| Feb. 8, 2010 AGREEMENT SUPPORTS CHILLIWACK'S ABORIGINAL STUDENTS CHILLIWACK - Chilliwack MLA John Les and Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner were joined by Aboriginal community representatives and members of the Chilliwack board of education in signing British Columbia's 48th Aboriginal education enhancement agreement today. "The collaborative efforts of the school district, Aboriginal communities, students and parents will mean more opportunities for student success," said Les. "Though Aboriginal students in B.C. are making progress, there is more work to be done. Agreements like this help focus the commitment and resources necessary to improve school outcomes for Aboriginal students." "This agreement provides a framework for increased understanding and respect of Aboriginal peoples, their cultures and history," said Penner. "Students of all backgrounds will benefit from a more inclusive educational environment." Aboriginal education enhancement agreements support the integration of Aboriginal culture in public schools, and Aboriginal communities are involved in the design of programs, services and curriculum delivery aimed at improving Aboriginal student achievement. Local Aboriginal groups, the Chilliwack school district and the Ministry of Education worked closely to develop strategies, objectives and goals to help improve Aboriginal student success. The three primary goals of the agreement, which will be integrated into the district achievement contract as well as into each school's growth plan, are: * To increase the respect and understanding of language, culture, governance and history of Stó:lo and Aboriginal people for all students in order to create a better sense of school and community. * To increase the academic success of all Aboriginal students. * To increase Aboriginal students' sense of belonging at school. The district's Aboriginal education advisory committee will meet to evaluate performance data and review the agreement in January of each year. For most indicators of student success, baseline data will be collected during the first year of the agreement and targets will be set in the second year. Many programs mentioned in the Aboriginal education enhancement agreement are already in place and supporting students. "We are very excited to have an Aboriginal education enhancement agreement that has been developed with Aboriginal people from our community together with our staff, to improve the success of all our Aboriginal students," said Chilliwack board of education chair Silvia Dyck. "This agreement will help learners of all ages, including staff and community." School districts report encouraging results following the signing of an Aboriginal education enhancement agreement. After the Vancouver Island North school district signed its agreement in 2005, the pass rate for Aboriginal students in Science 10 went from 75 per cent in 2006-07 to 95 per cent in 2007-08. Secondary school completion rates for Aboriginal students in the Kamloops/Thompson school district increased by more than 10 per cent following their second agreement in 2006. To date, 48 B.C. school districts have signed Aboriginal education enhancement agreements. These agreements support the Province's Pacific Leadership Agenda to build new relationships with Aboriginal peoples, as well as help schools meet the needs of Aboriginal students. Aboriginal education enhancement agreements are just one component of the collaborative process that the Province is undertaking to improve Aboriginal student achievement. Others include the B.C. First Nation Education Agreement and developing Aboriginal content for the K-12 curriculum. The Stó:lo First Nation and the Chilliwack school district were instrumental in having Halq'emélen, the language of the Upper Fraser First Nations, made part of the curriculum as a provincially approved second language. The Province is investing $53.6 million a year - $1,014 per student - for Aboriginal education in 2009-10. The funds are used to support Aboriginal language and culture programs, Aboriginal support service programs and other localized Aboriginal education programs. -30- | |
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