Our discussions this week with respect to need to effectively consult indigenous groups prior to initiating a project like the OLPC project got me thinking about the current Vancouver School Board project which is looking at creating a k-12 aboriginal-focused seperate school.

The school board has held forums with: edlers, parents, students, and teachers in the community and there seems to be overwhelming support for the proposed model. There are however valid concerns throughout the aboriginal community regarding the potential for segregation/racism and a mediocre program that would not place a high value on academic success. During consultation the VSB team was encouraged to keep an Aboriginal Focus; one of the questionaire respondents said, “Don’t just put an Aboriginal label on Western methodology; don’t have the foundation being Western.” (p.7)

Another interesting note posted by one of the teachers who took part in the forums was the recognition that the questions that were chosen for the surveys, and the way the questions were posed may have limited the responses; an interesting take on the potential for cultural bias to impact responses…