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Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Indigenous Education Initiative: Oskāyak “Young People” High School

2015

Researcher: Dr. Sean Lessard

Included in this document is an evaluation of Oskāyak High School located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Table of Contents

Preface ....................................................................................................................... 3 Documenting Best Practices ............................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary..................................................................................................... 4 Development Of The Program......................................................................................................... 4 Description Of The Project Outcomes Achieved ............................................................................. 4 Most Significant Accomplishments ................................................................................................. 5 Context ............................................................................................................................................ 6 History ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Development Focus ......................................................................................................................... 8 Activities Accomplished ................................................................................................................... 9

Kihtōtēminawak Parent Council .................................................................................................. 9 Oskāyak Vision For Success ........................................................................................................ 9 Student Support Program ......................................................................................................... 10

Documenting Best Practices with an Evaluability Framework .................................... 11 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 11

Program Document Analysis ..................................................................................................... 12 Participants and Procedures ..................................................................................................... 12 Interview Schedule .................................................................................................................... 12 Preliminary Final Document Meeting ....................................................................................... 12 Program Structure ..................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 1. ......................................................................................................................................... 14 OHS Indigenous Holistic Approach to Student-Centred Learning ............................................. 14

Figure 2. ......................................................................................................................................... 15 OHS Division of Components and Activities .............................................................................. 15

Logic Model .............................................................................................................. 16 Central Component: Students & Classroom ................................................................................. 16 Component: Non-traditional Approach to Course & Curriculum ................................................. 18 Component: Culture and Ceremony ............................................................................................. 22 Component: School Services ......................................................................................................... 24 Component: Administration .......................................................................................................... 26

Interviews/Narrative Accounts ................................................................................. 29 Interview With Former Principals.................................................................................................. 29 Interview With Teacher Participant .............................................................................................. 32

Project Outcomes Achieved ...................................................................................... 34 Student Achievement Out of School ............................................................................................. 34 Increased Attendance ................................................................................................................... 35 Credit and Graduation Completion ............................................................................................... 35 Most Significant Accomplishments ............................................................................................... 36

Next Steps ................................................................................................................ 36

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Preface

Documenting Best Practices

The Indspire Institute offers online tools and resources designed to increase high school completion rates among Indigenous youth. In response to this mandate, Indspire provides access to documented best practices of education programs found across Canada. Recognizing and honouring the many successful programs that provide educational support to Indigenous communities and youth is only one part of the solution. Indspire also recognizes the need to champion Indigenous approaches to education that honour culture, values and worldviews. By identifying educational programs that are exemplars in Indigenous educational practices, Indspire’s goal is to document these programs as a way of sharing these programs as best practices with other communities across Canada. In documenting best practices, three established researchers with extensive education, evaluation, and community experience were consulted to recommend a documentation approach to explicating best practices. Together, these researchers brought experience in different areas, methods, analysis, and reporting to the research, which proved to be a great strength. The researchers participated in a variety of research sessions to explicate a documentation approach that would represent the educational program in ethical and respectful ways. It was decided that the documentation process should be restrained to using the voices of its participants and stakeholders as much as possible. Every attempt was made to approach the process from an ethical standpoint and to collect data in a variety of ways to help inform the audience about the various aspects of the program. It was determined that documenting “best practice” should be conducted using an evaluability framework. Evaluation methodology is aptly suited for systematically examining program design, process and objectives. By borrowing from the evaluability framework, this research was able to document best practices based on Oskāyak’s documentation and consultation with program participants and stakeholders. The research process utilized informed consent, re-iterative consultation, triangulated data collections, and the OCAP principles.

Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to acknowledge and thank the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, the educators, and administrators who created a space to share and help us understand the good work that is taking place within Oskāyak High School. It is with the best of intentions that we tried to capture the spirit, the energy, and the good feelings of working alongside one another in the process of documenting the place in which culture and academics thrive in the lives of youth.

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Executive Summary

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Indigenous Education Initiative:

Oskāyak “Young People” High School Formerly named the Saskatoon Native Survival School (mirroring similar developments across the country), Oskāyak High School opened its doors in September 1980, in tripartite agreement between the provincial government, St. Paul’s Roman Catholic School Division, No. 20 (Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools) and the school’s parent advisory council. Due to the independent nature of the school, the development of the school has been based on Aboriginal ways of knowing. Oskāyak continues to re-imagine and reshape the delivery of high level educational programming for Indigenous youth and be an innovative force in the resurgence of community. By combining an inquiry-based pedagogy alongside indigenous ways of knowing this school continues to forge a new path. Increased attendance, graduation rates and post-secondary participation are notable outcomes as this program and school community continues to be recognized nationally as a difference maker.

Development Of The Program

The developmental focus of Oskāyak is secondary, which immediately sets this program apart both ontologically and pedagogically. It is evident through the documentation process that Oskāyak has engaged in a process that is definitive in nature, process oriented and that moves in ways that helps us to further understand the possibilities within Indigenous youth and relational pedagogies. It is through intentional organizational design and philosophical underpinnings that have been co-created within Oskāyak that a space has been created to meet the diverse needs of secondary students, families, and community within this rich educational environment.

Description Of The Project Outcomes Achieved

Student Achievement Out Of School Students of Oskāyak have been recognized for their exemplary leadership qualities nationally and internationally.1 Examples include:

Presentation by three students at International Youth UN forum in Geneva in April 2012 on the topic of Indigenous law and traditional knowledge;

Presentation by six students at Canadian Roots Conference in Montreal, March 2014 on the topic of "bridging the gap between Canadian Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth";

1 Visit Oskāyak High School in the news at http://blog.scs.sk.ca/oskayak/oskayak-in-the-news.html

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Presentation by five students at provincial FSIN conference in 2013 on topic of local justice initiatives;

Students participating in the Oskāyak High School International Indigenous Studies Tour in 2012 produced a feature length documentary in collaboration with Bluehill Production. The video is available at http://newzealandstudytours.com/oskayak-down-under/ Increased Attendance As of September 2013, approximately three hundred students (an enrolment increase of 71% over the last four years) attend the school with an average attendance rate of 77%. (Kitoteminawak handbook)

58% enrolment increase in senior high Maths and Sciences. Graduating And Credit Completion

Grade 10-12 Credit Completions: (As noted in Oskayak High School News Letter)

March 2010 – Credit completion 31%

March 2014 – Credit completions 81%

5-Year History Of Graduation:

2009-2010 - 3 graduates

2010-2011 - 30 graduates

2011-2012 - 42 graduates

2012-2013 - 50 graduates

2013-2014 - 55 graduates

Most Significant Accomplishments

Increased attendance.

Increased credit completion.

Synergy between westernized academics and Cree ways of knowing, culture and

language (pedagogy of relationship and inquiry based learning processes)

Logistical/practical supports such as transportation, childcare as well as social

supports around addiction, program, financial literacy.

Increased number of Indigenous teachers

Increased number of Cree/Indigenous courses/pedagogical approach

Onsite support from elders, social workers, nurses and community supports

Parent council’s involvement in school decisions and “keeping the vision.”

