Module 3 – Entry 4
Tyler Ohashi
Priorities for Accelerating Change – Executive summary link
In my quest to further understand how to bring together Indigenous education and Western education, I came a study by the OECD (2017) where they looked at:
- Identifying promising strategies, policies, programs, and practices to support improved learning outcomes for Indigenous students
- Evidence-based on what works to support Indigenous students succeed
- Ways to assist provinces and territories in Canada to learn from each other to close educational gaps for Indigenous students
For me, I was interested in the priorities they identified to promote change. To promote systemic change in education, there must be a focus on:
- Student well-being
- The well-being of all students is critical in success rates
- Participation rates
- A deliberate effort needs to be made to increase participation rates
- Student engagement
- Closely tied to participation, student engagement sets foundations for success because it promotes interest in school
- Early learning
- Getting kids into Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs will help prevent Indigenous students from entering school later than non-Indigenous students
- Supporting teachers and leaders
- Educators can learn from each other. On-going professional development to grow and share our learning is going to be important
- Engaging families
- Communication with families can promote gains in student well-being, engagement, and participation.
When I work to develop future learning experiences for my students, I will keep these priorities in mind so I increase the likelihood of success for my students. The best part is that the study also revealed that what worked for Indigenous students also worked for non-Indigenous students so everyone wins.
However, a thought…
All of these priorities seem obvious. Why did take a study to reveal this? To me, it seems like there is something missing in the middle. Are Indigenous communities missing these priorities or are these priorities just not a priority for them? Do they have other needs that take precedent?
Reference
OECD (2017). “Executive Summary”, in Promising Practices in Supporting Success for Indigenous Students, OECD Publishing, Paris.