Aboriginal Education: Fulfilling the Promise.

Overview & Synopsis

Education is at the heart of the struggle of Canada's Aboriginal peoples to regain control over their lives as communities and nations. Based on hearings and research generated by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP), this collection of articles documents recent progress in transforming Aboriginal education to support self-determination, language revitalization, and cultural maintenance, as well as the institutional and governmental obstacles that continue to impede progress. Contributors emphasize Aboriginal philosophies and priorities in teaching methods, program design, and institutional development. The 13 chapters are: "Towards a Shared Understanding in the Policy Discussion about Aboriginal Education" (Frances Abele, Carolyn Dittburner, Katherine A. Graham);"Voices of Winter: Aboriginal Languages and Public Policy in Canada" (Mark Fettes, Ruth Norton); "The State of Aboriginal Literacy and Language Education" (Yvonne Hebert); "Telling Our Own Stories: The Role, Development, and Future of Aboriginal Communications" (Gail Guthrie Valaskakis); "Culturally Negotiated Education in First Nations Communities: Empowering Ourselves for Future Generations" (Brenda Tsioniaon LaFrance); "Honouring Our Past, Creating Our Future: Education in Northern and Remote Communities" (Sheila Watt-Cloutier); "Urban Aboriginal Education: The Vancouver Experience" (Lorna Williams); "The Information Legacy of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples" (Marlene Brant Castellano); "Issues of Pedagogy in Aboriginal Education" (Kathy L. Hodgson-Smith); "Metis Post-Secondary Education: A Case Study of the Gabriel Dumont Institute" (John Dorion, Kwan R. Yang); "First Nations House of Learning: A Continuity of Transformation" (Ethel Gardner); "First Nations-Controlled University Education in Canada" (Eber Hampton); and "Electronic Highways, Electronic Classrooms: Distance Education in Canada" (Lynne Davis). An appendix presents RCAP recommendations regarding education. (Contains references in each chapter and an index.) (SV)