Aboriginal Education, Looking Towards the Future
One of the priorities of the CSBA is to promote educational opportunities and student achievement for aboriginal students across Canada, as identified in Learn Canada 2020 (Council of Ministers of Education, Canada).
Our member provincial associations have done extensive work and action in this area , and we invite you to view their websites, accessible by clicking on “About Us” under the main menu, and selecting “Who We Are” on the subtopic menu.
A guiding framework for educational institutions across Canada is the Accord on Indigenous Education launched in June 2010 by the Association of Canadian Deans of Education. The goal of the Accord is to recognize and promote Indigenous values and knowledge in education across Canada.
This Accord recognizes the importance of establishing means to “increase Indigenous educational engagement, establish partnerships with Indigenous organizations and communities, and establish educational frameworks based on Indigenous knowledge.” (Association of Canadian Deans of Education Accord on Indigenous Education). In order to affect change in the Canadian education system, the following goals are outlined in the Accord:
- Respectful and Welcoming Learning Environments
- Respectful and Inclusive Curricula
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
- Mechanisms for Valuing and Promoting Indigeneity in Education
- Culturally Responsive Assessment
- Affirming and Revitalizing Indigenous Languages
- Indigenous Education Leadership
- Non-Indigenous Learners and Indigeneity
- Culturally Respectful Indigenous Research