some type ofpostsecondaryeducation.95Thisspecificallyincludes19%withacollegecredential,10%withapprenticeships,7%withadegree,and2% with a diploma. This 38% attainmentshows a 13% gap when compared to the

51%of

the

non

Aboriginal

population

has

attainedahighereducation.

Colleges are well placed to supportAboriginalstudentsforavarietyofreasons.In general, colleges have higherparticipation rates of groups who aretraditionally underrepresented in postsecondaryeducationinstitutions.Thiscouldbestem from the fact that therearemore

collegesin

northern

and

rural

Ontario

than

there are universities. Geography plays alarge role in the selection of a postsecondaryinstitutionasstudentslivingoutofcommutingdistancearefar less likelytoattend than students living withincommutingdistance.96

Collegesare lessexpensive,as theaverageOntario tuition fees for college students in2011 are $2,31197 for regular programs ofstudy,

while

for

universities

the

average

is

$5,138.98Colleges,duetothenatureofthesmall programs, enjoy smaller classes thatgrant studentsmore interactionwith theirinstructor. Anecdotally, students havefoundthistoresultingreaterflexibilityandthe ability to develop closer relationships

POSTSECONDARYEDUCATION(PSE)


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25

with staff. Another benefit to colleges isthattheycatermoretothecommunitiesinwhich they are located, as many collegeshave Aboriginalspecific, communitybasedprograms thatmeet the learning needs of

Aboriginalcommunities.

IndigenousInstitutionsofHigherLearning

Indigenous Institutions of Higher Learning,also known as Indigenous AboriginalInstitutesofHigherLearning,ofwhichthereareabout50inCanada,offerPSEprograms;however, these institutions have not beengiven complete autonomy enjoyed bymainstream institutions. Instead, currentfederal and provincial policies requireIndigenous institutions to partner withmainstream postsecondary institutions inorder to access funding and toensure thecredibility and portability of studentcredentials.99 Indigenous Institutions ofHigher Learning (IIHL) have proven to beverysuccessful inhelpingstudentsattainaPSE. Indigenous Institutions of HigherLearning in Ontario receive funding from

twoprimary

sources:

through

AANDCs

Indian Studies Support Program (ISSP)fundingandthroughtheOntarioMinistryofTraining, Colleges and Universities postsecondary funding. However, funding isverylimited.100

These institutions deliver a wide range ofprograms including basic literacy andsecondary upgrading, language and

Indigenous

knowledge

based

programs,

skilled trades, and university graduatedegree programs.101 The graduates ofAboriginal Institutesattribute their successtotheculturallyrelevantprogramsthataretaught, along with the unique blendedprogram delivery models that includeclassroom setting, online learning, and

independent studies that respond to theirunique learning needs.102 There issignificant variation inboth the sizeof theinstitutes and the type and number ofprogramswhicharedelivered.Thestudent

retentionand

graduation

rates

are

also

higher,withhighprogramcompletionratesofbetween 60% and 90%per year.103 Thediversepracticesused inthese IIHLsshouldbe looked at as models for mainstreaminstitutions looking to support FNMIlearners.

Barrier:Mainstreameducational institutesare not able to provide First Nations,Mtis,and Inuit learnerswith thesupportthat Indigenous Institutions of HigherLearning(IIHL)haveofferedandthathaveproventobeextremelysuccessful.

Recommendation 12: Mainstreaminstitutionssuchasthepubliccollegesanduniversities in Ontario should look theIndigenous InstitutionsofHigher Learning(IIHL) to gain clarity and adapt bestpractices to support First Nations, Mtis,

andInuit

learners.

Furthermore,

the

provincial and federal governments mustdomore to provide equitable funding forindigenous institutionsandmust facilitateincreased partnerships betweenIndigenous institutions and mainstreaminstitutionstoenhancestudentsaccesstohighereducation.

Benefit:Mainstreaminstitutionscanbetter

support

First

Nations,

Mtis,

and

Inuit

learners if theyareable to reproduce thebestpracticesandsupportservicesofferedto students in the Indigenous InstitutionsofHigherLearning.

LiteracyandBasicSkills


30/65


31/65

27

causedbychronicunemployment.TrainingprogramsprovidemeaningfulopportunitiesforFNMIpeopletodevelopeducationalandjob experiences that will offer sustainableemployment inmajoreconomic industries.

Furthermore,

these

programs

provide

lasting benefits for FNMI communities,families,andindividualsseekingtoimprovethemselves. The strategic outcome oftrainingprograms is to assist FNMIpeopleto become participants in economicopportunities inallsectorsof industry.Thegovernment of Canada spends millions ofdollars each year on training programs forFirstNations,Mtis,andInuitpeople.Whilethese [programs are immensely helpful,many people cannot access them becausethey do not have the functional literacyneededtoparticipateinthem.

Funding

The federal government is required toprovideFirstNationsandInuitpeopleswithan elementary and secondary education.