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Oskāyak “Young People” High school: Where Culture Meets Academic Excellence Project Holder: Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools

Oskāyak “young people” High School 919 Broadway Avenue Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 1B8

Contact Person: Gordon Martell

Superintendent of Education Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Tel: 306- 659-7056 Email: [email protected]

Context

According to the Provincial Auditor (2012), First Nations and Métis youth in Saskatchewan graduate grade 12 three years after entering grade 10 at a rate of 32.7% compared to 72.3% for all students2.

Saskatoon, located in Treaty 6 territory, is a city that is shaped by diversity and knowledge that is both contextual and rooted deeply within the Indigenous stories of place. In Canada and Saskatchewan today, Indigenous people represent a significant and growing demographic. In fact, the fastest growing portion of the population in Saskatchewan is Indigenous youth. Oskāyak High School is located in what is considered the Broadway area of Saskatoon, a diverse neighbourhood on a main street nestled in-between numerous restaurants and shops. The neighbourhood is eclectic in nature and is a place where people gather; it is a neighbourhood in a city that holds historic meaning. Oskāyak High School is the only secondary school in the area that programs specifically to Indigenous youth and community population. The school is host to over 300 students from 51 First Nations across Saskatchewan. Many of the students (56%) live independent of their parents, and 20 % of the students are parents themselves (Oskāyak Flyer, March 2014). Given the demographics of the students, many are dealing with the effects of poverty. Given the effects of poverty as well as the determinants of health, it is not surprising that a major focus of Oskāyak is trying to support Indigenous students to not only graduate but to provide a quality education that leads to a smooth and sustained transition beyond high school. However, even with innovative programming and meaningful community engagement, the determinants of

2 Strengthening the Beat of the Drum: Urban Aboriginal School Reform at Oskāyak High School, September 2014

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health in the lives of Oskāyak students often pose challenges that cannot be ignored. According to Health Disparity in Saskatoon: Analysis to Intervention (Saskatoon Health Region, 2008), Saskatoon residents who did not graduate from high school are 55% more likely to have diabetes, 30% more likely to think about suicide, 41% more likely to have heart disease, 61% more likely to have high blood pressure compared to those people from families who .have graduated. They are also more likely…

98% to say they’re in poor health; 96% to be depressed; 97% to have low self-esteem; 82% to be smoking; 52% to have suicidal thoughts; and 147% to be using marijuana.

Due to these health disparities and for a variety of other historic factors, Indigenous students in Saskatoon have not received equitable outcomes in education. Given the correlation between graduating from high school and health determinants, it makes sense that many programs focus on increasing Indigenous graduation rates and overall academic achievement. While graduation, credit completion, and academics is a primary focus of the program, Oskāyak has found a highly innovative way to weave academics and cultural responsive pedagogies with Cree ways of knowing, traditions, and language. This synergy seems to provide students with a powerful sense of identity and belonging that has noticeably improved their engagement and achievement in the classroom. Further highlighting this unique weaving and synergy, Oskāyak was recently recognized by the Canadian Educational Association’s Ken Spencer Award for Innovation, as well as the 2014 Premiers' Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education. The recognition of program success is not hinged on a singular concept around programming or philosophy but is most noticeably demonstrated within Oskāyak through evidence based holistic growth and academic results. Oskāyak academic programming was founded upon nehiyaw (Plains Cree) language and traditions; however, English is the dominant language in Saskatoon and this particular area.

History

Formerly named the Saskatoon Native Survival School (mirroring similar developments across the country), Oskāyak High School opened its doors in September 1980, through a tripartite agreement between the provincial government, St. Paul’s Roman Catholic School Division No. 20 (Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools), and the school’s parent advisory council. Due to the independent nature of the school community, the school was developed based on Indigenous ways of knowing.

“According to Elder Vicki Wilson, first chairwoman of the parent council of the Native Survival School, it was the students who asked for a school. School organizers took direction from the students as to what the school might be like, how it might be organized.” (Hodgson, 1997)

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The name was changed in 1989 to Joe Duquette High School, after an Elder from the Mistawasis First Nation who had worked with students and teachers at the school in the early 1980s. After more than 25 years as an Indigenous high school, a change in social and cultural needs of Indigenous students compelled the school to shift its programming in 2007. On May 25, 2006, Joe Duquette High School charted a new direction for its students by initiating yet another name change. The new name, Oskāyak High School, was based on the Cree word meaning “Young People”. Community members became concerned by the increased number of students who were not attending school and advocated for a school that was responsive to Indigenous culture; they wanted a school that was dedicated to Indigenous students’ needs and aspirations. It was decided that a fundamental shift needed to be made that would generate enthusiasm amongst the wider community and its students; students who in many cases are young mothers and fathers. The family of Joe Duquette, the school’s first Elder, supported the decision because they recognized that the new name’s emphasis on Indigenous youth is, symbolically, a dedication to the retention of traditional language and culture that indirectly continues to honour and remember the Elder’s legacy. Despite the shift to a new name, the school continued to struggle in many ways. At this time in the schools' history, students were achieving credits at a rate of 31% and the graduating class of 2010 consisted of only three students. Further to this, the attendance rate had dipped to an alarming 52%. It became evident to key stakeholders that change through community dialogue and further re-visioning was urgently required. Working with the district leadership and community supports, the school established a new vision that reflected: Relationships, Core Values, Culture, Engaged Learning, Community Participation, Leadership, and Professionalism. Over a relatively short time period, these renewed efforts have resulted in dramatic increases in positive outcomes at Oskāyak High School, as they continue to lead the way in Indigenous educational programming revitalization.

Development Focus

We, as researchers, often see programming initiated in elementary schools. Programming in the younger years could be argued is logistically and pragmatically easier. Students could have the same teachers or a smaller number of teachers during the school day; thus, timetabling is less of an issue organizationally. The staff numbers in most cases are smaller in size and it could be argued that it is more congruent to have staff engaged in a more school-wide process. The student numbers are smaller; thus, shifts and changes in student educational outcomes could be seen more immediately. It could also be argued that due to smaller class sizes and more time with one teacher, relationships can more easily be fostered. Due to the age of the students, parents and community are more engaged, which creates the space for a closer and deeper connection to community. The developmental focus of Oskāyak is secondary, which immediately sets this program apart both ontologically and pedagogically. It was evident through the documentation process that Oskāyak has engaged in a process that is definitive in nature, process-oriented, and that moves in ways that helps us to further understand the possibilities within Indigenous youth and relational pedagogies. It is through intentional organizational design and philosophical underpinnings that have been co-created within Oskāyak that a space has been created to meet the diverse needs of secondary students, families, and community within this rich educational

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environment.

