Aiming for student success

Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre is embarking on a new initiative to encourage academic success within First Nations students.

February 4, 2010: Volume 37 #3, Page A2

Kwayaciiwin has received funding for three years from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada under the First Nations Student Success Program.

Altogether $70 million has been allocated across Canada to reduce the educational gap.

Kwayaciiwin is in the midst of developing the FNSSP program for the NAN district, particularly for the 24 communities of the north.

Roy Morris, director of Kwayaciiwin, explained the work to improve student success began in 1994.

“Back in 1994, there was a survey completed throughout on the language use in our communities. The findings of the survey was dismal in the sense we are rapidly losing our language, especially among our younger people.

“With our people, we are slowly losing our way of life at all levels. It was predicted that in 20 years our language would be lost.”

At that time (in 1994), the language was pretty strong, he said.

“We were told, ‘you better do something or you won’t be keeping your language. It got people thinking, ‘yes, we have got to do something.’”

A committee was formed to look at designing and implementing a program to address the short-comings.

About 54 educators, Elders and leaders gathered to brainstorm.

Accordingly, they reached the conclusion that bilingual curriculum was the best way to raise academic achievement with students.

The Canadian government also concluded the Native student population was lagging behind.

“An auditor general’s report spoke to the same conclusion and also pointed out that the Department of Indian Affairs (INAC) was responsible and was not doing anything,” said Morris.

“The FNSSP is the department’s response to the auditor general’s report. This FNSSP looks at improving education, and improving performance through school review assessments.”

Teams have gone to the communities to do comprehensive school reviews.

“We collect hard data and soft data, and look for an analysis of trends. We engage the community in developing the school improvement plan based on the data collected.”

In the past, Morris said INAC worked with some of the communities, but it never completed the process. There were no resources to implement the plan.

“School is language acquisition. To get children to learn the language, if it’s in your belief system and you operate that belief system, the children will learn because children pick up on that. We have to find good teachers to help our children learn. In education, no matter what you say, for your students to pick it up all rests on the teacher.

“We need teachers with knowledge ability, and who are fluent and skillful in our language.”

The FNSSP will be developed for use in First Nations schools right across Canada.

The first initiative of FNSSP involved three days of training for primary teachers of kindergarten through Grade 2 from northern communities.

The training will teach them skills to help improve the literacy of their students.

Judith Dennison of Remediation Plus, based out of Toronto, was the facilitator.

As well, in early February, education directors and local education area Chairs will meet to discuss Kwayaciiwin’s organizational structure, implementation of the curriculum, and strategic planning of the FNSSP.