ABORIGINAL EDUCATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT PROJECT

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ABORIGINAL EDUCATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT PROJECT

• SD 91 (Neckako Lakes)

R.A. Malatest Associates Ltd. May 2001
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Needs Assessment ProjectAn Overview

• Survey Objectives
• Review of the Research Completed
• Highlights and Key Findings
• Summary and Recommendations

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Project Objectives

• Ascertain opinions about Aboriginal educational
  issues from all target groups
  
• Review information gathered and identify
  strengths and weaknesses of Aboriginal education
  as perceived by the target groups
• Provide recommendations as to how education for
  Aboriginal learners could be improved

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Project Delivery

• Mailout, telephone and in-person surveys to 7
  target groups
• Total of 1724 responses
• Parents of Aboriginal students (226 telephone
  surveys)
• Parents of non-Aboriginal students (243 telephone
  surveys)
• Aboriginal students (330 school intercept
  surveys, grades 5 to 12)
• Non-Aboriginal students (549 school intercept
  surveys, gr. 5-12)
• Aboriginal former high school students (61
  telephone surveys)
• school staff (300 mail-out surveys)
• stakeholder interviews (15 interviews)
• Intercept surveys were conducted at 10 schools in
  SD 91, and researchers also conducted two focus
  groups with Aboriginal students and one with
  Aboriginal parents

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Highlights and Key Findings

• Review of administrative data Aboriginal
  student attendance and post-secondary
  aspiration/status Review of issues associated
  with Aboriginal education in the Nechako Lakes
  School District
• Staffing and training issues
• Target group analysis
• Transitions and retention
• Recommendations for enhancing Aboriginal
  education
• Other

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Aboriginal Students Face Considerable Challenges
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PSE Aspirations of SD 91 Students
A lower proportion of SD 91 Aboriginal students
plan to enroll in a PSE program
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Comparison of Aboriginal Students with SD 91
Students - Mean Score Basis
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Satisfaction with Overall Quality of Education
Provided to Aboriginal Learners in SD 91
Parents and school staff share similar
opinions with respect to satisfaction with the
quality of education provided to Aboriginal
learners.
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Satisfaction with Adequacy of Specific Curriculum
Needs
Curriculum meets needs of students in terms of
11
Student Agreement With My teachers know a lot
about Aboriginal Culture/Issues
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Equal Educational Opportunities Provided for
Aboriginal Learners
13
Aboriginal Students Receive the Same Treatment as
Others by Staff
14
Support for Changes in School Curriculum -
Aboriginal Issues
15
Communication with Aboriginal Parents
Dissatisfactory
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Suggestions for Improving Communication

• Parental participation (involvement) in education
  (Staff 28.1)
• Encourage increased attendance of parent/teacher
  meetings (Staff 18.0)
• Communication through Bands, going on reserves
  (Staff 14.8)
• Better utilization of Home School
  Coordinators/Liaisons (Staff 14.8)
• Sooner contact from school when problems begin to
  arise (Parents 13.2) (and Non-Aboriginal
  parents 11.5)
• Promote more racial awareness and cross-cultural
  understanding (Interview comment)

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Demand for Selected Aboriginal Support Mechanisms
18
Support for Increased Aboriginal Representation
in Staff
Extent to Which Nechako Lakes District Schools
Should Actively Recruit Aboriginal Teachers
19
Support for Greater Multicultural
Awareness/Training for Staff
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Issues of Agreement - Top 5 and Bottom 5 Nechako
Lakes District - Parents
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Issues of Agreement - Top 5 and Bottom 5 Nechako
Lakes District - Staff
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Issues of Agreement - Top 5 and Bottom 5
Aboriginal Secondary Students
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Example of Comments Generated as a Result of the
Survey

• The problem I see is in the early years. There
  are not enough resources to help the children
  that fall behind at an early ageMaybe if this
  was paid attention to sooner, not so many kids
  would drop out later when it gets too hard and
  is too much work to follow...
  Aboriginal Parent
• Programs and activities should be provided on the
  basis of need, not on race. This programs
  exclusive to First Nations students does not
  help improve relationships between Native and
  non-Native students. Staff
• Bus service would benefit any student, not just
  Aboriginals, if they were interested in
  extracurricular activities .
  Aboriginal Parent
• Career counselling for Aboriginal students would
  be very valuable. It would give them goals to
  help them stay in school. I never thought I had
  choices. The kids today do have choices, but
  Aboriginal kids need to have this idea reinforced
  to them. They need to be aware of their
  opportunities. Aboriginal Parent

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Recommendations for Nechako Lakes District Schools
Five key areas were identified for possible
initiatives

• Transition Retention Issues (2)
• Communication and Public Awareness (3)
• Accountability (4)

• Staffing Training (6)
• Program Modifications (Non-Curricular) (7)
• Native Cultural Awareness/Curriculum Issues (3)