Activities Accomplished

Kihtōtēminawak Parent Council As stated above, from its inception, Oskāyak High School was envisioned and created through a tripartite agreement between the provincial government, St. Paul’s Roman Catholic School Division No. 20 (Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools), and the school’s parent advisory council. The parent council plays a strong and significant role as a partner in the conception of this educational home place. As noted by Hodgson (1997), until the 1980s, Indigenous involvement in ‘westernized educational institutions was non-existent.’ The 80s brought about drastic changes in society’s approach to education, which allowed its institutions to be tailored to fit the needs of Indigenous students. It is important to note that this document does not allow for an in-depth look into the significance of this shift in Saskatchewan or the involvement of the Kihtōtēminawak Parent Council in the ongoing programming at the Saskatoon Native Survival School, then Joe Duquette High School, and now Oskāyak High School. We see their temporal involvement in explicit shifts, in particularly the name changes, which denote a much more complex identity shift that continues to take form. The Kihtōtēminawak see themselves as the “keepers of the vision” (Spring Newsletter, 2014). The council works alongside parents and community members to ensure that their important voices and knowledge are heard. “The Council also works closely with school administration and students to support improved teaching and learning in an Indigenous context and create high expectations for success.” (Spring Newsletter, 2014). While many administrators, teachers, and school staff come and go, communities do not. We often hear of building capacity and sustainability of programming; for us, it seems that The Kihtōtēminawak Parent Council is a significant influence in keeping the vision and building capacity within the Indigenous community and students. This capacity can be seen in the Kihtōtēminawak Parent Council handbook, which lays out the constitution and governance of the council.

Oskāyak Vision For Success 3

1) Quality Relationships

a. Care for and relate to students in their Indigenous context and life ways

b. Promote kinship and sense of belonging for all students

c. Care for the participation and achievement of all

2) Core Values and Principles (Based on Cree Principles)

a. Relatedness

b. Support for one another

c. Getting along with others

3 Adapted from Animating a Vision for Success Document, Oskāyak High School.

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d. Respect and love

e. Humility

f. Strength and endurance

g. Providing for oneself

h. Strong mindedness

i. Lifelong perseverance

j. Belief in a higher power

3) Enlivened Cultural Program

a. Treaty understanding, history and Cree language

b. Engagement in ceremony teachings

c. Elders and knowledge keepers promote identity, healing, self-actualization,

cooperation and collective learning

4) Engaging Learning Program

a. High expectations for student credit achievement and graduation

b. Problem based and inquiry pedagogies that are interactive and share power

c. Outcome based assessment that monitors and promotes student achievement

d. Teacher collaboration, co-teaching, shared achievement evidence, seeking

innovation and improvement

5) Spirited Community and Participation

a. Strong sustainable governance from Kihitominawak council as keepers of the

vision

b. Investment from business and corporate community in student success

c. Connecting students to community resources and supports through Oskāyak

Student Support Team

6) Vibrant Leadership and Professionalism

a. Leadership for student success shared by all staff members

b. Budgets and resources align with goals of student success

c. Professional and personal goals enrich cultural understandings and competencies

d. Promote organizations structures that improve student achievement

Student Support Program4

The student support program offers a variety of forms of assistance that enable students to both

overcome road blocks to attending school on a regular basis and help prepare them for the

future. These practical supports include such things as:

Transportation assistance

4 As noted in Oskāyak News

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Breakfast and lunch nutrition

Individual or family addiction counseling

Day care service

Parenting programs

Housing and income assistance through relevant agencies

Employment readiness and financial literacy.

Other in-school supports are offered based on medicine wheel philosophies by specialists who

reside in the school:

Elders

Social workers

Nurses

Home/School liaison workers

Program facilitator

Community coordinator.

These supports have been identified by students, staff, and community as being required in

enhancing student success.

Documenting Best Practices with an Evaluability Framework

Methodology

Documenting “best practice” using an evaluability framework is an evidence-based methodological approach to accurately describe all of a program’s core components, processes, and goals that have a proven ability to achieve an intended effect. The documentation process used the evaluability assessment methodology to conduct a systematic, objective, and effective assessment of Oskāyak. Using an evaluability approach developed by Rutman (1980) lends itself to evidence-based documentation of the best practices used by this program through four strategic steps:

1. Collect and assess all the written documentation that describes the program in terms

used by the program administrators.

2. Develop a diagram of the program components and relationships between components

in relation to the processes and goals outlined in a logic model.

3. Interview key stakeholders, focusing on educators and healthcare professionals, to

capture their experiences of Oskāyak and to explore their perceptions and

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interpretation of the program diagram and logic model.

4. Validate the program structure, processes, and goals to lead to an accurate depiction

and documentation of Oskāyak.

Program Document Analysis An analysis of Oskāyaks’ documents was conducted, including school briefing notes and administration documents, planning and funding applications, brochures, and assorted materials. Each document was parsed for factual references about the Oskāyak structure, service relationships, processes, and goals. The recent development of the shift in programming meant that there was limited material available for analysis; however, we were able to develop a rudimentary program diagram and logic model. These documents were used as the central document in the interviews with key stakeholders (see Figures 1 & 2). The interviews were then used as a subsequent source of information for confirmation of the program diagram and logic model.

Participants and Procedures Using the documented best practices, program diagrams, and logic model, interviews with key stakeholders was conducted to evaluate this material. Participants were asked to meet with the consultant to complete an interview based on a review of the Oskāyak’s diagram and logic model and to explore experiential stories describing the program. All participants were informed of their rights as participants and volunteered to participate. Following the interviews, a draft final document was created and reviewed by the school district administrators to discuss and complete the program documentation.

Interview Schedule Two types of structured semi-qualitative interview styles were employed. The first interview collected information; participants (e.g. principals and teachers) provided an in-depth accounting of the services, processes, and goals of the different components of the program. This information was used in the development of Oskāyak’s program diagrams and logic model. In the second interview participants were guided through a step-by-step procedure that examined the diagrammed structure of Oskāyak academic programming, and the processes and goals of the program outlined in the logic model. Attention was focused on the accuracy and veracity of different elements of this information, and participants were encouraged confirm, add, or make changes to the diagrams and logic model using their best understanding and experience of Oskāyak.

Preliminary Final Document Meeting The objective of the draft final document meeting was to confirm the four components of Oskāyak’s program structure based on the medicine wheel model (which included processes and goals) and to finalize any remaining inconsistencies that were found. A final version was generated and prepared for Oskāyak and district administrators.

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Program Structure If you can imagine a place in the city of Saskatoon...a central place. Buses travel through daily...stopping...starting...transporting people..."young people" to a school each day. It is a busy place...this place the city has named Broadway Avenue. It is a historic area within the city...marked by buildings with storied histories. At the centre there is a school that also shares a storied and important history, it has been a part of the landscape for many years now. It is a school for "young people" that has roots in both place and time. This school is a gathering place in a different way. A brick facade marks the exterior of the school...at first glance I can recognize small children playing, moving freely...laughter fills the air as I make my way to the front doors today. This school was at one time named... The Native Survival School...then Joe Duquette an Elder in our midst...now Oskāyak ...a Cree word for "young people". Oskāyak, a name filled with possibility honouring the temporality within the place...the past, present, and future weave their way through the stories we know of this place. I can see the meaning in the name... through the pictures on the wall of Elders and knowledge keepers both past and present who have worked tirelessly to shape the place for the "young people" who attend each day. It is a school...a place of education... where teachings are closely connected to relationships over time. I continued to walk up the stairs first greeted by the art and the imagery but also by two "young people"..."take a picture" they tell me..."take a picture of our school". With these small words they know I am guest in their place, but also through their kind words they welcome me in to this place. They show me in their own way that this is a place where the "young people" feel good.

