Aboriginal Education: Evidence-Based Best Practices for Supporting First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Academic Achievement and Well-Being

• In Event: 49.060 - The Next Phase in Education Reform in Ontario: Excellence, Equity, Well-Being, and Public Confidence

Abstract

Purpose and Perspective
This paper will examine research informing the development and implementation of system-wide strategies to improve K-12 Aboriginal student achievement and well-being, with specific attention to empirically based best practices, and the development of voluntary, confidential Aboriginal student self-identification and performance indicators to monitor progress of these strategies.

The release of the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007 – hereafter, the “Framework”) provides the strategic policy context within which the Ministry of Education, school boards and schools, work with First Nation, Métis and Inuit partners to improve the academic achievement and learning outcomes of the Aboriginal students who attend Ontario’s provincially funded elementary and secondary schools and to raise the awareness and knowledge of all students about First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples’ cultures, histories and perspectives.

Aboriginal education remains a key priority and “the ministry continues to focus on reaching two primary objectives by the year 2016 – to improve achievement among First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students and to close the achievement and well-being gap between Aboriginal students and ‘all students’ “(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). The release of A Solid Foundation: Second Progress Report on the Implementation of the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013) provided the first data on Aboriginal student achievement.

Methods and Data
This paper will review empirical research that informed the development of the Framework, as well as the identification and implementation of the 10 performance measures identified in the Framework. Data sources include: research studies, literature reviews, inter-jurisdictional scans; documentary analysis (policy documents and reports); system data on voluntary, confidential Aboriginal self-identification and baseline Aboriginal achievement data; and ongoing monitoring and implementation of indicators and performance measures.

Drawing on academic literature and relevant reports, the analysis will address the role of evidence in policy development to reduce achievement gaps, engage students and families in self-identification and demonstrate the successes and challenges of developing robust performance measures to track progress over time.

Results and Significance
Drawing on academic literature and relevant reports, this paper covers a wide breadth of information related to advancing Aboriginal student achievement within the Ontario, Canadian and international contexts. The analysis documents a system-wide strategy to address improving achievement among First Nation, Métis and Inuit students and to close the achievement and well-being gap between Aboriginal students and all students who attend Ontario’s provincially-funded elementary and secondary schools.

While significant progress has been made toward achieving ambitious system-wide goals for Aboriginal education, there is more work to do in the next phase of implementation. Findings will address the importance of evidence in policy development, the importance of data to monitor progress, and the successes and challenges of implementing performance measures at the system and district levels. This research will be used to inform future planning and implementation, identify gaps in knowledge and focus policies and programs to strategically support each performance measure articulated in the Framework.

Authors

• Catherine McCready, Ontario Ministry of Education

• Ramneek Grewal, Ontario Ministry of Education

• Saba Mir, Ontario Ministry of Education