Promoting Educational
Success for Indigenous
Students: Answers
through Research and a
Turn for the Medicine
Wheel
Jane P. Preston1
Elder Noel Milliea2
Tim R. Claypool3
William Rowluck3
Brenda Green4
1University
of Prince Edward Island,
2Elsipogtog First Nation, NB,
3University of Saskatchewan
4Saskatoon Public School Division
21st National Congress on Rural Education in
Canada, March 20, 2016
Imagine the Possibilities
Today’s Activities
1. Honoring treaty land and ancestors
2. Introductions
3. Explaining research & results
4. Audience sharing (~25 min)
5. Break (~3:10 to 3:20)
6. Medicine Wheel teachings Noel (~3:20 to 4:30)
Principal Leadership for Indigenous Student
Success: A Multi-Case Study of Principals
Nurturing Relationships
Purpose:
• To explain how principals across Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island,
and Nunavut promoted educational success for Indigenous students
What is Success?
 Incorporates academic, physical, emotional, & spiritual wellbeing
 Academic success  completion of courses, completion of grades,
and Grade 12 graduation numbers (easiest to measure/track)
 Physical success  strong attendance rates, healthy body,
craftsmanship in industrial arts, sewing skills, or sports involvement
 Emotional success  represented by students who feel safe, have
self-confidence, and embody an eagerness to learn
 Spiritual wellbeing (or success)  promoted in an school
environment where students have the liberty to rely on intuition and
inner guidance during daily activities
Think-Pair-Share: Pick one of the 4 domains. Describe how a student
feels when he/she experiences “success” in that domain.
Literature Review
• BC Min of Ed. (2014): Grade 12 grad rate for
2012-13 was 60%,compared to 40% in 2008-09.
Need Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement:
a. Measureable, attainable goals for students
b. Indigenous curriculum
c. Indigenous people employed in school
d. Professional development for educators
• Principal Sakewew High School 
interconnected governance system
• Stobart Community High  Principal spoke of
importance of Elders presence in school
• International level (Australian Principals Ass’n, 2008)
a. Engage with Indigenous students, families,
communities
b. Focus on student attendance/completion
c. Focus on appropriate curriculum/pedagogy
Methodology & Design
• Qualitative multi-case study (SK, PEI, NU)
• Big study: 36 interviews with 23 participants.
Data collection over 11 months (Jan-Nov, 2014)
• Today’s results: 28 interviews with 17 principals
SK
PEI
NU
Andy*
John*
Stuart
Brian*
Karen
Ted
Colin*
Lizzy
Ulmer
Dan*
Melanie
Victoria
Ellen
Winnie*
Xena
Yvonne*
Zoe
Indigenous Participant
* Long-term Indigenous relationships/northern
R
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T
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1. Relationships are the essence, link, chain, root of success
• “The most important job we have as educators is building
relationship, because relationship builds trust. And we
don’t get anywhere without trust” (Colin, SK).
• “What do you do to promote [Indigenous] student
achievement and wellbeing in your school? I would say,
relationships, relationships, relationships” (Yvonne, NU).
2. Relationships with students
“Relationship is always at the
heart … Because, if they
[students] don’t feel
comfortable with teachers or
the environment, nothing’s
going to happen” (Dan, SK).
After-school activities such as cross-country
soccer, volleyball, basketball, rugby, track-in-field,
softball, drama, concert band, jazz band, book
clubs, and Student Council were ideal ways to
create, sustain, or maintain strong teacher-student
relationships (John, PEI).
Image: Trent University. (2011). Vitual tour. Retrieved
from https://www.trentu.ca/takeatour/?p=s_aboriginal
3. Relationships with parents/caregivers
“With parents, it’s a relationship that’s shared. We may be the educational
experts but you’re the expert in your child. We need a dialogue [with
parents/caregivers] to figure out what’s best for them [the students]” (Andy, SK)
Stuart (NU) said it is
important to always
have Inuktitut
translator: “Unilingual
Inuit parents were able
to approach us using
the language they
preferred.”
Image: National Collaboration Center for Aboriginal Health. (n.d.). Child
and Youth Health. Retrieved from http://www.nccahccnsa.ca/286/With_Dad__Strengthening_the_Circle_of_Care.nccah
4. Relationships with community/community members
When Karen (PEI) was a new principal at her elementary school, she invited the
Chief and a First Nation community member to her school. She asked them to
help her understand what she could do to help Indigenous students.
“There are people who live here for a decade and don’t have an Inuk friend.
The only Inuktitut they hear is at the grocery store. They have never been on
the land, gone to a community feast. … If you are going to stay in this town,
you are going to have to go out in the community” (Winnie, NU).
Analysis of Results: Space, Place, & Case
Space
• Mental and emotional head-space thoughts and comments
(principals articulated relationships are important)
Place
• Physical infrastructure of school, time table of after-school
programs, etc.
Case
• Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors to promote Indigenous students success (thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors)
Fostering
Relationships
World Café Activity
1. Relationships with Students  Within a school setting, how can
relationships with between principals/teachers and Indigenous students be
enhanced?
2. Relationship with Parent/Caregivers  Within a school setting, how can
relationships between principals/teachers and parents/caregivers be enhanced?
3. Relationship with Communities  How can relationships between the
school and Indigenous communities/community members be enhanced?
4. Indigenizing the Curriculum  How can Indigenous knowledge and ways
of knowing be better integrated into the school curriculum?
5. Self-Enhancement  What can principals/educators do to enhance their
relationships with Indigenous culture and ways of knowing?
6. Respectful Relationship in School Environment  How can
principals/teachers promote a respectful and welcoming school environment for
Indigenous students, parents/caregivers, and family members?
7. Postsecondary Education  What can principals/teachers do so
Indigenous students are more supported/informed with regard to postsecondary
education?
Knowledge Dissemination from Study
Journals
• Preston, J. P., Claypool, T. R., Green, B., & Rowluck, W. (in press/submitted).
Principal leadership for Indigenous student success: A multi-case study of principals
nurturing relationship.
• Preston, J. P., Claypool, T. R., Rowluck, W., Green, B. (2016). Perceptions and
practices of principals: Supporting positive educational experiences for Aboriginal
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603124.2015.1124926#.VtQ-TJwrLIU
• Preston, J. P., Claypool, T. R., Rowluck, W., & Green, B. (2015). Exploring the
concepts of traditional Inuit leadership and effective school leadership in Nunavut
(Canada). Comparative and International Education, 44(2), 1–16.
http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1367&context=cie-eci
• Preston, J. P., Claypool R. T., Green, B., Rowluck, W., & Martin, J. A. (2015).
Education for Aboriginal learners: Challenges and suggestions as perceived by
school principals. Education Matters, 3(1), 1–15.
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/92-343-1-PB.pdf
Conferences
•
9 presentations at national and international conferences
Gratitude and Appreciation
• Thank you to participants of the study
• Thank you to audience members for attending this Sunday workshop
Jane
jpreston@upei.ca
Tim
tim.claypool@usask.ca
Billy
billyrowluck@gmail.com
Brenda greenb@spsd.sk.ca
Noel
egl2egl@nbnet.nb.ca
Jane’s Twitter @jppreston1