In the above narrative, one of the researchers reflects on his experiences when preparing for the initial interview at the school. The narrative is a reflective piece that attempts to honour the layered history within the school and the weaving between the past, present, and future that is so evident as we outline in this document the details in programming and process that have taken place as an organization over time. Oskāyak High School has uniquely approached educational programming as a collaborative process with the students and the local Indigenous community. Recognizing and honouring that Indigenous students have diverse educational and personal needs, Oskāyak was re-envisioned to place students at the centre of the educational process. Curriculum and courses are implemented using a holistic approach that engages students’ experiences, prior knowledge, and strengths in a communal learning environment. This is a decolonized process that supports Indigenous ways of knowing, learning, living, and healing. Teachers collaborate alongside students to establish a communal and culturally situated teaching environment that can explore the curriculum using a student-centred inquiry-based approach. Each student is supported in finding their own way to succeed in achieving their academic goals and graduating from high school. Support services responsively meet the needs of students, many of whom are living independently, have fewer economic resources, and have negative past educational experiences. The use of technology and a focus on strategic partnerships create a rich learning

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environment and could be considered key supportive processes in the educational experience at Oskāyak.

Figure 1.

OHS Indigenous Holistic Approach to Student-Centred Learning

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Figure 2.

OHS Division of Components and Activities

GreaterSaskatoonCathol icSchools

Oskãyak“YoungPeople”HighSchool&Community

Administra on SchoolServicesStudents&Classroom

Non-tradi onalApproachtoCourses&Curriculum

Culture&Ceremony

•Respondtostudentneeds•Studentsfeeltheybelong•Genuinesuppor verela onships•Communityoflearners•Individualizedacademicachievement

•Inquiry-basedproblemsolvingac vi es•BalancedWesternandIndigenousperspec ves•Importanceofrela onships•Differentwaysofknowing•Nurturestudentcuriosity•Alterna vewaysofassessment

•Indigenousiden tyandresources•Self-actualiza onandcollec velearning•Indigenouswaysofknowing,learning,andliving.•Aplaceofhealing•Elderstories&teachings

•Holis csupportforstudents:e.g.,transporta on,daycare,housingandincomereferral,employmentreadiness,careercounseling,breakfastandlunch,etc.•Specializedsupportstaff:i.e.,Elders,SocialWorker/Nurse,Home/SchoolLiaisonworkers,ProgramFacilitator,CommunityCoordinator

•Sustainableindigenousgovernance•Miyo-wīcēhtowinensuresinclusivity•Stakeholdercollabora on•Professionaldevelopment•System-wideembraceanIndigenousvision•Improvestudentexperiencesandachievement•Evidence-basedsolu ons

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Logic Model Supporting students through Indigenous ways of knowing is the primary ideology that shapes the processes and goals of Oskāyak. The logic model that follows represents a student-centred approach to education. A process and goal system was found in program documents and interviews with administrators and teachers who have participated in its recent development. This evidence-based approach to documenting Oskāyak as a best practice has concentrated on explicating key components with different strategic activities and goals that support academic achievement for Indigenous students. In this manner, the logic model is an approximation of the current practices and not a precise and detailed description of the program. The model was developed as a tool for documenting this program as a best practice for its approach to decolonize the classroom and promote and support Indigenous ways of knowing, learning, and living.

Central Component: Students & Classroom

Strategies / Major Activities

Place students and their needs at the centre of the school experience.

Create a space where students feel they belong and they can engage in the learning process.

Focus on the classroom learning experience as the highest priority for school by breaking down power barriers, building genuine supportive relationships, and approaching teaching from a decolonized perspective.

Commit to all students to find ways to help each one succeed at achieving their academic goals and graduate from high school.

Establish the classroom as a community of learners who respect and support each other in achieving their academic goals.

Outputs and/or Indicators

The biggest change and improvement at Oskāyak has been in revising the classroom learning experience to accommodate student needs.

Teachers and students focus on getting to know one another, breaking down the traditional student-teacher model to focus on genuine relationships that instill trust and respect for both participants.

Due to these genuine relationships, the students become more engaged in learning.

o Classrooms that are grounded in authentic relationships often find students who care for and relate to other students, share in the Indigenous context and ways of knowing, and promote kinship and sense of belonging for all students.

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o Equal relationships in the classroom improves students’ evaluation of their teachers, lowers incidence of conflict or classroom disruption, lowers disrespect toward other students or teachers, and improves students’ motivation to achieve academic success.

o As student-teacher relationships improve, students begin to use teachers’ first

names, open up about past experiences that may limit current or future success, and present more information about themselves that lends itself to better learning experiences. As teachers get to know their students, they begin to better understand how best to get past barriers and create course materials and assignments that lead to student achievement.

A sense of community in the classroom and the school has necessarily led to an increased use of group work to support learning objectives. Group work increases interpersonal communication skills, expands student social support networks, and increases feelings of safety and security in the learning environment.

Short Term Goals

Provide opportunities for the teachers and students to get to know each other.

Teachers promote the values of the school and the importance of student participation in the learning process. New students are disabused of their colonized beliefs about education and the learning process.

Teachers engage students on their own terms about course materials and enlist students to provide direction for learning processes and objectives.

Teachers create and protect the sanctity of the classroom as a safe and respectful place where everyone is equal and worthy.

Students promote their academic goals to other students and the teacher, and provide a context for how they perceive how this can be achieved.

Students learn to relax and openly engage the learning process to the best of their ability.

Intermediate Goals

Improve relationships between students and teachers with the goal of establishing a working relationship that can facilitate student learning and academic achievement.

Establish the classroom and, by extension, the school as a place of integrity and respect where all students are welcomed and supported.

Demonstrate the importance and value of Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, and how this can be applied to academic and life goals.

Improve student attendance in class and participation in course assignments.

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As a community, the class establishes and accepts the course learning objectives and strives collectively and individually to achieve these goals and earn credit for the course.

Students begin to find their way through the learning process using their own strengths and overcoming barriers.

Ultimate Goals

Oskāyak develops and promotes an alternative approach to student-centred learning that supports Indigenous ways of learning and knowing, while decolonizing the educational experience for students, families, and the community.

Teachers successfully create a collaborative classroom environment that nurtures both individual students and the student community, while supporting academic achievement.

Students achieve academic credit for course materials, while developing strong learning and coping skills that can support a breadth of future academic, career, and personal goals.

Indigenous ways of learning are better understood, appreciated, and supported as a strength-based approach to living life by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Component: Non-traditional Approach to Course & Curriculum

Strategies / Major Activities

Establish course curriculum based on inquiry- and discovery-based problem solving activities that capitalize on the community activities using:

o Personalized instructional approaches, o Technology and digital media, and o Innovative and entrepreneurial activities.

Identify and use course and curriculum resources based in a balance of western and Indigenous perspectives, with the support of Elders, parents, and the community.

Recognize and respect the Indigenous perspective and the importance of relationships; practice this perspective in the classroom and school (e.g. kinship, students want to be treated like family).

In respecting different ways of knowing, culturally and individually, teachers must develop the willingness and skills to use different pedagogies when teaching. In a communal and culturally situated classroom, teachers need to be able to approach, explore, and explain the course curriculum in ways that meet student needs, from class to class. A teachers ability to do this is related to their ability understand relationships

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and other ways of knowing.

