NWT has the lowest high school graduation rate in the country. According to Statistics Canada, the NWT high school graduation rate in 2019/20 was 46% compared to the Canadian average of 84%.1
School success is influenced by many factors, including: housing stability, food security, and family income, to name a few. The legacy of residential school and inter-generational trauma continues to impact Indigenous student achievement across Canada and the NWT.
Average school attendance across the NWT is 76%.2 The typical NWT student misses one week of school per month. As a long-time educator of both youth and adults, I am passionate about improving attendance and educational outcomes across the territory.
My priorities include:
1. Ensure access to early childhood education (ECE) in every community.
To make this a reality, we need to strengthen partnerships with Indigenous governments, Aurora College, childcare providers, and the federal government. British Columbia has waived tuition fees for college ECE diploma programs province wide with great success.3
2. Provide fully subsidized, universal, hot lunches for every elementary and secondary student territory wide.
Poverty is the greatest indicator of student success. Increasing student access to healthy food has proven to increase attendance, improve grades, and perhaps, most importantly, reduce disciplinary actions such as student suspensions.4 In the United States — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont — have made school lunches free to all students regardless of income. More than improving academic outcomes, school lunch programs bolster the local economy, reduce the cost of living, support local agriculture and harvesting, and provide excellent opportunities for on-the-job training.
3. Enhance on the land programming across the k-12 curriculum.
The value of on the land education is widely recognized yet remains underfunded. As a parent and teacher, I am committed to providing educational opportunities that build on the wealth of traditional knowledge from across the NWT. According to Glen Abernathy, former Minister of Health and Social Services: “We hear it in every community meeting. Youth and Elders and elected leaders all tell us that connecting with the culture on the land provides transformational experiences, and that government needs to prioritize ways to support that.” 5
4. Provide free school transportation.
The cancellation of several school bus routes across Yellowknife last winter highlighted the need for renewed investment in accessible school transport. A fully subsidized bus network would: improve student attendance, decrease traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the cost of living.
5. create targets for student achievement and attendance.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to track educational outcomes in the NWT as there is no consistent year-over-year data. Setting clear educational and attendance goals is necessary if we want to track progress over time and work to make improvements.
Sources:
- Northern Public Affairs. Volume 6. Special Issue #1 2018. Pg. 9