Identification of 60 short-term (12 to 18 months)
action items and 46 long-term goals.
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Staffing Training - (6 Issues)

• Increase the proportion of Aboriginal Staff in SD
  91 Schools
• use of Aboriginal resource persons/teaching
  assistants
• efforts to attract Aboriginal teachers
• action plan to increase representation
• consider internship program for Aboriginal
  teachers aides and/or Carrier Language
  instructors
• Clarification of the Role of the Native Support
  Workers
• focus on students with specific problems
• perform general liaison with school-Aboriginal
  parents
• coordinate cultural awareness activities for
  staff/students/parents
• offer academic support to students, with more
  time devoted to individual student instruction

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Staffing Training - (6 Issues) (Continued)

• Establishment of a First Nations Liaison Worker
• role would involve providing educational
  awareness, early childhood development awareness,
  and communication services to Aboriginal parents
• key contact between schools, staff, parents and
  other social service organizations
• Establishment of an Aboriginal Youth Outreach
  Worker
• evaluate the need for a Youth Outreach Worker,
  whose duties would include initiation of
  preventative and remedial action with Aboriginal
  students to overcome challenges to high school
  completion
• develop policies and procedures to address the
  social issues that affect Aboriginal student
  attendance and academic success

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Staffing Training - (6 Issues) (Continued)

• Clarification of Roles of Native Home School
  Coordinators and First Nations Education Council
• utilize various sources (media, school
  newsletters, and First Nations Support Workers)
  to ensure Aboriginal community is aware of the
  Home School Coordinator position as well as other
  support programs offered in the District
• incorporate higher visibility of First Nations
  Education Council within the schools by
  increasing person-to-person communications with
  school students and staff
• when publicizing, clearly outline the issues
  addressed by, and the information provided by,
  the Home School Coordinator, First Nations
  Education Council, and District Principal -
  Aboriginal Education

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Staffing Training - (6 Issues) (Continued)

• Promotion of Alternative Teaching Techniques to
  School Instructional Staff
• promote in-service activities focussing on
  alternative learning styles
• organize school staff visits to the various
  Native communities to promote cross-cultural
  understanding
• examine the feasibility of establishing
  alternative teaching methods (e.g., more visual
  learning/more hands-on instruction) that
  highlights the different learning styles and
  background of Aboriginal learners
• Provide Carrier language instructors with
  teaching mentors (buddy system) when necessary,
  for instructor training and class management
  support

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Program Modifications (Non-Curricular) (7 Issues)

• Expand Support Mechanisms to Reduce Drop-Out
  Rates
• formal tracking system to provide heads up for
  at-risk students
• peer support groups, mentorship programs, other
• provide orientations to make students fully aware
  of First Nations Support Workers and other
  Aboriginal support programs in the District
• Consider Establishing a Tutorial Program
• identify alternative/shared funding sources for
  the provision of tutorial services
• offer pilot tutorial service to establish the
  demand for such a service among Aboriginal
  learners
• make available SD 91 facilities for this use,
  especially computers
• promote the use of Aboriginal instructors as
  tutors

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Program Modifications (Non-Curricular) (7 Issues)

• Consider Establishing an Aboriginal Counselling
  Service
• designate a counsellor in each secondary school
  to address Aboriginal student needs
• the designated counsellor should receive specific
  cultural awareness training designed to ensure
  their familiarity with Aboriginal issues
• Establishment of Effective Alternative Education
  Program
• establish an effective setting for an alternative
  education program such as at a Band office or
  possibly as an extension of a current Learning
  Centre program
• identify appropriate delivery models with
  measurable benchmarks and tracking systems to
  effectively manage alternative education models

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Program Modifications (Non-Curricular) (Continued)

• Support Aboriginal Involvement in Extracurricular
  Activities
• offer more support (financial/transportation and
  otherwise)
• evaluate funding barriers that would prevent
  participation
• Establish Aboriginal Support Groups
• for Aboriginal community/Aboriginal parents to
  form support groups
• for parenting workshops to discuss student/parent
  issues (discipline, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.)
  at an off-school site
• Provide Better School to Career/Academic Prep
  Mechanisms
• ensure Aboriginal students receive adequate
  counseling/ mentorship for goal-setting and
  post-secondary guidance
• develop relevant work/training programs or
  apprenticeship programs, including links with
  community industries

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Native Cultural Awareness/ Curriculum Issues (3
Issues)

• Enhance Aboriginal Content in SD 91 School
  Curriculum
• instructional staff to incorporate Native issues
  into the existing curriculum
• expand the availability of Carrier Language or
  other First Nations language courses
• Aboriginal community to work with SD 91 schools
  to jointly develop relevant curriculum
• evaluate the need to introduce additional senior
  level courses in secondary schools focussing on
  Aboriginal issues from an Aboriginal perspective
  (Aboriginal government and history) as electives

