Educational Leadership Commons^™

Indigenization Of Postsecondary Education Applied Learning Curriculum Development, Gabriel Y. Chung

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (2015) Calls to Action have awoken Canadian society to the reconciliation. Although there is a growing body of knowledge on the individual topics of Indigenous education, knowledge, and leadership, there is relatively little research bringing together these topics in curriculum development practices in a postsecondary education skilled learning context. My problem of practice (PoP) is one that strives to address a low enrolment of Indigenous adult learners and lower positive outcomes from skilled training programs. Situating this problem from my perspectives as a Canadian-born visible minority Settler on Turtle Island and postsecondary education …

Professional Development In Indigenous Education: By Teachers, For Teachers, Devin Green

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Many school boards have been developing Indigenous frameworks and funding Indigenous programming as a response to the 94 “Calls to Action” published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015). The actions of these school boards are a form of reconciliation. Within the Southern Alberta School Board (SASB, a pseudonym), there are strong policies in place that support Indigenous students; these policies ensure the students never have to experience the unfair treatment that past generations did through the residential school system. Teachers in this school board are also supported through professional development programs to improve their practice. However, these …

Developing Comprehensive Indigenous Education Programs Through Meso Level Leadership To Promote Indigenous Student Success, Lynne Tomlinson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Annual reports to the B.C. Ministry of Education on Indigenous student progress in 2019/2020 indicated notable gaps in academic achievement, sense of belonging, and post-secondary transitions between non-Indigenous and Indigenous students. Meso level leaders are responsible for developing new programs and resources to support Indigenous student success. They do not yet have the skills and knowledge to address the gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents a collaborative inquiry approach to decolonize the K-12 system that promotes interwoven perspectives of Western and Indigenous epistemologies, pedagogies, and methodologies. A collaborative professional learning community …

Improving Educational Opportunities By Weaving Indigenous Knowledge Into The Academy From An Indigenous Perspective, Kayla R. R. Murphy

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

To address the atrocities that Indigenous people have endured and provide guidance to support reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released its 94 Calls to Action (TRC, 2015). Educational reform is one of the key areas identified as necessary for reconciliation. Educational institutions such as River College (a pseudonym) are working towards the integration of Indigenous knowledge into current educational strategies and practices to achieve the acceptance and inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies, thereby acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are significant to the formation of current day Canada. The colonized approach to education at River College lacks cultural connection …

Enduring Indigeneity: Community Consultation As A Process For Indigenizing Curriculum At A College In Ontario, Camille C. Di Iulio

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report which included 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy impacts of the Indian Residential School System in Canada. With education at the forefront of reconciliation, Call to Action #62 calls on post-secondary educators to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit content into their curriculum, to Indigenize teaching and learning within an education system built on Eurocolonial worldviews. A post-secondary institution located in southern Ontario (referred to by the pseudonym SCAAT) is making decolonization an institutional priority, especially as it is aligned with their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) …

Two-Eyed Seeing To Support Indigenous Education, Mark Dolmont Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its 94 ‘calls to action’ to address the atrocities of residential schools, while providing guidance to support reconciliation. Education was identified as one area where reform is necessary. Within the Nikosis Public School Division (NPSD) (a pseudonym), Indigenous students experience significantly lower academic results than their non-Indigenous peers. The colonized approach to education founded heavily on Eurocentric ideology lacks cultural connections that relate to Indigenous students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will focus on Buffalo Elementary (a pseudonym) and look to support stronger cultural connections as a method to provide …

Improving Physical Literacy In Middle School Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Students, Jarod-Lee P. Milko

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Physical activity levels in Canadian youth are decreasing. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on improving physical literacy in middle school Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in a Northern Ontario urban school. The Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy in Ontario public elementary schools has achieved about 50% fidelity in classrooms since its inception in 2005 (Allison, et al., 2016; Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2015, p. 60). Leading a physically active lifestyle is essential for education outcomes, public health, and general health and wellbeing. Improving physical literacy in youth increases their motivation to be physically active, and through a …

Weaving The Braid Of Culturally Responsive Leadership Within Policy And Governance To Improve Indigenous Student Success, Shelly L. Niemi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores a Problem of Practice (PoP) that highlights the need for why the Board of Education and the Senior Administration team within the Raven Bay School Division (RBSD, pseudonym) would benefit from using a culturally responsive leadership approach when making decisions and how this may be achieved through policy and governance to guide their practice. The goal of this OIP is to examine why this leadership approach would be relevant for the Board of Education and the Senior Leadership team when they are making any policy and governance decisions, as it relates to Indigenous …

Unifying Services To Students With Complex Needs Within A Newly Amalgamated School District, Meghan L. Miskolzie

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the inequitable services and supports currently available to students with complex needs throughout a newly amalgamated First Nations school district. This problem of practice explores how services for students with complex needs can be unified in a way that provides equity between schools, while being responsive to individual student needs. An overview of historical and current organizational contexts is provided, and personal and organizational leadership positions and lenses are investigated. Guiding questions emerging from this problem of practice are explored, including the capacity and professional learning needs of school-based staff, physical and human resourcing …

Cultural Proficiency For Indigenous Student Success, Karen Penney

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is directed toward leveraging the position of the school principal toward changing hegemonic practices within a small rural school division that includes practices of meritocracy (hard work equals success) and color-blindness (refusing to see color in others) . These practices affect the academic achievement of the off-reserve Indigenous student- considered a provincial student by virtue of moving off reserve- thus receiving education from the provincial rather than federal, government. These students bring strong epistemologies and ontologies that are not currently acknowledged or employed by the dominant society and should be explored to determine how best …

Organizational Improvement Plan, Jenny Morgan

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Within the constraints of competing ideologies; Indigenous vs Western knowledge, health service leaders committing to embedding cultural safety and humility into health care services for Indigenous peoples, and the broader change of direction laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), is the overall need to improve health care services, experiences, and outcomes of Indigenous peoples. This need includes increasing the number of Indigenous peoples working at all levels and disciplines in health, and signifies the organizations responsibility to retain those employees once they enter the system. A mainstream tertiary health care centre located in Western Canada …