It’s been a long time coming according to the Director of Instruction and Education Services for School District 27 as First Nations signed a five-year enhancement agreement with them Wednesday afternoon.
Jerome Beauchamp says each District should have an enhancement agreement.
“The agreement really is about how we will educate First Nation students so it’s what are we going to do to go above and beyond what we do for all students to make sure that First Nation students can be successful,” he says.
“As a group, First Nation students are not doing as well as all other students.”
Beauchamp says the School District’s First Nation Department spent about two years visiting communities to collect input for the agreement which has three main goals that essentially remain the same as the previous agreement signed in 2006-increasing a sense of belonging, academic success, and improving language and culture.
Only two Bands chose not sign the agreement.
Graduation rates for First Nation students within School District 27 according to Beauchamp have increased from 34% to 60% over the past four years although he says First Nation boys are still struggling when compared to the girls who have a grad rate of 80%.