Continue to develop an Indigenous student approach to learning in the classroom using communal methodologies and pedagogies, body-based learning (e.g. keep students physically engaged), flexible time parameters, and equitable interpersonal interactions.

Disabuse students and community of the belief that the teacher is ‘the power’ or the ultimate expert; instead, the teacher is a role model for learning and a knowledge keeper.

Use relationships as the cornerstone for building a supportive and responsive learning environment; build trust with students, ensure the classroom and course material are safe.

Students work together to learn from each other, share ideas, collaborate on assignment, and be respectful.

Develop the skills and resources to develop and nurture student curiosity through the use of cultural space, collaborative activities, personalized learning, and community support.

Maximize professional development resources by using internal (i.e. teachers) and local (i.e. Indigenous community, Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Board) opportunities and resources. Strategically implement professional development activities on evidence-based needs.

Schedule classes flexibly to provide students the greatest opportunity to attend.

Encourage and support alternative ways of assessing the students’ knowledge, skills, and accomplishments with course concepts and skill development.


Teachers each develop their own inquiry- and discovery-based approach to teaching, but a few learned lessons have emerged:

o Know the course material well enough that you can abandon it in order to follow the students’ own discovery of the material using whichever path best meets their needs. Student-based inquiry necessarily means not following prescribed process, but knowing the material well enough to achieve academic objectives.

o Need to manage time without controlling it. Elders tell us that anything worth doing takes time. Furthermore, time is different for different people, so be respectful of those who treat time less rigidly than others.

Teachers are encouraged to consider how to decolonize educational processes to help Indigenous students achieve. Within this context, field trips, invited guests, technology, outdoor activities, hands-on activities, and playing background music have been used

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regularly to engage and teach students course material.

Developing a student-driven curriculum and managing classroom dynamics that use equitable, reciprocal student-teacher relationships requires special considerations:

o Teachers meet weekly with each other to discuss and improve course curriculum and classroom dynamics. Experienced teachers (or catalyst teachers) work with less experienced teachers or co-teach courses to help build instructional capacity in the school.

o Daily scheduled courses were identified as a structural impediment; switched to a block system (2 classes per day; AM/PM), which allows for more instructional time, teacher professional development, one-on-one student-teacher interactions, and a less challenging class schedule that promotes greater student attendance.

o Flexible course completion to allow students who miss classes or who are unable to complete assignments to make up for these omissions. A focus on recognizing student accomplishments rather than penalizing them for failures.

Professional development is data driven whenever possible. For example, using disaggregated data to collect key indicators (i.e. attendance, grades, and credit achievement) to measure changes in specified objectives.

Encourage and support alternative ways of assessing the students’ knowledge and skills with course criteria and concepts. Rather than using standard questions from a book, find different ways to assess using the students’ way of knowing.

To encourage community in the classroom, try to maintain smaller class sizes, use first names, do group work and student presentations as much as possible, maintain respectful interactions, encourage equitable student participation in activities, and allow students the time they need to learn.

Short Term Goals

Structure time and opportunity for the teacher to get to know each student.

Teachers identify and respond to individual student needs by developing genuine relationships and respecting their lived experiences.

Students promote their academic goals to other students and the teacher, and provide a context for how they perceive how this can be achieved.

Teachers promote the student-centred approach to learning and begin the process of collaboratively establishing course curriculum, activities, and objectives for the teacher and the students.

Teachers establish how the course will balance the western and Indigenous ways of knowing in the course material and activities.

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Teachers create and protect the sanctity of the classroom as a safe and respectful place where everyone is equal and worthy.

Collaboratively establish boundaries and consequences, while maintaining a respectful appreciation for the complicated lives that some students live.

Catalyst teachers should identify and begin working with other teachers to facilitate the student-driven curriculum and manage classroom dynamics. Identify opportunities for school-wide professional development.

Openly initiate data tracking for assisting in improving teacher and student processes. Intermediate Goals

Establish a learning community within the classroom that supports all students and endorses the agreed upon course objectives.

Identify students experiencing challenges with course materials to provide additional support or time, alternative approaches, or refer them to other people for support.

Continue to collaborate with students about how to approach the course materials, the types of assignments that can be used, and the timeline for accomplishing their academic objectives.

Teachers maintain the sanctity of the classroom as a safe and respectful place for everyone.

Monitor, assess, and inquire students who appear to be having difficulties with attendance, course assignments, or other issues. Provide alternative solutions or support to ensure the student has the best opportunity to succeed.

Ultimate Goals

Students complete the course and receive course credit.

Oskāyak develops and promotes an alternative approach to student-centred learning that supports Indigenous ways of learning and knowing, while decolonizing the educational experience for students, families, and the community.

Teachers successfully create a collaborative classroom environment that nurtures individual students and the student community, while supporting academic achievement.


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Component: Culture and Ceremony

Strategies/Major Activities

Work with the Kitōtēminawak Parent Council that is responsible for ensuring the presence of activities that contribute to the enhancement of Indigenous identity and recommending Indigenous resource people to assist in various programs.

Affirm and promote a positive Indigenous identity for students through self-actualization, cooperation, and collective learning.

Affirm and implement or facilitate opportunities for students to learn Indigenous ways of knowing, learning, being, seeing, and living.

Promote Oskāyak as a place of healing, culture, protocols, and traditional methodologies for healing and balance.

Affirm and support the use of Elder stories to teach students about culture and history, Cree language, treaties, men and women’s roles in indigenous societies, native law, and the art of telling stories.


Oskāyak is recognized as an Indigenous school with a strong identity. The school embraces traditional values and principles:

o wāhkōhtowin - Relatedness o sīhtoskātowin - Support for One Another (Wholeness in the Cycle of Life) o manācihisowin - Respect (and Love) for Self o manācihtowin - Respect for One Another o tapahtēyimowin - Humility and Humbleness o sōhkātisiwin - Embracing Strength and Endurance o pimācihisowin - Providing for Oneself o sōhkātēyimowin - Strong Mindedness o āhkamēyimowin - Lifelong Perseverance o tāpwēwakēyihtamowin - Belief in a Higher Power

Oskāyak promotes Indigenous culture and history throughout the school, in course curriculum, and across the city through community and social events.

Students and teachers participate in traditional ceremonies and traditions on a regular basis for healing and balance. For example:

o Smudges are held daily, and when students miss a smudge due to course restrictions, often they will insist on making room in their own day to smudge.

Smudging is the heart and soul of the school community

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o Periodically, the school will hold men’s and women’s circles where both teachers and students will pray, pass the rock, and share their struggles.

Elders, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, knowledge keepers, and community leaders are invited and welcomed to teach students about language, ceremony and teachings, and living an Indigenous life.

Indigenous activities are promoted and held within the school or with community partners to teach students and the community about the sweat, how to build a lodge, protocols of smudging, powwows, traditional outfits and regalia, headdresses and other traditions, singing, drumming, dancing, art (beading, quill work, star blankets, etc.), traditional cooking (pemmican, dry meat, bannock), sage/sweet grass picking, feasts, and the annual Rounddance.

A culture camp is offered to the students, which is a weekend emersion into authentic ceremony and traditional customs.

