Ontario Indigenous Education Strategy

In 2007, the Ontario Ministry of Education (EDU) released its new Aboriginal Education Strategy (since renamed the Indigenous Education Strategy) to guide the province's school boards as they worked to close the achievement gap in education. At the time, the province estimated that 50,312 First Nation, Inuit, and Métis students attended provincially operated elementary and secondary schools in Ontario. Of those, 18,300 students were First Nations. This strategy has been renewed several times, and recently was invoked in The Journey Together as a key tool to close the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

The strategy has two primary objectives:

1 - Improving student achievement and well-being among First Nation, Métis and Inuit students; and

2 - Closing the achievement gap between Indigenous students and all students.

This strategy applies only to First Nation, Inuit, and Métis students who attend provincially run schools. However, First Nations hold a treaty right to education, and therefore providing for education is a federal responsibility. Therefore, First Nation students who attend a First Nation or federally run school on reserve do not fall under the Ontario Indigenous Education Strategy (though proposed reclassification of First Nation Schools under the Education Act may change that).

The province worked towards its two primary objectives with ten performance measures that both the Ministry of Education and individual school boards needed to meet. These ten performance measures (included in the document available here) are grouped by categories: using data to support student achievement, supporting students, supporting educators, and engagement and awareness building.

More recently, Ontario has worked towards making system-wide changes that would support the key goals of the Indigenous Education Strategy. They include a Board Action Plan that integrates Indigenous education advisory councils in decision making, a new position (as of Fall 2016) at each school board that supports the implementation of the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework, voluntary and confidential Indigenous student self-identification to identify service gaps, and increasing partnerships with First Nation organizations and communities (i.e. Métis Nation of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aske Nation, etc).

Furthermore, recent initiatives stemming from The Journey Together falls under the broad umbrella of the Indigenous Education Strategy. Some examples include support for Indigenous languages in schools, reclassification of First Nations Schools in the Education Act, investment in the early years programming, and revamping curriculum to include Indigenous content.

The bulk of Chiefs of Ontario's work in this sector is based on the principle of First Nation control of First Nation education, with an AFN policy paper from 1972 being the first formal iteration of that central principle. In AOCC Resolution 03/18, the Chiefs in Assembly commissioned the writing of an education document which was titled "The New Agenda: A Manifesto for First Nations Education in Ontario." It included 18 research and concept papers completed by First Nation education professionals. More recently, COO released a report titled "Our Children, Our Future, Our Vision - First Nation Jurisdiction over First Nations Education in Ontario," which reiterated many key points from the Manifesto.

While First Nation students attending provincially operated schools fall outside First Nation jurisdiction, COO has worked towards closing achievement gaps for these students too. COO has advocated for development of new curriculum, cultural awareness training for teachers, language programs, and literacy and numeracy needs. These key elements from the Manifesto, resolutions, and later policy papers are included in the Indigenous Education Strategy.

Relevant resolutions from the All Ontario Chiefs Conference (AOCC) and Special Chiefs Assemblies (SCA) include:

12-12 Charting Our Path Forward in Education Next Steps
12-13 First Nations Education – Funding Mechanism & Legislation
12-25 Education Resource Strategy
12-32 First Nations Education Data, OCAP Principles & Privacy (SCA)
12-38 Education as a Priority on Chiefs Agenda (SCA)
13-14 Unity in First Nation Education


Useful Links:

· Indigenous Education In Ontario

· Building Bridges to Success for First Nation, Métis and Inuit Students – Developing Policies for Voluntary, Confidential Aboriginal Student Self-Identification: Successful Practices for Ontario School Boards

· Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework

· Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework Implementation Plan