The CSBA Indigenous Education Committee addresses Indigenous issues at the national level and seeks to develop and support a framework for analysis of how we can contribute to action/ deliberation on those issues by member associations. Below is a listing of valuable news and resources.
Our guiding principles can be found in the 2014 CSBA Charter of Commitment; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education at CSBA Charter of Commitment; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education.
We have built a cross country overview of how school boards are presently structured to ensure representation of FNMI interests, school boards response to the TRC Calls to Action and promising practices across the country. Read the full report below:
Indigenous Education Structure, Initiatives and Promising Practices
Some of our recent advocacy efforts are found below:
- To the Prime Minister, Ministers of Education, the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and Premiers: A letter to call for all levels of government to work collaboratively with School boards and other partners in education and invest in a more equitable funding system and to provide for equal, responsive and appropriate education for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. Read the letter here.
- To the AFN; a letter offering our full support for their efforts to provide educational opportunities and to demonstrate our commitment to the Calls to Action specific to education in the TRC report. Read the letter here.
- To the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs: Following the Daniels vs. Canada ruling, requesting the plans for implementation and funding for improving the educational outcomes for Métis students. Read the letter here.
- To the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada: We advocate for the repeal of outdated legislation that still allows for corporal punishment in schools. The expectations of both children and teachers for a safe and secure environment are a basic human right and it is long past time that this law be addressed and replaced. Calls to Action in the TRC report include repealing Section 43 of the Criminal Code. Read the letter here.
We have partnered with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to align our efforts on the Calls to Action that will impact education for all Canadian children. Their website provides a wealth of resources which you can access here.
The Assembly of First Nations has developed a Tool Kit for Educators to use in classrooms to raise awareness and provide history and a cultural perspective for Indigenous Education that has become so important to our Canadian Identity. Find the free tools on Apple iTunes at https://education.afn.ca/toolkit/
Educators can sign up to get a free Legacy School toolkit from the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund! Toolkits include copies of the Secret Path book, educational resources (virtual & in class), a reconciliACTION Guidebook, tote bag, and more. Educators also get access to free virtual resources (K-12) and live engagements with Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians, artists, scientists, writers and more! www.LegacySchools.ca
One of the most interesting resources for best practices in Aboriginal Education is PPW. Sponsored by the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) , this site provides access to a virtual library of resources related to K- 12 curriculum, research, multi-media, classroom practices and relevant policies.
Educators, researchers and others use the site to enhance and share learning opportunities and to improve educational success for Aboriginal students. The site also includes materials related to Early Childhood Education, Parent/Community Engagement and Issues. The site is updated monthly with new materials. By registering with them, you will receive these updates directly as they are posted. If interested in sharing practices and/or learning more about these initiatives, please visit their website here: https://www.themfi.ca/.
Below you will find additional links and resources that may be useful.
First Nation Communities READ is an annual program of books selected by Indigenous librarians.
This year’s collection includes 17 titles for Children and 23 books for Young Adults-Adults.
The 2020 collection is featured on their homepage. Please click here>> FNCRead
The list and special offer is available for download here>>FNCRead List
For other ways to participate in the FNCR reading challenge, please visit the official website:
https://www.sols.org/index.php/first-nation-communities-read-support
First Nations Control of First Nations Education
First Nations from across Canada are leading a review of federal post-secondary education programming.
News & Media
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national representative organization of First Nations people in Canada. The AFN represents and advocates First Nations interests for more than 600 First Nations from across the country.
Indigenous population growing rapidly, languages surging: census
The Indigenous population in Canada continues to rapidly outpace the growth of the rest of the country while Indigenous languages are showing a strong resurgence, according to census data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
Read Trustee Professional Development Program
In Module Two, Effective Governance for Student Achievement and Well-Being, trustees learn that elected school boards make a deep and direct contribution to the improvement of learning for all students.
It's Our Time
The Assembly of First Nations has developed the It's Our Time First Nations Tool Kit as the basis of a comprehensive strategy to reach out to First Nations students, teachers, schools, communities and the Canadian public at large.
The Facts on Education: What Is the Best Way to Indigenize Teaching Practices?
Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit Archibald, J-A. (2008). Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press. http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/2007/indigenousstorywork.pdf
Aboriginal Education
Gloria’s dad Charles Elmer Jensen was born in Montana and did not speak Cree. Her mother Marie Margaret Hodgson was a First Nations girl from...More In a heartfelt presentation at the October meeting, BCSTA Aboriginal Education Committee Elders Fannie Vance and Frank Johnson were gifted a drum.
NCTR - Index
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FinalReport_WIIJI_KAKENDAASODAA_LetsAllLearnTogether_Mar2016.pdf
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How can we support Aboriginal student success…?
Aboriginal children under age 14 make up 7% of all children in Canada. The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing demographic in this country and eighty percent of Aboriginal children attend off-reserve provincial schools.
Inuit_success_report.pdf
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- 2015.07.09 Embargoed Until Delivery
Good afternoon, Elders, veterans, National Chief Bellegarde, members of the AFN executive, Chiefs-in-Assembly. To begin, I would like to recognize the Haudenosaunee, on whose traditional territory we are gathering.