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Native Cultural Awareness/ Curriculum Issues
(Continued)

• Cultural Awareness/Orientation for
  School/District Staff
• over one half (59.6) of staff of Aboriginal
  ancestry (and 35.6 of all staff) saw the need
  for greater Aboriginal awareness/training
• 82.3 of parents surveyed felt that a greater
  emphasis should be placed on Aboriginal awareness
  and training for school staff
• only 19.7 of Aboriginal secondary student felt
  that their teachers knew a lot about Aboriginal
  culture
• promote an in-service for staff focussing on
  multicultural awareness that also defines racism,
  creates an awareness of how unconscious it can
  be, and demonstrates social expectations
• staff and Aboriginal community should interact to
  promote positive reinforcement meetings should
  not be limited solely to addressing problem
  issues

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Native Cultural Awareness/ Curriculum Issues
(Continued)

• Utilization of Aboriginal Individuals as Role
  Models in Schools for All Students
• demonstrate to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
  students that Aboriginals have succeeded
• support establishment of an Aboriginal graduates
  society
• bring in Aboriginal persons (elders, parents,
  members of the community) to act a resource
  persons on a regular basis

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Transition and Retention (2 Issues)

• Early Childhood Development and Kindergarten
  Entry
• locate current early childhood education
  pre-school programs and identify
  culturally-sensitive opportunities to enhance
  foundation skills among Aboriginal children
• work toward goal of having Aboriginal children
  demonstrate the same aptitude for selected
  foundation skills as that of the general
  population when entering the education system
• Provide Intensive Tutorial/Learning Assistance
  Services
• elementary and secondary schools should identify
  Aboriginal students who are academically
  at-risk and provide intensive tutorial/learning
  assistance
• Invite Aboriginal Former Students to Serve as
  Role Models
• have Aboriginal high school graduates and
  post-secondary students return to the schools to
  address students on the importance of graduation
• provide opportunities for Aboriginal former
  students who have not graduated to return to the
  schools to discuss barriers/challenges associated
  with not having a diploma

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Communication and Public Awareness (3 Issues)

• Utilize Non-Traditional Communication Vehicles,
  Parent-Teacher Meetings
• parent-teacher meetings can held at non-school
  locations such as Band offices on an annual or
  bi-annual basis
• incorporation of education meetings with other
  Aboriginal community activities
  (social/administrative)
• assistance from the Home School
  Coordinators/First Nations Support Workers as
  conduits to parent community would also be
  beneficial, as it was noted by many survey
  participants that some parents do not have
  telephones
• Aboriginal Parent Newsletter
• simply worded newsletter and other
  direct/indirect mechanisms, highlighting
  accomplishments and success stories, and
  publicizing educational activities
• Formation of an Inter-Agency Aboriginal Education
  Committee
• FNEC to review interest in the establishment of
  an inter-agency First Nations Education Committee
  to share information as to the educational needs
  of Aboriginal learners at the secondary and the
  post-secondary level

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Accountability (4 Issues)

• Establishment of Short- and Long-Term Goals
• identification of short-term (2001/2002 school
  year) and long term (2004/2005 and beyond) goals
  and objectives
• Formalization of Services to Be Provided by SD 91
  Schools to the Aboriginal Community
• formalize the responsibilities of the District
  and Aboriginal community in terms of services,
  goals and evaluation criteria
• Establish Regular Evaluation Component
• annual evaluation to monitor District achievement
  (attendance, GPA, staffing, etc.)
• publication of report to Aboriginal community
  (annual report)

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Accountability (Continued)

• Encourage Aboriginal Participation in
  School/District Decision Making
• Aboriginal participation on Board of Trustees,
  Parent Advisory Committees
• schools to work with Aboriginal communities to
  have parents on school-parent advisory committees
• co-evaluation of the job done by resources
  targeting Aboriginal students
• establishment of mechanisms to facilitate
  evaluation of the success of Aboriginal education
  programs in Nechako Lakes schools (e.g.,
  attendance tracking system, graduation data,
  academic achievement data)

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Aboriginal Education Needs Assessment Project
Summary

• Results of the study suggest that the education
  system in SD 91 has improved but does not yet
  adequately met the needs of Aboriginal learners
  based on student attendance, achievement and
  parent/student attitudes.
• Target groups agree that a separate curriculum
  (segregation) for Aboriginal students is not the
  answer need for inclusion of more Aboriginal
  studies in school curriculum.
• Some gaps in opinions held by SD 91 staff and
  Aboriginal parents with respect to problems and
  solutions. Considerable dialogue will be
  necessary with staff to ensure changes are
  positively received.
• The need for change is not limited to SD 91
  schools. There is considerable scope for the
  Aboriginal community to increase its
  participation in the educational system in
  Nechako Lakes District.