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Aboriginal Graduation Rates Analysis

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School’s Out Forever: A Look into Aboriginal Graduation Rates Dropping out of school is a thought that even the uppermost achievers in high school may have every once in a while. High school is a very challenging rite of passage for many students, but achievable for all. However, many students, Aboriginal students in particular, do not graduate. It is not a hidden fact that Aboriginal graduation rates are not as strong as non-Aboriginal graduation rates. One look into any school in the country and the answer is usually very blatant, there aren’t as many Aboriginal students completing high school. Why is this so? The statistics can only show numbers which cannot show the real problems. Statistics tell a part of the story, but the explanations …show more content…

Monetary issues, unexpected pregnancy, and lack of motivation are also big contributors, according to Messacar and Oreopoulous (2013, page 56). Conflicts at home can be an issue because they can prevent the student from attending class entirely, perhaps due to having to watch over younger siblings, or, in abusive relationships, not being able to physically attend due to injury. Financial difficulties can prevent students from attending school especially in cases where the student has special needs. Lack of transportation, malnutrition, and being unable to participate in certain social aspects of school, like school sports, can all be linked to monetary issues. Pregnancy can be a frightening and difficult experience, even for the most prepared parents, so it is understandable that these feelings would be heightened in a possibly unexpected, unsupportive situation. Although McKay (2012) states, “the last year for which Canadian teen pregnancy rate data is available is 2006” (page 162), teen pregnancy is still a prominent issue in Canadian society. Having a child unexpectedly can trigger a range of emotions and new issues previously not considered, and can therefore push an individual’s schooling to the backburner. Lack of motivation can come from mental illness, which can lead to decline in social life, and possibly bullying, which can heighten feelings of hurt and lack of motivation. Lack of motivation is not always an underachiever problem, it can also come from students who are not being challenged enough, which shows that lack of motivation is relevant on both ends of the scale. All of these factors contribute in some way to low graduation rates among Aboriginal learners, as shown in

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“It is my belief that all young people have the ability to achieve at high levels, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they do… This includes having high expectations for students to succeed academically, socially, in their college and career pursuits, and in life” –Antwan Wilson Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District Community To Be Served For every seven students that earn a diploma from the Oakland Unified School District, three of their peers will never make it to graduation day. In a school district that educates more than 37,000 students, a graduation rate of 67% means that more than 12,000 will drop out before graduating from high school. A disproportionate number of these students are minorities and students

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Introduction Aboriginal students are faced with many challenges during their academic journey. The research leads us to understand that Aboriginals have low rates of academic success and high rates of student dropouts. I decided to view this issue through the lenses of the article, “The Wounded Bear: A Modern Day Medicine Story” (Eagleheart, 2002). In this essay the “wounded bear” is our Aboriginal students and their families who are faced with challenges in the school system that cause destructive behaviors like dropping out and becoming unmotivated. The woman in the story who reaches out to understand the cause behind the behaviors and offer support, I hope will be the teacher’s in our school system.

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In the article by Tasha Riley “Self-fulfilling Prophecy: How Teachers’ Attributions, Expectations, and Stereotypes Influence the Learning Opportunities Afforded Aboriginal Students” it discusses how teacher’s discrimination in the classroom towards Aboriginal students can affect their employment and financial well-being throughout their life. Tasha Riley conducts a study which looks at how an Aboriginal student’s race, class and gender can influence the teacher’s actions towards them. The study found that teachers do place certain negative factors on Aboriginal students which ultimately, influences their life. Studies such as this should not have these results; a child should not be treated differently due to their race, class and gender. Teachers

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Children were reared by the “mother clan” it took the whole family to raise a child from husbands, brothers, and extended family leaving little room for family violence (Martin-Hill, 2012, p. 110). Canada’s Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples referred to the voices of Aboriginal women pre-colonization: Women played a prominent part in the political and cultural life of many traditional Aboriginal societies. First and foremost, they were honoured as the givers of life. Their ability to bear, raise and nurture the new generation was seen as a special gift from the Creator, a source of awesome power and equal

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