Schools aim to close academic gap among aboriginal students

Even as First Nations and Metis students become a growing part of Saskatoon’s school population, they trail non-aboriginal students in academic performance and graduation rates, according to a recently released report by the provincial government.

For Saskatoon schools, closing that gap is one of their biggest challenges and top priorities.

"We’re talking about the future of Saskatchewan and everyone knows it," said George Rathwell, director of education with Saskatoon Public Schools.

In December, the province released its 2010 Education Indicators Report, a wide-ranging compendium of statistics relating to the province’s K-12 education system. It shows that 20.9 per cent of Saskatchewan’s students during the 2009-10 school year self-declared as aboriginal.

The report says non-aboriginal students outperformed self-declared aboriginal students in all Grade 10 and 11 subjects displayed. For example, male urban aboriginal students had average marks of 55.7 per cent in Grade 10 English A and 54 per cent in Mathematics 10 compared to 68.4 per cent and 68.9 per cent for their non-aboriginal equivalents. For female urban aboriginal students those marks were 62.3 per cent and 56.8 per cent, respectively, compared to 76.2 per cent and 73.3

The trend of higher marks for non-aboriginal students continues in almost all Grade 12 categories as well.

The report also shows that aboriginal students trail non-aboriginal students on provincial standardized testing of writing by grade 5, 8 and 11 students that was done in the spring of 2010.

When it comes to graduation rates, the study shows that for the most recent cohort of students who entered Grade 10 in 2007-08, 74.1 per cent had graduated by the 2009-10 school year and 21.6 per cent were still enrolled in school. For aboriginal students, the comparative numbers show only 32.5 per cent had graduated by the 2009-10 school year while 58.1 per cent were still enrolled in school after their typical graduation year.

Educators say there is a wide variety of complex factors involved in the differing graduation and performance rates, but much has to do with socioeconomics — past and present.

"The performance gap, I think, is a snapshot of Canadian history," said Gordon Martell, superintendent of education with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.

"The aboriginal population of Saskatchewan has a long history of being marginalized and it dates back to the residential school era. When there are fewer resources directed at aboriginal school achievement; being marginalized from the school as an institution; institutional racism that would have been more prevalent in the past and I’m sure many would argue is still present in contemporary educational institutions as well — you know, all those things add up."

Brenda Green, a superintendent of education with Saskatoon Public Schools, said many aboriginal families are dealing with issues such as poverty, housing, food security and health.

The education indicators report shows that in Saskatchewan, 51 per cent of the aboriginal children under age six live in low-income families, compared to 15 per cent of non-aboriginal children.

Martell said the good news is that the province and individual school divisions are in a much better position than ever before to address the issue of aboriginal achievement.

The use of statistics such as those in the indicators report gives evidence of the extent of problems that have been well-known for years and allows targets for improvement to be set, he said.

At the same time, provincial governments have become increasingly focused on the issue in recent years, including a policy statement on aboriginal education released in 2009.

The school divisions have been working to provide support systems for aboriginal students for dealing with both socioeconomic and academic issues. Examples range from a pediatric health program based out of the inner-city St. Mary’s Community School in the Catholic division to the public board’s Royal West program aimed at helping students complete high school.

A key focus is on getting to vulnerable children early on.

"We’re really focusing on literacy in our school division and making sure that students get a good start in school. So part of our literacy initiative has an early learning component . . . early learning centres, we’ve got some pre-kindergartens, those kinds of things. We hope to see the results over time and we think we’re beginning to see some of that," said Rathwell.

However, the number of children in pre-kindergarten programs throughout Saskatchewan saw a slight decline last year, according to the indicators report, dropping to 3,511 from 3,551 in 2009-10.

The school divisions are also striving to develop a learning environment welcoming for First Nations and Metis students.

"Aboriginal students should be able to catch a glimpse of themselves and their community in their curriculum," said Martell.

That is reflected in such actions as the provincewide mandate that students learn about treaties or programs that teach languages such as Cree.

There is also an emphasis across the province on increasing the aboriginal workforce within the school system. There were 667 self-declared aboriginal teachers in 2009-10 — 6.6 per cent of the total.

The school divisions are also increasingly working in partnership with organizations such as the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

The next step will be seen this year when Education Minister Donna Harpauer responds to the report of the Provincial Panel on Student Achievement, released roughly at the same time as the indicators report.

The panel concluded that "action to improve the well-being and educational outcomes of First Nations and Metis students is urgent — a moral, social and economic imperative."

Among its recommendations are creation of a strategy to meaningfully engage aboriginal communities in education decision-making, expansion of culturally responsive programs, increased professional development and strengthening of relationships between the Education Ministry, school divisions and First Nations and Metis organizations.

It also calls for the implementation of an early learning strategy that would include universal pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds on a voluntary basis.