Sharing our success

The disturbing educational success rates for Aboriginal students in comparison with their peers have been documented for many years. Reducing this persistent achievement gap is one of Canada's most pressing educational challenges. Numerous reports commissioned by federal and provincial governments and Aboriginal authorities have offered detailed examinations of the complex social, economic, linguistic, and cultural interrelationships that contextualize the educational environments of Aboriginal students. Many of their families struggle with the legacy of residential schools that ripped families apart and caused immeasurable damage to the social fabric. Schools serving these communities work within a context that may include poverty, learned helplessness, despair, and high levels of abuse, addictions and violence. For some communities, student suicide rates may exceed graduation rates. Yet despite many extraordinary challenges, some schools are producing tangible progress for their Aboriginal students. This report springs from a study of ten such schools in an effort to identify practices that appear to contribute to their success.