Transforming the School Environment to Support Indigenous Students' Learning in Saskatchewan, Canada

• In Event: Structural, Systemic, and Environmental Supports for Learning

Abstract

Canada’s colonial relationship to First Peoples was predicated in the imposition of church-run residential schools, systemic racism, and chronic underfunding of education on reserve (Dart, 2019). Recognizing the 2021 meeting theme accepting educational responsibility, this paper presents findings from a meta-synthesis of case studies of 11 schools in an initiative to improve outcomes for Indigenous students both on- and off-reserve. We found that, while progress had been made in most schools, teacher resistance to change and inconsistent engagement with Traditional Knowledge Keepers limited improvements in course completion and graduation rates. We will share additional detail about the initiative, present additional findings, and discuss the implications both for improvement initiatives targeted at Indigenous students and for further research.

Authors

• Scott D. Tunison, University of Saskatchewan

• Dawn Wallin, Univerity of Saskatchewan