‘Engaging First Nations Parents in Education: An Examination of Best Practices’

The interview between Dr, Marker and Heather was very interesting because it caused me to really think for the first time about how the skill of parenting, and the notion of pastoral care within families, was impacted by the removal of children into residential schools. I knew aspects of this history, but, as I’ve said in posts lately, I did not make a firm connection between these two events. I find this resource from Chiefs of Ontario.org to be an interesting address of this issue, and it overviews some policy documents that shows how parental engagement in First Nations education developed. Here is an excerpt from the paper by Lise Chabot:

“Parental involvement in education is not a concept that is distinct to First Nations people in North America nor is it a struggle that only First Nations people embark upon. What distinguishes the First Nations situation from others is the culture, languages and world view that they bring to the equation – none of which exist anywhere else in the world – and the number of stakeholders – Departments, Ministries, School Boards – that must be cajoled to realize First Nations‟ goals. These groups have posed and will continue to pose the biggest challenge to accomplishing a meaningful degree of parental and community involvement in First Nations education. At the same time, however, given the difficult realities these same groups are now encountering in the realm of education, they may also prove to be our greatest allies.”

I find this site to be useful because it shows an emergence in the movement to involve parents in various stages of education (early years, middle and high school). It is also informative about how the Ontario government has integrated parental involvement in First Nations education over time.