REPORTS CONSULTED BY THE COMMITTEE

Reports’ Findings

Recognition of the pressing need to increase the high school completion rate of Aboriginal learners was underscored particularly in Michael Mendelson’s report on Aboriginal Peoples and Postsecondary Education in Canada¹. Before the Committee, the author reiterated his conclusion, based on census data,² that “if we want to get parity in post-secondary education, the only way we're going to get there is through kindergarten to grade 12 … by getting more kids graduating from high school. Otherwise the pool of students who can get into post-secondary is simply too small”³.

Reports identify a number of barriers encountered by Aboriginal learners at the post-secondary level. They include historical distrust of mainstream education systems or lack of familiarity with them, whether owing to the legacy of the residential school system and assimilationist policies, or to other cultural factors; economic hardship for First Nations learners due to insufficient funding under the Department’s PSE program, and for Métis and Non-Status learners who must rely on other sources; inadequate academic preparation to meet post-secondary institutions’ admission requirements; cultural isolation owing to under-representation of Aboriginal perspectives and values in post-secondary institutions and programs; geographic dislocation resulting from the need to relocate from more remote areas to urban centres; social barriers related to factors such as discrimination, poverty and family responsibilities; and personal factors, such as poor self-esteem or poor health.

Some existing “best practices” to remove or mitigate barriers identified in the literature are: creation of Aboriginal educational institutions; enhanced Aboriginal control of education and Aboriginal participation in post-secondary institutions’ planning bodies and curriculum development; targeted access programs offering transition and guidance to Aboriginal learners so as to improve success rates; community-based delivery of programs; Aboriginal-specific support services; and partnerships between mainstream and Aboriginal post-secondary institutions, and between Aboriginal communities and mainstream institutions.

Reports suggest areas for improvements, and for expansion of proven existing practice. There is acknowledgement, for instance, of the need to address funding concerns and allocation methodologies related to the Department’s PSE program; enhance student recruitment and First Nations, Métis and Inuit-specific support services; increase Aboriginal faculty and staff; expand transition or bridging and mentor programs; develop more specialized programs; avoid a one-size-fits-all approach; promote apprenticeship; improve data collection and tracking. Recommendations to tackle these and other matters cover a wide range of forward-looking policy and practical considerations. Proposals focusing on funding limitations are prominent among them.

Various studies outline the personal characteristics of Aboriginal post-secondary learners. The findings suggest that Aboriginal learners tend on average to be older than their non-Aboriginal counterparts upon enrolment in and completion of post-secondary programs. They may also take longer to complete programs. Many have family responsibilities; many are single parents. Aboriginal women pursuing post-secondary education outnumber Aboriginal men by a wide margin and have higher levels of educational attainment. A greater percentage of Aboriginal men have trades certification. Aboriginal post-secondary learners are more likely to attend college than university. There is under-representation of Aboriginal people in areas such as the sciences and health-related fields of study. Levels of educational attainment among Aboriginal learners differ according to region, and according to segment of the Aboriginal population, with Métis and non-registered First Nations people achieving higher levels than registered First Nations people and Inuit.

Some reports address the unstable circumstances of Aboriginal-controlled institutions. They point out that virtually all are without authority to grant provincially-recognized certificates and diplomas. Ineligible to receive direct operating grants from the provinces on the same basis as mainstream institutions, Aboriginal-controlled institutions must partner with the mainstream ones in order for their students to receive approved post-secondary credentials. The importance of addressing long-term funding needs is stressed, in light of the importance of these institutions to Aboriginal post-secondary education.

Reports consulted

Aboriginal Apprenticeship Projects Steering Committee. Aboriginal Participation in Apprenticeship: Making It Work, 1999
http://www.caf-fca.org/english/documents.asp

Aboriginal Institutes’ Consortium. Aboriginal Institutions of Higher Education: A Struggle for the Education of Aboriginal Students, Control of Indigenous Knowledge, and Recognition of Aboriginal Institutions: An examination of government policy. Canadian Race Relations Foundation, 2005
http://www.crr.ca/divers-files/en/pub/repAboriginal%20Institutions%20of%20Higher%20Education.pdf

Government of Alberta. Alberta Advanced Education.

A Learning Alberta - Final Report of the Steering Committee, 2006
http://www.advancededucation.gov.ab.ca/alearningalberta/Steering_Committee_Final_Report.pdf

A Learning Alberta. Setting the Direction - Partnerships in Action: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learning Access and Success. Report of the Aboriginal Sub-committee.
http://www.advancededucation.gov.ab.ca/alearningalberta/Supporting_Aboriginal_Learning.pdf

Assembly of First Nations. First Nations Post Secondary Education Review: National Report. Ottawa, 2000

Association of Canadian Community Colleges. Meeting the Needs of Aboriginal Learners: An Overview of Current Programs and Services, Challenges, Opportunities and Lessons Learned. 2005
http://www.accc.ca/ftp/pubs/200507_Aboriginal.pdf

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Aboriginal Access to Higher Education, Background Document, 2002
http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/reports/2002/innovation/aboriginal_e.pdf

Berger, Thomas R. Conciliator’s Final Report – The Nunavut Project, 2006.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/agr/nu/lca/nlc_e.pdf

Government of British Columbia. Ministry of Advanced Education. 2001 BC College and Institute Aboriginal Former Student Outcomes: Special Report on Aboriginal Former Students from the 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001B.C. College and Institute Student Outcome Surveys, 2002

http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/aboriginal/01outcomes.pdf

Brunnen, Ben.