Short Term Goals

Increase students and the community’s awareness of Oskāyak as an Indigenous community space for learning and healing.

Promote the importance and value of Indigenous culture and the different ways of knowing, learning, being, seeing, and living.

Introduce students and teachers to Indigenous culture, values and principles, and history through ceremony, teachings, and activities within different courses.

Seek opportunities through Elders, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, knowledge keepers, and community leaders for students to learn about and participate in Cree language, ceremony, feasts, and teachings, and living an Indigenous life.

Increase the participation of students in daily smudges and periodic men’s and women’s circles.

Students learn about the different activities that exist for them to learn about sweats, smudging, traditional outfits and regalia, singing, drumming, dancing, and art.

Intermediate Goals

Infuse an Indigenous spirit into the learning program and the supports provided to the Oskāyak community.

Students and the community accept and promote Oskāyak as an Indigenous community space for learning and healing.

Support students’, teachers’, and the community’s pride and respect of Indigenous culture and the different ways of knowing, learning, being, seeing, and living.

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Students and teachers increase their knowledge and understanding of Indigenous culture, values and principles, and history through ceremony, teachings, and activities.

Indigenous culture, values and principles, history, ceremony (e.g. smudges, circles), teachings, and activities become a natural and genuine part of students’ daily lives.

Students increase their participation in sweats, smudging, traditional outfits and regalia, singing, drumming, dancing, and art.

Elders, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, knowledge keepers, and community leaders consistently take part in teaching students about and participate in Cree language, ceremony, feasts, and teachings, and living an Indigenous life.

Students begin to respect and take pride in their Indigenous heritage. Ultimate Goals

Oskāyak develops and promotes an alternative approach to student-centred learning that support Indigenous ways of learning and knowing, while decolonizing the educational experience for students, families, and the community.

Elders, kitōtēminawak Parent Council, knowledge keepers, and community leaders contribute to students’ learning and identity as Indigenous people.

Students develop strong Indigenous identities, values and principles, ways of knowing, and healthy living skills that support future academic, career, and personal goals.

Indigenous culture and ceremonies are better understood, appreciated, and supported as a strength-based approach to living life by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Component: School Services


Recognize and honour that many of the students have complex lives; many students live independently (not in their parent’s home), are parents (with and without partners), or are dealing with the effects of poverty.

Provide holistic support for student needs to ensure that they have the best opportunity to pursue educational goals and achieve academic success.


Oskāyak provides holistic support: transportation, daycare, housing and income referral, employment readiness and financial literacy, career counselling, nutrition, breakfast and lunch, individual and family addictions counselling, and more.

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Oskāyak provides access to specialized support staff who use the medicine wheel philosophy in their guidance of students.

o Elders o Social Worker / Nurse o Home/School Liaison workers o Program Facilitator o Community Coordinator

Entrepreneurship is a student interest that is supported by: o Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative o Edward School of Business o Aboriginal Human Resource Council & IBM

Short Term Goals

Improve the understanding of the circumstances that challenge students’ ability to attend school and achieve their academic goals.

Promote school services and supports to students who demonstrate difficulties attending school regularly or achieving their academic goals.

Seek opportunities to expand the services and supports available to students. Intermediate Goals

Evaluate the circumstances that challenge students’ ability to attend school and achieve their academic goals as a strategic process for expanding the services and supports available to students.

o For example, Oskāyak closed the high school shop class in order to expand the daycare, which met an increased need by parent students.

Increase the number of students using school services and supports.

Decrease the number of students who have difficulties attending school regularly or achieving their academic goals due to school services and supports.

Improve the quality, stability, and breadth of school services and supports for students.

Eliminate poverty and its associated features as barriers to students’ attendance and success at school.

Ultimate Goals

Oskāyak develops and promotes an alternative approach to student-centred learning that includes the use of holistic student services and supports.

Oskāyak successfully creates a supportive environment that nurtures students and leads to academic achievement.

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Students develop strong learning and coping skills that can support a breadth of future academic, career, and personal goals.

Indigenous ways of supporting students can be better understood, appreciated, and utilized as a strength-based approach to providing services to Indigenous students.

Component: Administration


The Kitōtēminawak Parent Council are the Keepers of the Vision (sustainable Indigenous governance).

Oskāyak uses the value Miyo-wīcēhtowin (Getting Along With Others--Expanding the Circle) to ensure that the school is inclusive.

Oskāyak is administered using a collaborative approach with key stakeholders: Greater Saskatoon Catholic Board of Education, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, and the Government of Saskatchewan.

Professional development is critically important in building and supporting an alternative approach to teaching based on a decolonized classroom learning experience.

Senior administration, the board of education, and Kitōtēminawak Parent Council empower and support staff to embrace an Indigenous vision of ways of knowing and to provide leadership to the student body.

Administrators manage strategies to improve and deliver academic programming and cultural and supportive services.

Administrators seek to provide opportunities to improve student experiences and academic achievement.

Focus on developing evidence-based solutions to academic and student needs and issues.


Administrators regularly seek support and guidance from the Kitōtēminawak Parent Council in issues related to governance and cultural programming.

Oskāyak uses the value Miyo-wīcēhtowin and the concepts of Shared Leadership, Collaborative, Co-governance, Building Community, and Good Relations to ensure that the school is inclusive.

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Oskāyak signed a tripartite agreement to govern the school with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Board of Education, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, and the Government of Saskatchewan.

o Strengthen reciprocal supports with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. o Foster healthy relationships with agreement partners. o Ensure the centrality and role of parents in the education of their children. o Nurture the leadership and voice of students.

Professional development is used to build and support an alternative approach to teaching based on a decolonized classroom learning experience using:

o Professional learning communities o Common prep time with teachers and staff o Collaboration in development of inquiry-based learning curriculum o Co-teaching and shared achievement evidence and innovation in the classroom

Administrators work with Oskāyak staff and the administration of the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division in setting high expectations for students for attendance, cultural engagement, and academic performance and meeting goals for retention of students leading to credit completion and high school graduation.

Administrators rely on community participation and partnerships (consult regularly with students, staff, parents, the board, and the Kitōtēminawak Parent Council) to manage, improve, and deliver academic programming and cultural and supportive services.

Administrators seek out and leverage partnerships with the local university and colleges, the business and corporate community, and the broader Indigenous community to provide opportunities to improve student experiences and academic achievement.

Short Term Goals

Develop and maintain good communication with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Board of Education, Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, and the Government of Saskatchewan.

Ensure Oskāyak teachers and staff know of and follow Indigenous traditional values and principles, like Miyo-wīcēhtowin.

Provide direction and support to Oskāyak to ensure a balance in teaching Indigenous and western knowledge systems.

Foster high expectations of in-school administration and staff in their delivery of educational and cultural programs that will meet the needs of students in the 21st century.

Provide direction and support to teacher and staff selection processes and decision-making.

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Collaborate with teachers and staff to develop strategies and initiatives for professional development.

Empower and support teachers and staff to embrace Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, while providing leadership and guidance to students.

Identify opportunities for students that can positively affect attendance, cultural engagement, and academic performance.

Promote community participation and partnerships to manage, improve, and deliver academic programming and cultural and supportive services.

