The Promising Practices website is an online resource for educators and others to promote and share successful practices to enhance the classroom experience for Aboriginal students. The site is part of an umbrella of resources sponsored by the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative (MAEI). The site includes a variety of curricula from Canada and around the world, including classroom practices, childhood development methods and guides to promote interaction between educators and the Aboriginal communities they serve.

On The Agenda with Steve Paikin, discusses Aboriginal education. They start off by looking at three graphs that examine the population growth in Canada, unemployment rates and education achievement and compare the differences between non-aboriginal population in Canada to the Aboriginal population in Canada. The graph on “education achieved” looks at young people ages 20-24 who have received a diploma for high school, trades, college, and/or university. It also compares the educational difference between aboriginals who live on a reserve verses those who live off a reserve.  They then look in-depth into the numbers and discuss how to get aboriginal young people to graduate high school and ultimately go on to post-secondary education.

Aboriginal education in Timmins looks at urban education for aboriginal students, specifically raising awareness to the needs of the aboriginal children transitioning from reserves to places like Timmins, Ontario and how important it is to get them engaged with the classroom. They also discuss the alarming number of aboriginal students that have not graduated from high school.

Aboriginal Education’s presents Ogden Public school in Thunder Bay; a successful school that balances both the aboriginal culture and teachings alongside the standard Ontario education. This program also discusses what needs to be done to bring about change in the education system for aboriginal students. Asking questions like: do schools need more money and resources? Do they need more culture in the curriculum? Can the present system meet the needs of Aboriginal children or do we need something completely different? They also discuss specific things that aboriginal students need to make sure they succeed.

Aboriginal Education Strategy is part of the Ontario Ministry of Education website; their basic goal is to bring awareness to Aboriginal Education Strategies to help “students achieve their full potential”. They provide links to policies that are in place, curriculum for native studies and native languages along with the background of aboriginal education initiatives in Ontario.

The Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) lists the best practices in Aboriginal education from an initiative to a procedure that produces an outstanding result. These best practices “contribute to positive Aboriginal learning experiences, improved student well-being, increased success for Aboriginal students, and improved labour-market linkages for Aboriginal people.”

While watching the interview of Dr. Lee Brown, I was intrigued with his concept of making the classroom a healthy place by creating an emotionally competent person. His thesis “Making the Classroom a Healthy Place: The Development of Affective Competency in Aboriginal Pedagogy” goes into detail regarding the inclusion of proven educational methods in modern classroom environments.