Page 8 - Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework

• Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework
tuition agreement). The framework also clarifies the roles and relationships of the ministry, school boards, and schools in their efforts to help First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students achieve their educational goals and close the gap in academic achievement with their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
The strategies outlined in this framework are based on a holistic and integrated approach to improving Aboriginal student outcomes. The overriding issues affecting Aboriginal student achievement are a lack of awareness among teachers of the particular learning styles of Aboriginal students, and a lack of understanding within schools and school boards of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit cultures, histories, and perspectives. Factors that contribute to student success include teaching strategies that are appropriate to Aboriginal learner needs, curriculum that reflects First Nation, Métis, and Inuit cultures and perspectives, effective counselling and outreach, and a school environment that encourages Aboriginal student and parent engagement. It is also important for educators to understand the First Nations perspective on the school system, which has been strongly affected by residential school experiences and has resulted in intergenerational mistrust of the education system. It is essential that First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students are engaged and feel welcome in school, and that they see themselves and their cultures in the curriculum and the school community.
Although improvements have been made in some areas, including curri- culum, in recent years (see Appendix B for a summary of current ministry initiatives), greater efforts are needed to ensure that Aboriginal students succeed at a rate comparable to that of other students in the education system. The Ministry of Education also recognizes that K–12 education
is only one part of the larger picture for creating a better future for Aboriginal children and youth, and is therefore committed to working with other ministries across government on ways to improve outcomes for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit learners. The Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework will provide the impetus and struc- ture for implementing a new approach, with effective measures for change.
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