Communicate with the local university and colleges, business and corporate organizations, and the broader Indigenous community about opportunities to support student experiences and academic achievement.

Intermediate Goals

Sustain the vision of Oskāyak and the operational integrity of the school in partnership with the Kitōtēminawak Parent Council, Board of Education, and Ministry of Education.

Provide an educational environment that strengthens social, spiritual, and physical functioning of students in society.

Sustain and continually renew the terms of the tripartite agreement and our relationships with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School System and Education Ministry.

Provide feedback and direction of the school’s learning improvement plan.

Determine budget priorities and ensure sustainable funding for the school in partnership with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.

Facilitate and provide support for external communications strategies with school administration and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.

Support professional learning communities, common prep time for teachers and staff, and collaboration and co-teaching opportunities for teachers.

Increase student attendance, cultural engagement, and academic performance while lowering student attrition and increasing credit completion and graduation.

Consult regularly with students, staff, parents, the board, and the Kitōtēminawak Parent Council about managing and improving academic programming and cultural and supportive services.

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Increase partnerships with the local university and colleges, the business and corporate community, and the broader Indigenous community to provide additional learning opportunities and improved academic experiences for students.

Ultimate Goals

Oskāyak develops and promotes an alternative approach to student-centred learning that support Indigenous ways of learning and knowing, while decolonizing the educational experience for students, families, and the community.

Administrators successfully create a collaborative and nurturing learning environment for students based on academic achievement and Indigenous ways of knowing.



Interviews/Narrative Accounts

Interview with Former Principals

Can you tell me about some of the history of this school?

1979-1980 Native Survival School...the genesis as part of a larger national movement. This school emerged out of realization that mainstream education systems do not always meet the needs of FNM(First Nation, Métis) students. We need a school that can do it differently...that reflects Aboriginal ways of knowing. That is how I would sum up the genesis. Indian control of Indian education. There are certain protocols to start up a school. The group lobbied and partnered with the Catholic School System and partnered. It has been an interesting relationship through the years...the Catholic School System has been intent on leaving it an Indigenous and First Nations place founded in spirituality". The Native Survival School was an intentional name... literally children were not surviving school...out on the streets and this place became a place of healing, culture, protocols, traditional methodologies for healing and balance. There was an academic component obviously but it was not necessarily front and centre. The school has gone through peaks and valleys. In the early 2000s up to 2007-2008 there was some growing friction with the partnership and with the catholic division...during this time it was called Joe Duquette High School. The governing body was the parent council and of course the division and the province as partners. There

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was an appreciation for the culture, the balance, language but the questions around academics persisted...where are the academics and what are the results and outcomes. There were consultations with student, staff, parents and the board and they embarked on a revision. Formally 2008-2009 process of grappling with this...'shut the doors' some of the parties might have suggested. Enrollment was dipping...quite low and people wanted to see graduation and achievement rates increased...sometimes it takes a crisis to respond and react as you might know. They embarked on a revision.

What's happening at the larger levels to support these changes?

Perhaps a convergence of factors socially...nationally...politically...there are many studies around health and education...we are being told you must create programs that must demonstrate progress, success, improvement....they want teeth to some of these actions. Divisions have to have targeted goals in annual plans and reports for FNM students. There are more teeth we must respond differently. The Catholic School Division had a genuine interest it wasn't all an outside influence from government. We had to make our schools more inclusive. It is a systems approach. There needs to be fundamental shifts at Oskāyak, we have made that fundamental shift...we are ahead of the curve now...we had to make a fundamental shift.

Fundamental Shift....

As the principal first of all I was stepping back and thinking about where we would make our biggest improvement overall...that is in the classroom learning experience. The kids spend most of the day in that classroom...that is why they are here. I think many schools and we can be guilty of this...tinkering with a lot of other stuff...keep kids at school...bring them here...but what we haven't really addressed is what is going on in the classroom? How are kids taught? What is being taught? What is the dynamic? What are the power relations? Step back from that and we used resources around us elders, parents, community and asked the question what would the learning experience be from an indigenous perspective? Ironically at an Indigenous school we never really tackled that question or addressed it. So that is what we addressed.

Key things emerged: Teacher PD - when we are talking about key concepts through research elders community...in what sense is your classroom a learning community? What is community? What is relationship? Pedagogies that we developed became drivers...what does relationship mean from FNM perspective? It means something broader and deeper than we typically think of...go deeper with these questions. Part of the relationship piece is to examine our assumptions as teachers? What are our assumptions? What do we know? What don't we know? What do we think we know? From that perspective think about what relationship and family means. We had a group of teacher candidates from the university 30 or so wanted to meet and I brought students to the gathering and the students offered so much through this conversation. One of the teacher candidates asked the students ...what can we do better? The student said treat us like family...what he is really talking about is that kinship...that relationship

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that is so important in a learning environment because it builds trust. There is safety there. The literature we draw from is around culturally located relationship. It is a big term with our staff. We need to know our students as First Nation students...as Métis students...what does this mean? That is a whole different lens that trust in that learning context...you are miles ahead. This is so important in the Indigenous paradigm.

We talk about pedagogy of the relationship but how do we extend that to methodology and programming?

It becomes real apparent we have to tank the notion of teacher as power...teacher as expert. The kids take notes and spit it back in a test...what are the models that are inclusive that build relationships? How do we pique student curiosity and create cultural space in the curriculum? Typically teaching in the mainstream paradigm is content driven. As the teacher I open the box and give you bits and pieces and it changes when you invite pedagogies in that are communal and create a cultural space and meaning. You can take the same curriculum and the skillful teacher that understands relationship and other ways of knowing you open up all these others doors of thinking about the subject. What I mean by that as a First Nation student I can engage from my point of view from what I know. What interests me in my cultural context? Curriculum becomes engaging. We put this under the umbrella of Engagement in our PD. For years we have talked, read, played with what student engagement means in our PD sessions and how do you do that in a learning environment...the pedagogies emerged around inquiry...openness for students to engage in different ways. What this did it shifted the power relationship...it was a continuum and some teachers embraced this immediately. For some teachers it is a struggle to lose perceived power. The teacher has to share power around curriculum.

The metaphor of a box

It is not linear....the resources are in the box...but it is how we open the box or don't open the box. In project based and inquiry learning you open up the whole box....we need to know...but there are many ways to hit the outcomes in the curriculum. There are many skills in process oriented learning...not just hand out a paper there are many skills extended in many directions.

How does the school support this?

Courtship invitation and dialogue...old ways don't work we have to do this another way...PD (Professional Development) research located PD in school is the most beneficial way. We did not fly people to places...capacity is in building...draw on resources and learn together.

Some embraced and became good at it...then release teachers and that teacher works with other teachers...release and co-teach to build capacity in our own building. Catalyst teachers. Every week for an hour a week we did this...some structural impediments so we organized our school differently to get past the barriers and impediments. Time was important. We need to change structure so teachers can get together...only way to make space so PD happens.

