Improving Education on Reserves: A First Nations Education Authority Act

• Main Authors: Michael Mendelson, Website Www. Caledoninst. Org
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.456.9560; http://caid.ca/IndStuFirNatEduRes2008.pdf

The continuing failure of education for on-reserve students A decade ago, the 1996 Census found that approximately 60 percent of First Nations on-reserve residents aged 20 to 24 had not completed high school or obtained an alternative diploma or certificate. In the 2001 Census, once again approximately 60 percent of First Nations on-reserve residents aged 20 to 24 reported not completing high school. The 2006 Census figures for First Nations on reserve have recently been released. The results are unchanged: approximately 60 percent of First Nations on-reserve residents aged 20 to 24 still have not completed high school or obtained an alternative diploma or certificate.1 Had educational outcomes on reserve been improving in the last several years, better results should have been apparent in the 2006 Census for at least the 20- to 24-year-old age cohort. Instead we are seeing no improvement at all. Indeed, the static educational attainment data imply that educational outcomes for residents on reserve are actually getting worse in relative terms. During the 1996 to 2006 period, the number of 20- to 24-year-olds in Canada as a whole with less than high school graduation decreased from 19 percent to 14 percent. The high school completion gap among the 20- to 24-year old age cohort on reserve has therefore