Education Partnerships Kainai Board of Education

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Education PartnershipsKainai Board of Education

• Richard Fox, Superintendent
• Morris Manyfingers, Deputy Superintendent
• Evelyn Good Striker, Project Coordinator

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Partnerships

• Kainai First Nation is located in the southwest
  corner of Alberta, along the eastern slopes of
  the Rocky Mountains
• Its land base is 642 sq miles, the largest
  reserve in Canada
• Population is approx 10,000

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Partnerships

• Kainai student population is approx 1,635
• KBE student population is 1,016
• Tuition student population is 619
• KBE operates 7 schools

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Partnerships

• Historical Context of Education of Kainaiwa
• - Pre contact Kainaiwa had a traditional form
  of education of holistic nature
• - Land base (Rocky Mountains to the West, North
  Saskatchewan River to the North, the Sliding
  Hills and Cyprus Hills to the East, and the
  Yellowstone River to the South)
• - Treaty 7 of 1877, whereby the Tribes of
  Treaty 7 area agreed to share its traditional
  territory with newcomers.

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Partnerships

• Part of the promises made by the Queens
  representatives included the commitment that
  they would provide for the educational and health
  needs of the members of the Treaty 7 Tribes
• Indian Act (1876) designed as an
  administrative tool in working with First Nations
  

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Partnerships

• Formal Education Introduced
• - Industrial Schools St. Josephs Industrial
  School (Dunbow School) near High River
  (1884-1924)
• - Mission Schools First Anglican School
  established in 1880 at the Belly Buttes, the
  first Catholic mission school established St.
  Marys (Immaculate Conception) Mission Boarding
  School in 1911

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Partnerships

• - Residential Schools
• St Pauls Indian Residential School established
  in 1924, closed in 1975
• St Marys Roman Catholic Residential School
  established in 1925 was one of the last schools
  closed in 1987
• - Provincial Curricula was introduced
• - Federal Policy 1938, no Indian could receive
  better than gr 8 (leave at 16)
• - Day Schools Levern Day School, Stand Off
  Day School (1954)
• St. Marys and St. Pauls accepted students who
  didnt live in residence

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Partnerships

• - Assimilation/Integration Policy Students
  were permitted to attend public schools. Room and
  board accommodations were paid by INAC (1960)
• - Indian Control of Indian Education 1972
• - Band Operated Schools 1988 Kainai signed a
  tripartite agreement with the INAC and the
  province to take administrative control of
  education of the schools on the reserve
• - In 2008, KBE celebrated 20 Years of Band
  Control of Education

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Partnerships

• INAC Funding Financial Transfer Agreement (FTA)
• - 5 Year Funding agreement with the Band
• - Education receives funding from this
  agreement
• - KBE negotiates for funding directly with INAC
  for projects such
• as this Education Partnership
  Initiative
• - Special Education funding from INAC has
  always been problematic
• - Tuition agreements are outdated

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Partnerships

• KBE Board Members
• Johnny Dayrider Sr. (Chairman)
• Arnold Fox
• Jim Gladstone
• Delphine Goodstriker

Joyce Goodstriker Melodie Little Bear Kirby
Manyfingers Oliver Shouting
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Partnerships

• Aahsoapi Elementary School

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Partnerships

• Kainai High School

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Partnerships

• Tatsikiisaapop Middle School

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Partnerships

• Saipoyi Community School

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Partnerships

• Kainai Alternate Academy
• Blood Tribe Youth Ranch
• Adolescent Treatment Centre

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Partnerships

• - Funding for this project came from INAC
• Reforming First Nations Education Initiative
• Education Partnerships Program 2008-2010
• - Our project began with KBE sanction October,
  2009
• - Initial meetings with the four school
  jurisdictions KBE
• does business with agreed to explore this
  partnership

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Partnerships

• Goal of the Initiative
• to explore interest in the value of a
  tripartite partnership,
• and to build relationships with KBE, the
  Blood Tribe, and all
• its partners/stakeholders, with the overall
  objective of advancing
• First Nations student achievement in First
  Nation schools and in
• provincial schools.