Attitude change necessary to improve life for next generation of First Nations
If the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brings solace and healing to lives damaged by years in residential schools, then it is worth the time and expense.
Another view: A breakthrough in teaching aboriginal children should be funded by Ottawa
With Canada's aboriginal communities enduring so much hardship — from bad drinking water to the toxic legacy of residential schools — it's heartening to find a program that's actually making young lives better.
The Facts on Education: How can we create conditions for Aboriginal student success in our public schools?
With a generous sponsorship from the Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA), CEA has teamed up with researchers from the University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Education to conduct the research and produce fact sheets like What are effective approaches to improving students’ menta
In 2014, There Was Progress For Aboriginal People
Canada's colonial reality means Aboriginal people here face challenges where non-Aboriginal people enjoy opportunities. But I believe that through the hard work of many activists, leaders, and thinkers, Canada is slowly decolonizing.
On second thought: Why Canada is long overdue for a conversation about genocide
With perfect hindsight, Postmedia’s national columnists revisit moments and events they observed in 2014 that deserve a second look.
High court gives B.C. First Nation leverage for cultural, economic wish list
When the Supreme Court of Canada handed down a land title decision in favour of British Columbia’s Tsilhqot’in Nation, aboriginal leaders celebrated saying it gives their group a solid legal weapon to remind governments and potential industrial developers of who holds the power.
Promising Practices in Aboriginal Education Website
We invite you to register for a monthly outreach of our Promising Practices in Aboriginal Education Website (PPW) and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Attawapiskat celebrates a new school
For most Canadian schoolchildren, their biggest concern is a pop quiz or playground bullies. Chelsea Jane Edwards worried about getting frostbitten fingers while she took notes.
Relationship-building with B.C. First Nations start small, but can lead to big results, says minister
VICTORIA - Attempts by the B.C. government to build long-lasting relationships with First Nations across the province have taken on even greater importance with the historic Supreme Court of Canada ruling that makes it easier for aboriginals to establish title over their traditional territories.
CSBA puts their commitment to Aboriginal Education in writing…
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CEA-2014-FOE-aboriginal-success
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Tsilhqot'in Nation welcomes recognition of full Aboriginal title for the first time in Canadian history
The Tsilhqot’in Nation welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision overruling the BC Court of Appeal’s judgment on Aboriginal title.
Landmark land title ruling: What it means and what comes next
(Before It's News) A Supreme Court ruling granting land title to a British Columbia First Nation gives Canada’s aboriginal communities “a lot more power,” says a B.C. chief, and it will have implications for similar claims in the Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec.
National Aboriginal Day: Celebrating Unique Heritage
Did you know that today is National Aboriginal Day? Every year on June 21, Canadians celebrate the unique heritage and diverse cultures of our Aboriginal peoples.
National Aboriginal Day cultural celebration back
BELLEVILLE – National Aboriginal Day is a time for cultural awareness and celebration in the Tyendinaga community, says the director of the Tsi Tyonnheht Onwawenna Language & Cutural Centre, Callie Hill. This Saturday, June 21, will be the 19th annual National Aboriginal Day in Canada.
It's Almost Summer -- Time to Thank a Teacher
We confess: we've forgotten how to calculate the circumference of a circle. We don't know which elements go where on the periodic table, and we can't remember any Governor General from before we were born except the guy who donated the Stanley Cup. But we do remember Mr.
Calgary City News Blog: Keeping the Circle Strong – Aboriginal Awareness We
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Day 161: Aboriginal storytelling (Linda Klassen, Vice-Principal, Gibson Elementary)
Our Inquiry question is: Will an increase of teacher awareness and direct instruction using Aboriginal storytelling and art increase self-identification of Aboriginal students at Gibson? This has been an exciting and rewarding journey for our Gibson Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network (AESN)
First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act: The First Nations make an application for a Judicial Review of the consultation process
MONTREAL, /CNW Telbec/ - The Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) has filed yesterday (February 19 2014), an application for judicial review of the consultation process for the First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act.
New hope for Native education
The federal government's reworked plan for native education sets minimum quality standards for reserve classrooms but leaves aboriginal schooling under First Nations control.
First Nations gaining control of education
First Nations in Canada are getting more control over their education system and more money to fund it. Currently, aboriginal parents wanting to provide their children with a good education, generally have to move to the larger urban centres, and away from their communities to do so.
Harper lifting funding cap on First Nations schools
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced his government will lift an 18-year funding cap on First Nations education as part of a historic aboriginal education reform package.
The Different Ways We Can Help Aboriginal Education!
Recently I created a blog about the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, and the benefits of joining it to help Aboriginal Education. I also provided information on it. Now, you may be wondering, what other ways can I help in the fight to support Aboriginal Education.
Protests, concern with Canada’s proposed First Nation Education Act
Listen A proposed new law dealing with First Nation Indigenous education in Canada is meeting with resistance across Canada from Indigenous communities.
First Nations oppose federal legislation for their children's education
Click here to see more photos from the rally. On Wednesday, the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians and their allies rallied outside the Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Canada building in Toronto, demanding the right to establish their own educational system.
national-panel.pdf
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sr_summary_of_the_national_panel_report_feb_14_2012_final.pdf
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