Aboriginal Students: Transition from High School to Post-Secondary Education
Sheila Carr-Stewart
Objectives:
The Canadian population is a whole, is well educated with high levels of educational attainment at both
the high school and university levels; the same statement6 cannot be made for Aboriginal peoples in
Canada. Canada’s Auditor General (2004) wrote she was “concerned that a significance educational gap
exists between First Nations people and on-reserve and the Canadian population as a whole and that the
time estimated to close the gap has increased slightly [since 2000] from 27 years to 28 years¨(p.1). Some
of the factors which intertwine to contribute to the lower educational level of Aboriginal students include
lack of financial support for education, systemic issues, a focus on western curriculum, history, and
pedagogy, residential school syndrome, and a lack of Aboriginal teachings, languages, and worldviews
within the educational system. Dissemination of this research will be multi-dimensional. We have
partnered with four school divisions/authorities. In order to address the inequality of educational
outcomes for Aboriginal students, however, we need to understand better not only how large social
structures and the contexts in which schooling occurs affects educational and social outcomes, but also to
examine ways in which differences in educational experiences result in different outcomes for students
in order to change schooling investments and outcomes for a more just society (Macdonald & Wilson,
2013; Lowe, 2009; Larimore & McClennan, 2005).
Objectives & Methodology:
This research is situated in Saskatchewan which has the highest proportion of all Canadian provinces of
Aboriginal children among the total provincial child population – 27.4%, 25.7%, and 21.9% in the age
groups 0-4, 4-9, and 10-14 respectively (Harvey, 2006, p. 52). In Saskatchewan the total population is by
2017 to be one-third of the population and by another decade 50% of the total school population in
Saskatchewan. Successful Aboriginal ways of objectives are:
The long-term educational change which supports Aboriginal student completion of school and pursuit
of post-secondary education.
Create policy and program manuals/documents which effect teacher and system change and which
ensure that all knowledge, skills, and resources are in place to foster quality educational for all students.
These research objectives will thus support the collective intervention and action in the educational of
Aboriginal education so that “when they belong and find their realities reflected in the curriculum and
conservations of schooling” they will be more engaged in learning and experience greater school success
(Shields, 2004, p. 12). We have chosen to establish a community based research partnership which
brings together two First Nations educational authorities and two provincial school divisions. This
longitudinal, mixed methods cross-case research endeavor focused on Aboriginal students in Grade 10 &
12. Borman and her colleagues (2006) suggested a cross-case study in which multiple cases from
multiple sites are examined at the same time which investigating a phenomenon shared across settings.
Relevance to educational administration and leadership
The policy objective for all Aboriginal youth must be to reduce the dropout rate and grade repetition and
to facilitate Aboriginal student transition to post secondary education. High school completion is vital to
the well being of the individual, their community, and to the nation labor market and lifelong learning.