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Partnerships

• KBE has tuition agreements with
• Westwind School Division
• Livingstone Range School Division 68
• Lethbridge School District 51
• Holy Spirit RCSRD 4
• Students are bussed off the reserve by the Blood
  Reserve Bus Coop (1971)

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Partnerships

• Address topics such as
• Tuition agreements
• Sharing of learning and teaching resources
• Transitions of students from First Nation schools
  to provincial schools
• Exploring job interchanges between jurisdictions
• Enhancing relationships between communities
• Parental engagement

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Partnerships

• Professional Stakeholders
• College of Alberta Superintendents (CASS)
• Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA)
• Alberta Education First Nations, Métis and Inuit
  Services Branch
• Association of School Business Officials (ASBOA)
• Southern Alberta Professional Development
  Consortium (SAPDC)
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)

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Partnerships

• Outcome
• Host a one-day symposium to share effective
  practices on enhancing partnerships with
  Westwind School Division, Livingstone Range
  School Division 68, Lethbridge School District
  51 and Holy Spirit RCSRD No.4.
• To be held at the Lethbridge Lodge, March 31,
  2010
• Symposium details can be found on the KBE website
  

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Partnerships

• Consultation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit
  Services Branch, Donna Crowshoe, Education
  Manager
• Education Business Plan 2009-12, Goal Three
• Support school authorities in the development of
  collaborative frameworks with their local First
  Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, which will
  include continuing to implement community and
  parental engagement strategies focused on
  improving First Nations, Métis and Inuit student
  success.

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Partnerships

• Existing Relationships
• - Tuition Agreements
• - Westwind School District has an appointed
  Trustee
• - Bussing Agreements
• - Superintendent attends CASSIX meetings
• - Sports Participation
• - Parent Committees
• - SAPDC (teacher in-service and training)
• - Liaison workers

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Partnerships

• KBE met with the Superintendent of each of the
  four jurisdictions who agreed to pursue the
  enhancement of their partnership
• Agreement was made to collaborate on topical
  issues such as enrolment, transfers, Special
  Education students, sharing of teacher resource
  materials, learning Kainai history, etc.
• Enhance parental engagement
• Improve student success

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Partnerships

• Enhance communication
• Enhance relationships
• Held 2 rounds of meetings with each Board
• Engage in open, honest, discussions such as
  tuition agreements and data collection concerns
• Honoring Blackfoot Protocol
• Gift giving

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Partnerships

• Teacher exchange
• Problem solving
• Provide advice and expertise
• Boards and Officials visited our Board Office and
  toured our schools
• Hosted 42 Holy Family RCSRD principals,
  administration personnel and liaison workers on
  school tours

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Partnerships

• Sharing Teaching Resources, Building a Blackfoot
  Resource List
• Sharing Effective Practices, i.e. parental
  engagement, sharing circle
• Co-planning one-day symposium March 31, 2010 at
  the Lethbridge Lodge
• Invitation from Holy Spirit to attend Parental
  Student Townhall Meeting

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Partnerships

• Provided Kainai history presentations to all
  Boards
• Involved Alberta Education, FNMI Services Branch
  Manager Donna Crowshoe
• Informed CASS President Kath Rhyason of our
  Project
• Informed ASBA - Sig Schmold - of our Project
• Engaged SAPDC - Director Gary Heck

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Partnerships

• KBE is committed to this initiative
• The success of the students on-reserve is as
  important as success for students off-reserve
• KBE is open to sharing learning can go both
  directions
• We believe this partnership will improve
  understanding and respect for the diverse
  cultures that exist in southern Alberta
• All stakeholders are benefactors of this
  initiative

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• Thank You
• Visit Us at www.kainaied.ca
• Kainai Board of Education
• P. O. Box 240
• Stand Off, Alberta T0L 1Y0
• Telephone [phone]
• Fax [phone]