BC First Nations Education Systems

BC First Nations Education Systems

Discussion Paper

June 2006

Introduction

The BC First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) is currently in its 14th year of operation and the First Nations Schools Association has existed for the past 10 years. Both organizations believe that it is now an appropriate time to reflect on where they have been, their current status, and proposed suggestions for future enhancements. Also, the federal government has expressed an interest in supporting First Nations Education Systems, and as a result FNESC and the FNSA are focusing on that specific issue during this time of reflection and planning.

History

BC First Nations have a long history of taking a leadership in regard to the education of their learners. Seabird Island and Xit’olacw Community Schools are two of the oldest First Nations schools in Canada. They were opened just as the landmark Native Indian Brotherhood paper, Indian Control of Indian Education, was released in 1972.

Over the next two decades, more and more First Nations schools opened across BC and by 1992 there were over 100 First Nations owned and controlled schools in this province.

Given the large number of First Nations in BC (over 190) and the many geographic challenges that exist, in 1992 First Nations in BC decided to create a temporary body that would provide a coordinated and collective voice. That body, FNESC, included 16 volunteers who attended meetings and worked together to create a common agenda and action plan.

In the beginning, First Nations were reluctant to give up any of their authority to FNESC or to have the body make decisions on behalf of First Nations. However, First Nations supported the short-term agenda of FNESC if such a body acted in accordance with the direction of First Nations and was fully accountable to First Nations.

The first priority given to FNESC was the creation of a communications strategy that would give all First Nations access to the same information and would allow First Nations input into FNESC’s activities. FNESC responded to that direction and has consistently worked to keep First Nations well informed and directly involved in all of its developments.

Over the last 14 years, First Nations have purposefully supported FNESC in taking on more and more responsibilities, as FNESC has continually demonstrated the capacity to respect and follow First Nations’ direction. While it has taken time to build trust and demonstrate the value of working as a collective, FNESC has been seen as responsive to First Nations’ input and fully accountable to First Nations communities.

In 1995, First Nations schools voiced the need for an organization dedicated to their needs specifically. That organization would offer technical support to schools and assist them in providing a quality education to First Nations learners. In 1996, the FNSA was created as a provincial society to fulfill that role, and it has since worked to represent all First Nations schools in BC. The FNSA represents approximately 123 First Nations schools.

Three years later, First Nations directed FNESC to become a legal entity and they asserted a role for FNESC on a long-term basis. Accordingly, FNESC incorporated as a provincial society in 1999. FNESC works on behalf of all 196 First Nations in BC and provides support to both First Nations school and Provincial school learners.

Current Initiatives in Place in BC

In the process of developing the 1998 discussion paper Reaching for Success: Considering the Achievements and Effectiveness of First Nations Schools (Kavanagh), First Nations representatives identified the following six areas of focus that are required to support the delivery of a quality education to First Nations learners.

1. School Vision
2. School/Community/Family Relationships
3. School Operations (this includes jurisdiction, governance, school organization and calendar, physical school structure, student and safety issues, school staffing, and libraries and other learning resources)
4. Curriculum Development and Availability
5. Teacher Education and Training
6. Evaluation (including school, teacher, and student assessment)

Over the last eight years, FNESC and the FNSA have undertaken significant work in each of these areas, with the exception of curriculum development and availability. An overview of the key activities that have been undertaken are outlined below.

1. FNESC and the FNSA have supported First Nations schools in understanding, defining and implementing appropriate visions and philosophies in a number of ways. The organizations have undertaken research and organized numerous conferences and workshops that have assisted First Nations school representatives in networking, sharing their perspectives of First Nations education, and considering the meaning and purpose of First Nations schools at a local and collective level. That work has provided a foundation for other FNESC and FNSA initiatives.

The vision that has been shared by First Nations representatives includes a strong recognition of the diversity of First Nations schools in BC. The schools vary in size (from 10 FTEs up to 275), geographic location, history, and stage of development. That understanding is critical to the effective delivery of services to the schools.

But while the schools value their uniqueness, they also have many aspects in common. The schools share a strong commitment to their students, to an integration of conventional academics with language and culture learning, and to the communities they serve. The schools also share many challenges, including the legacy caused by a history of limited funding, relatively high proportions of students with special needs, and issues associated with the need for community healing. FNESC and the FNSA have made every effort to help schools in addressing those priorities and challenges.

In addition to that collective work, FNESC and the FNSA have undertaken specific initiatives to support the local development of school visions. The organizations have provided professional development opportunities for school principals and school board members that have emphasized the role for school leaders in creating and implementing a vision for education.

For the past two years, FNESC and the FNSA have also employed a Principal Resource Person, who has provided support to First Nations school principals and school board members. Much of that support has involved helping school leaders learn to focus school and community efforts on common goals.

In addition, the FNSA has created a First Nations Schools Assessment Project, described in more detail below. The project includes an examination of the school’s vision and its continued relevancy for the school and community.

1. FNESC and the FNSA have also made an effort to address the important issue of school, community, and family relations. As above, work in this regard has included research, the provision of training workshops, support from the Principal Resource Person, and inclusion of the topic in the School Assessment Project. Very important local projects have also been sponsored through the federal government-funded Parental and Community Engagement Strategy.

In addition, FNESC and the FNSA have taken an innovative approach to this issue through the creation of a First Nations Parents Club. That initiative, now over six years old, encourages First Nations communities to establish parent support groups that help parents to fulfill their critical role in home and school learning. The First Nations Parents Club supports the local groups with information, incentives for parents, workshops, and a biannual Parents Club Conference. Currently, approximately 2500 First Nations parents are members of this club.

