In 1999, under federal government legislation, Mi'kmaw communities in Nova Scotia won the right to manage the education of their children for the first time in a century. With support from Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, an education authority that provides central services, local Mi'kmaw schools deliver language immersion courses, culturally-appropriate…

When the First Nations Student Success Program (FNSSP) was first introduced in September 2009, the author's initial thought was: "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has finally arrived in Canada." It seemed prophetic that the 2010 spring issue of "Education Canada" contained both a piece by Joel Westheimer warning against the pitfalls…

In Canada, about 100 Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) programs provide Aboriginal preschool children with a start in preparing for elementary school and an understanding of their Native culture. The involvement of parents, communities, and elders is key to the success of AHS. The AHS mission statement and seven guiding principles are presented. (SV)

At R. B. Russell Vocational High School (Winnipeg, Manitoba), which serves economically disadvantaged, primarily First Nations students, a student-developed Web site uses virtual reality and digital video technologies to teach auto mechanics in ways that are relevant to students' diverse learning styles and needs. The project has increased student…

The article generally describes the existing specialized native Indian teacher education programs in Canada. It notes their rationales, effectiveness and problems, and discusses four trends for the future. (SB)

An award-winning teacher shares her strategies for improving attendance, homework completion, and English proficiency in a fifth-grade class in Nunavut. She tailored the curriculum to her students' academic and cultural needs. Her students thrived on the security, success, and sense of caring that her regime of structure, discipline, and…

Although the Canadian government has attempted to provide equal education to Aboriginal children, assimilation prevails in residential secondary schools through immersion in a foreign language; curriculum reflective of Euro-White, middle class values; and culturally inappropriate styles of teaching. Describes the educational experiences of…

In Nunavut, where most residents are Inuit, Inuit elders are helping develop a new mathematics curriculum based on Inuit philosophy. Students will be involved in cultural, experiential activities during on-the-land trips. Such trips involve other community members, and the resulting interactions and informal teaching by individuals other than…

Effective strategies for assisting Canadian Native communities to develop school boards included encouraging an unhurried adaptive learning process, providing guidance to achieve consensus, and allowing for an incubation period. Impediments to development included community members' avoidance of leadership roles, cross-cultural misunderstandings,…

The Flying Dust First Nation, Meadow Lake (Saskatchewan) School Division, community members, and students formed a community school council that operates all area tribal and public schools. The council is fully inclusive of First Nations people and is dedicated to inclusive, culturally relevant education that integrates community services within…

A new model of learning communities based on lifelong learning is emerging. The approach integrates nonformal and formal learning so that all learning is recognized. The expertise and learning resources that exist in every community are mobilized so that community purposes are achieved. Examples are given of learning communities in rural British…

The article reviews the current status of teacher supply and demand, examines needs that have been identified, and draws implications for teacher education. The focus of the needs assessment is on one province: Saskatchewan. (AH)