Thereis

strong

disagreement

about

post

secondary education responsibilitynotonly about who should provide what, butalso how much should be provided. Theargument about where the responsibilityfalls for PSE comes from the fact that thefederalgovernmentofCanadaclaims thatpostsecondary education...clearly [falls]under jurisdiction of the provincialgovernment. Yet, the provincial

governments,

on

the

other

hand

view[s]...[it]asfallingundertheauspicesofthe federal government.109 Furthermore,the federal government views PSE as asocial policy rather than a treaty right.110First Nation political leaders assert thateducation at all levels is a right gainedthrough a treaty based on the treatys

interpretation, the fiduciary obligation ofthe Crown, and the unique constitutionalpositionofFirstNations.111Thisdebatehasyet to be resolved, but understanding thetwo sides of the argument is critical to

understandingthe

policies

relating

to

post

secondaryeducation.

Funding is the mostnoted barrier forstudents that are trying access a highereducation. The PostSecondary StudentSupport Program (PSSSP) is the federalprogram that Aboriginal students withstatus access for funding through theirband.VFirstandforemost, itmustbemadeclearthattherearemanycriteriathatmustbemetinorderforstudentstohaveaccessto funding. Mainly, students must haveIndian status and be registered under theIndianAct.

WThePSSSPisintendedtocover

VThe term band isusedcommonly todescribeaFirstNationcommunitythathasitsownformofselfgovernment.ThetermbandisusedintheIndianActto and is defined as a body of Indians for whosecollectiveuseandbenefit landshavebeensetapart

ormoney

is

held

by

the

Crown,

or

who

have

been

declaredtobeaband forthepurposeoftheIndianAct. Many Indian bands have elected to callthemselves a First Nation and have changed theirband name to reflect this. With the 1985amendment to theIndianActofCanada (Bill C31),many bands exercised the right to establish theirown membership code, whereby it is not alwaysnecessary for a band member to be a RegisteredIndianaccordingtotheIndianAct.W

Inordertohavestatus,aprospectivestudentmustberegisteredasamemberofaband,whichisaprocessthatdoesnothappenautomaticallywhenone

is

born

(as

some

commonly

assume).

When

a

childisborntoregisteredparents,thechildhastoberegisteredofficiallytoreceivetherightsthattheirparentshave.Differentbandshavedifferentregistrationpoliciesandsomehavetheabilitytodeterminetheirownmembership,whilesomeallowregistrationdirectlythroughtheOfficeoftheIndianRegistrarintheIndianandNorthernAffairsCanada,aspartofsection10oftheIndianAct.


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the costsof tuition,books, supplies, travelandlivingallowancesforstudentsandtheirdependents, as well as the costs ofprovidingtutorial,guidanceandcounsellingservices to eligible students enrolled in

postsecondary

education

programs.

While

somestudentsdoenjoythebenefitsofthePSSSP program and all that it offers, themajority of students who are eligible forPSSSPdonot.

There are students who are First Nationsstudentbutdonothave status.Therefore,these students are not eligible for federalfunding. A nonstatus Indian is a personwho considers him/herself Indian or amember of a First Nation but whom theGovernmentofCanadadoesnot recognizeas Indian under the Indian Act, eitherbecause the person is unable to provehis/her Indian status or have lost statusrights.X YTheChiefs inOntario identify133

XThemechanismbywhichpeoplelosttheirstatuswasthroughenfranchisement.Themostcommon

methodof

enfranchisement

was

through

intermarriage,wherebyaStatusIndianwomanmarryinganonIndianmanlostherIndianstatusasdidherchildren;thislawexisteduntiltheIndianActwasamendedin1985.Otherwaysinwhichindividualscouldbeenfranchisedinthepastwasbyobtainingthefederalrighttovote,freeingsimpletitletoland,orreceivingacollegeoruniversitydegree.YSomeFirstNationspeoplelosttheiridentitiesintheSixtiesScoop.TheSixtiesScoopreferstotheadoptionofAboriginalchildreninCanadabetweenthe1960sand1980s.Itisreferredtoasthe60sscoop

because

in

many

instances

children

were

takenfromtheirhomesandcommunitieswithouttheknowledgeorconsentoffamiliesandbands.In1959,only1%ofchildreninsocialcarewereofAboriginalancestry.However,bythelate1960s,30%40%oflegalwardsofthestatewereAboriginalchildreneventhoughtheyformedlessthan4%ofthenationalpopulation.ThechildrenwereadoptedouttomostlynonAboriginalfamilies,sometimes

distinct First Nations communities inOntario, of which 127 are officiallyrecognized as First Nations by the IndianAct.Nonstatus Indians are not entitled tothe same rights and benefits available to

StatusIndians,

including

PSSSP

funding,

even though they may experience similarsocioeconomic conditions and barriers toeducation.Studentsth

first nations metis and inuit students in ontario's pse november 2012

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