The FNSA also facilitates the Seventh Generation Club – an initiative that encourages First Nations students to stay-in-school, lead healthy lifestyles, and contribute to their communities in positive ways. This Club, which is in its eighth year of existence, is founded upon the notion that schools, families, and communities can work together to support First Nations students in achieving greater success in school and throughout their lives.

1. With assistance from FNESC and the FNSA, First Nations schools have made particular progress in the area of school operations, which includes issues such as jurisdiction, governance, school organization and calendar, physical school structure, student and safety issues, school staffing, and libraries and other learning resources.

These topics have been included in the initiatives described above, and they have also been addressed through a variety of funding programs sponsored by the federal government. The New Paths for Education Program, the First Nations SchoolNet Program, and the Special Education funding for First Nations schools have provided for a variety of projects at the local and provincial level, supporting First Nations schools in building their infrastructures, accessing critical learning resources, and increasing their personnel capacity.

In BC, FNESC and the FNSA have facilitated a more effective use of the available funding by coordinating economies-of-scale and bulk purchasing of resources. The organizations have also organized the central hiring of personnel, such as special education consultants and speech and language pathologists. Those staff people provide services to small and remote schools that they would otherwise be unable to access. This work has been extremely beneficial, and there is a potential for much more effort in this regard.

In addition, First Nations, FNESC, the federal, and the provincial governments recently signed an agreement that relates to the foundation of school operations issues – jurisdiction for education. The new agreement recognizes the right of First Nations to exercise their jurisdiction over First Nations schools, allowing them to take control of critical educational areas like school certification, teacher certification, and curricular standards. The benefits of this agreement are just beginning to be realized.

1. In spite of some efforts in this regard, curriculum development is a topic that still requires additional attention. FNESC, the FNSA, and First Nations schools have begun to address this topic through many of the central initiatives and funding programs described above, but the First Nations School Assessment Project reports consistently demonstrate the need for much more concerted effort in this area.

FNESC and the FNSA are now planning to provide some support through the development of Fine Arts curricular materials that can be implemented with limited resources and training. In addition, FNESC and the FNSA have provided research and materials related to First Nations language program development. However, this remains an area of great need for First Nations schools throughout the province.

1. Teacher education and training is another issue that has been the focus of significant activity. FNESC and the FNSA have sponsored numerous conferences and workshops on relevant topics (eg. Teacher standards and competencies, how to evaluate teachers, etc). They have also worked with post-secondary institutes to develop accredited courses on First Nations language teaching and on a variety of special education-related issues.

FNESC and the FNSA are also founding members of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Consortium (ATEC). That collective includes a variety of educational stakeholder groups, including the Deans of all Teacher Education Programs in BC, who are all committed to increasing the number of First Nations teachers working throughout the province. This work is expected to continue, as there is still a considerable gap between the proportion of First Nations students and First Nations teachers in BC.

An emerging success story is that of the Developmental Standard Term Certificate (DSTC). The DSTC is a framework for the first three years of a Bachelor of Education that provides 50% of the instruction specifically in the First Nations language and 50% specifically dealing with Teacher Education from an accredited Teacher Education Program. There are six approved DSTC programs in BC and a seventh under review for approval. Each language group has approached the DSTC from a different perspective so even though the framework was generic the programs have been tailored to the needs of each language group. To date there have been 3 graduates and all have moved on to complete the Bachelor of Education. There are over 20 more close to completion and the Tsimshian program that starts this September has had 30 applicants and can only admit 20. Currently FNESC is undertaking an evaluation of the DSTC programs and framework and will focus on the contributing factors that make the DSTCs so successful.

1. Finally, FNESC and the FNSA have made significant progress in the area of evaluation, including student, school, and teacher assessment.

The special education funding provided through the federal government has allowed First Nations schools to assess hundreds of students to determine their special learning needs and plan programs that reflect their individual strengths and challenges. This work has been undertaken with local grants and through collectively hired personnel employed through FNESC and the FNSA.

Also, as described above, the FNSA and First Nations schools have designed a First Nations Schools Assessment Project that provides a vehicle for thoughtful and consistent reviews of school operations. That project involves a thorough internal review of school programming, including the collection of qualitative and quantitative information as well as surveys of parents, students, community members, and staff people to determine levels of satisfaction with the school’s efforts. That work is then used to create a five-year School Growth Plan, reflecting the schools strengths, challenges, and plans for improvement. Following the internal review, schools are visited by an FNSA-approved team of external assessors, who confirm the findings of the internal review and offer additional feedback and suggestions.

Now in the fourth year of its first five-year cycle, the First Nations Schools Assessment Project has supported over 75% of First Nations schools in completing the process, with additional schools already scheduled to participate in upcoming years. This work is critical to school improvement efforts and to the accountability of First Nations schools, FNESC, and the FNSA at the community, provincial, and national levels. First Nations schools also now have the option of requesting certification by the FNSA at the end of their projects – an opportunity that is expected to contribute greatly to the implementation of the new jurisdiction agreement. The certification process has been reviewed by the BC College of Teachers and, even without the initialed jurisdiction agreement, was found to be sound and met their standards. That means that teachers in First Nations schools who needed the experience for their standard certificate are now eligible if the school they are working in is FNSA certified.

FNESC and the FNSA are now working with First Nations schools to enhance school improvement and accountability processes through a data collection project and through normed assessment training. The First Nations Schools Data Collection and Measures Project involves the collection of consistent data on First Nations schools programs and performance measures to track the effectiveness of school and provincial-level activities. For example the instrument measures things like attendance, learning opportunities for language and culture, student success rates, student satisfaction, and many other indicators. Following the completion of two years of pilot projects, the data collection instrument is now complete and ready for ongoing use.