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We made a switch to the block system that gave us flexibility for time and teacher. With inquiry (learning) you need time so short classes didn't make sense. Teachers and students can now engage because they have time now. Attendance...maybe morning is not the best so the afternoon block perhaps works better. The block system has been very good. We focused on targeted PD that is data driven...one of the key data collectors credit achievement with the disaggregated data...could see by the outcomes and baseline and achievement improved. When the kids are engaged attendance and learning goes up. We pulled data that compares classes and look at what teachers are doing figure this out together...block schedule is 10 week chunks and collect data in each quarter. In one year you have good baseline data...critical thing. Open environment is critical...openness and trust and creating an environment where we can fail freely. We approach failure together... did we get it wrong...pick it apart...where did we go wrong open vs. closed schools not hierarchal here at Oskāyak we share as a staff and collaborate.

Interview with Teacher Participant

How long have you taught at Oskāyak ?

Five years. I am teaching all the Senior Sciences grade 10 and up. I was teaching in Alberta and Rural Saskatchewan on temporary contracts before I came here. When I came in they said we need to do some different things...make some changes engaging the kids...finding ways for students who are "non-attenders" to keep them coming back. My first block was a vertical learning curve. I thought students were doing well and I started grading and seen it different. How do I make it more engaging? College of Agriculture at U of S was offering a problem solving workshop and I thought that is how I need to do this. How do I make this work? I asked my principal he was one hundred percent in. We had the same group of kids...over 2 blocks not 1 block. We took more time...developed dual credit courses like Bio Resource Management 20 and Biology 20. The kids were driving the process instead of me...collaborating...field trips. Kids didn't simply see themselves as science students...we did different projects. I wrote case studies and brought them in. We had time and it worked. During this time we also developed a resource for Science 9.

Relationships matter

Our students here at this school are about relationships. I have always been of the opinion to get to know our students...and teachers. When we go in as professionals and that it is business all the time do we have time to get to know each other? It will help us move forward (relationships) and I built that into my class...we took time to get to know

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one another...broke down the relationships to get to groups. It is harder in a big class and schools...there are different challenges with that.

How do you know it worked? (Pedagogical approach)

Students could tell me that....conversations as an indicator...skills and content were retaining. Kids can still speak to projects and group things that they did. Attendance increased...credits received increased ....plus we also did things and put things in place for those students who were not attending and needed to work on projects. We did Facebook...access and a share point site at that time and it was originally what we would do to connect and post our ideas...documents...power points and tasks...work from home. Kids who didn't have access to computers...we made it possible by letting them take laptops home. Facebook groups for class and students can still have access and can still submit assignments.

What sustains you?

The relationship piece...hugely successful in the classroom. Kids will give me their best because we have this relationship. The relationships drove me into year 2/3/4/5... the experience of relationships. At this school I have an incredible amount of flexibility....all the things that I was hoping for as a teacher have happened here...working towards one common goal...relationship. It makes me love my job. We have built in professional learning communities Common prep time is from 8:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m. It is our common prep time with staff. We have professional learning community every Tuesday morning we meet as a staff. We discuss:

- collaboration and inquiry in the classroom

- engagement

- book studies

- challenges and success stories

- planning by backwards design-paired up with others to combine

curriculum/dual credits...

- Science 10 inquiry...we develop and design a plan

- Cultural arts...life transitions...collaboration

The only chance to do this is because of time and purposeful planning at our school.

Reflections...

Oskāyak... the reputation out there (community) was it was rough...challenging. It is totally opposite to what I think people feel from the outside. I cannot say that enough. The perception is continuing to change. We are changing it together with the students.

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Some people would say it is fine to do inquiry (learning) there at Oskāyak but not in our big school. That is a strategy you use with First Nation students some people say. I respond by saying no it is good practice for all students!

Wise Words...

I would ask others to think outside the box...take some risks…build relationships...ask students questions...what they like... what are their interests? I am not the same teacher that I was before I came to Oskāyak. The other stuff (strategies) worked in other schools. You can be more traditional as a teacher if you have all these students attending....but many students here are living on their own...with a life. These are all very important so I had to change how I looked at teaching...and education. They(students) have experienced success here which is important...if you constantly come to a place that you fail why would you come...and the reverse is true...no one wants to fail. First year I was here there was 30 grads....last year almost 60...its more and more emotional every year. I have seen these kids grow. I have grown with them...to see them succeed it is very emotional. It is a very cool experience to see the kids as first grads in their family. You don't know what is going to work until you try it. Our principal would say "try it...how do we know if we don't try it". Creative space...and take risks if you want to. What can I do to make it better? It is always in a state of flux my learning and teaching. What are the procedures? We don't have a handbook...learning is different for each kid. I can't even pass on to new teachers, it is in a constant state of flux.....because we have to keep trying and creating to understand our students.

Project Outcomes Achieved

Student Achievement Out of School

Students of Oskāyak have been recognized for their exemplary leadership qualities nationally and internationally.5 Examples include:

Presentation by three students at International Youth UN forum in Geneva in April 2012 on the topic of Indigenous law and traditional knowledge;

Presentation by six students at Canadian Roots Conference in Montreal, March 2014 on the topic of "bridging the gap between Canadian Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth";

5 Visit Oskāyak High School in the news at http://blog.scs.sk.ca/oskayak/oskayak-in-the-news.html

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Presentation by five students at a provincial Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations conference in 2013 on topic of local justice initiatives;

Students participating in the Oskāyak High School International Indigenous Studies Tour in 2012 produced a feature length documentary in collaboration with Bluehill Production. The video is available at http://newzealandstudytours.com/oskayak-down-under/.

Increased Attendance

As of September 2013, approximately 300 students attend the school (an enrolment increase of 71% over the last four years) with an average attendance rate of 77%. (Kitoteminawak handbook)

58% enrolment increase in senior maths and sciences.

Credit and Graduation Completion

*As noted in Oskayak High School Newsletter

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

March 2010 March 2014

Grades 10 - 12

Credit CompletionRates

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

5-Year History Of Graduation

Number ofGraduates

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Most Significant Accomplishments

Increased attendance

Increased credit completion

Synergy between westernized academics and Cree ways of knowing, culture, and

language (pedagogy of relationship and inquiry based learning processes)

Logistical/practical supports such as transportation, childcare as well as social supports

around addiction, program, financial literacy

Increased number of Indigenous teachers

Increased number of Cree/Indigenous courses/pedagogical approach

Onsite support from Elders, social workers, nurses, and other community supports

Parent council’s involvement in school decisions and “keeping the vision”.

Next Steps (As Voiced By the Superintendent of Education, Gordon Martell) In order to honour the commitment and hard work of the students, community, and staff, Oskayak High School will continue to innovate and transform the educational experience for Indigenous students. The next challenge is to work to Indigenize the curriculum so that Indigenous epistemologies displace western influence so that students never yield identity and birthright for a quality and rewarding education. Through collaboration with Elders and traditional knowledge keepers, a prolific infusion of Indigenous worldview and life-ways can be achieved. The ultimate goal is to use the strength of traditional knowledge to inspire students to follow their own path and develop new knowledge in the Indigenous tradition. This path will continue to attract students to a liberating and decolonizing education. The challenge will be to use technology and partnerships to overcome limitations of the physical plant. Oskāyak was born of vision and commitment and will continue to inspire the same as students go out into the world and make their mark as Indigenous peoples, honouring their past and charting a course for their future.

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