For the better part of two decades, the author and his research colleagues have been engaged in a broad program of research aimed at identifying certain of the "social determinants of health and wellbeing" common to Canadian First Nation, Metis, and Inuit youth. The present account samples from these ongoing research efforts by recapping…

The current directions of elementary school programs for American Indian children are varied, dynamic, demanding and, often, experimental. This booklet presents the trends and expectations of programs offered both in federal and provincial schools attended by Indian and Inuit children in Canada. A brief look at the educational experiences of…

Indian-controlled education programs may be evaluated by involving community members/leaders; administrators/teachers/students; federal-provincial education officers. The advantages include heightening community awareness of strengths/weaknesses in education programs, allowing community control over nature/duration of evaluation, providing ongoing…

Modified school years in First Nation schools contextualize the learning process by allowing student participation in traditional, seasonal, outdoor activities. Two case studies in which Hudson Bay area school officials unilaterally reintroduced the conventional calendar illustrate the important roles that First Nations education authorities can…

Describes the organization, content, and outcomes of a program to train Inuit leaders to be effective school board members for the Baffin Divisional Board of Education when the Inuit first assumed control of that region's schools. Topics include school board role and formulation of educational goals and policies. (JHZ)

Describes a structured-experiences workshop in which members of the Upper Nicola Band (Okanagan) defined Indian control of Indian education for their own community, and formulated their educational philosophy, goals, and action plans. Provides background on Canadian federal educational policies and the history of education for the Upper Nicola.…

This book documents the debate among the Inuit of Nunavik (northern Quebec) over the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of public schools in their 14 arctic communities. The book begins with a summary of the history of education in Nunavik, including traditional Inuit methods and purposes of education. The 14 communities comprise the Kativik…

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,…

A unique choice to assume local control of schooling is now available to Canadian Indians. This description of the beginning of one such undertaking illustrates how the unanticipated emergence of pervasive role shock inhibits the expected positive results from autonomous local control of schooling. (Author)

In 1988 Norway House Indian Band in Manitoba, Canada, will assume control of education for its young people, a move which is supported by 80% of its adult members. With an immediate enrollment of 800 students and predicted growth in enrollments, the Band has the potential to develop a high quality educational program at reasonable cost. The Band…