Achieving Potential: Towards Improved Labout Market Outcomes for Aboriginal People. Canada West Foundation, 2003. (Building the New West Report, no. 24)
http://www.cwf.ca/abcalcwf/doc.nsf/(Publications)/7A5543A67268D8C687256DB0007BA6F3/$file/Achieving%20Potential.pdf

Encouraging Success: Ensuring Aboriginal Youth Stay in School. Canada West Foundation, 2003. (Building the New West Report, no. 22)
http://cwf.ca/abcalcwf/doc.nsf/(Publications)/4C96F2043BF5347D87256DF6005F620F/$file/Encouraging%20Success.pdf

Working Towards Parity: Recommendations of the Aboriginal Human Capital Strategies Initiative. Canada West Foundation, 2004. (Building the New West Report, no. 19)
http://www.cwf.ca/abcalcwf/doc.nsf/(Publications)/E4E0B18A2DCEB0D087256E45000C74B1/$file/WorkingTowardsParity.pdf

Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable. Papers prepared for 2004 sectoral sessions on lifelong learning.

Assembly of First Nations. Background Paper on Lifelong Learning,
http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/AFN_BgPaper_LLL1_2_e.pdf

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Background Paper for the Life Long Learning-PSE & Skills Development Round Table
http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/CAP_BgPaper_LLL2_e.pdf

Government of Canada. Lifelong Learning Background Paper
http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/INAC_BgPaper_LLL1_2_e.pdf

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Backgrounder on Inuit and Education

://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/ITK_BgPaper_LLL1_2_e.pdf

Métis National Council. Lifelong Learning
http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/MNC_BgPaper_LLL1_2_e.pdf

Native Women’s Association of Canada. Lifelong Learning Background Paper – From the Womb to the Tomb

http://www.aboriginalroundtable.ca/sect/lrng/bckpr/NWAC_BgPaper_LLL1_2_e.pdf

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Backgrounder on the CMEC Aboriginal Education Action Plan, 2005
http://www.cmec.ca/publications/BackgrounderAboriginalEducation.en.pdf

Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Departmental Audit and Evaluation Branch.

Audit of Post-Secondary Student Support Program, June 2005
&;http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/pub/ae/au/01-15/01-15_e.pdf

Evaluation of the Post-Secondary Education program, June 2005
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/pub/ae/ev/01-29/01-29_e.pdf

Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Final Report of the Minister’s National Working Group on Education. Our Children – Keepers of the Sacred Knowledge, Ottawa 2002
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ps/edu/finre/ouchi_e.pdf

First Nations Education Steering Committee. The Continued Gap: An Analysis of the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Post-Secondary Education Guidelines in Regards to Transitions to Post-Secondary Opportunities, 2005
http://fnesc.bc.ca/about/Gap%20Paper%20-%20September%209,%202005%20(1).doc

Holmes, David. Embracing Differences: Post-Secondary Education among Aboriginal Students, Students with Children and Students with Disabilities. Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2005.
http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/images/Publications/embracing_en.pdf

House of Commons. Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. First Report: A Review of the Post-Secondary Student Assistance Program of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1989.

Hull, Jeremy.

Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Labour Market Outcomes Canada, 1996. Prologica Research Inc., 2000.
http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/inac-ainc/aboriginal_ps_edu-e/pse_e.pdf

Post-Secondary Education and Labour Market Outcomes Canada, 2001. Prologica Research Inc., 2005.
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/ra/pse/01/01_e.pdf

Human Capital Strategies. Final Report - Review of Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education Programs, Services and Strategies/Best Practices & Aboriginal Special Projects Funding (ASPF) Program. Submitted to the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, 2005
http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/aboriginal/aboriginal_strategies_final_rprt_june05.pdf

Junor, Sean and Alex Usher. The Price of Knowledge 2004: Access and Student Finance in Canada. Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, Research Series, 2004.
http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/uploadfiles/documents/research/Price_of_Knowledge-2004.pdf

R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.

Best Practices in Increasing Aboriginal Postsecondary Enrolment Rates. Report Prepared for the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), 2002.
http://www.cmec.ca/postsec/malatest.en.pdf

Aboriginal Peoples and Post-Secondary Education, What Educators Have Learned. Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2004.
http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/images/Publications/aboriginal_en.pdf

Mendelson, Michael. Aboriginal Peoples and Postsecondary Education in Canada. Ottawa: Caledon Institute of Social Policy, 2006.
http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/595ENG%2Epdf

Office of the Auditor General of Canada. 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada. Chapter 5: “Indian and Northern Affairs Canada — Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support”, Ottawa, 2004
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/20041105ce.html/$file/20041105ce.pdf

Government of Ontario. Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Ontario – A Leader in Learning, Report and Recommendations, Toronto, 2005
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/reports/postsec.pdf

Richardson, Cathy and Natasha Blanchet-Cohen. Survey of Post-Secondary Education Programs in Canada for Aboriginal Peoples. Institute for Child Rights and Development and First Nations Partnerships Program. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria., 2000.
ttp://web.uvic.ca/iicrd/graphics/Canada%20Survey%20Report.PDF

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples, Volume 3, Gathering Strength: Chapter 5, “Education”, Ottawa, Minister of supply and Services Canada 1996

Senate. Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples. Urban Aboriginal Youth: An Action Plan for Change, October 2003
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/abor-e/rep-e/repfinoct03-e.htm#PDF%20FORMAT