To paraphrase a popular 1990s pop hit, it's back to life, back to reality for hundreds of youth in the South Slave.
Some sooner than others.
The South Slave District Education Authority (SSDEC) is preparing for a new school year and, in the case of Fort Resolution, it's already underway. Students at Deninu School returned to class on Aug. 14 and ending on June 5.
The reasoning by the community's district education authority, according to Souhail Soujah, superintendent of the SSDEC, is three-fold.
“The reason for their decision is partially to combat attendance drop in the summer months, the risk of fires forcing an evacuation during school, the air quality in June due to forest fires elsewhere, and to take advantage of the fall weather for on-the-land activities,” said Soujah. “If this change goes well, we hope for it to be adopted by other communities as well.“
Other communities in the South Slave are beginning around the same time. Day one for schools in Hay River and Fort Smith will be on Sept. 3, while Lutsel K'e Dene School and Chief Sunrise Education Centre on K'atl'odeeche First Nation go back the following day.
The NWT Bureau of Statistics released graduation statistics earlier this month and found just 56.2 per cent of NWT Indigenous residents over age 15 have a high school diploma.
“Although the trend is positive, the graduation rates for Indigenous students are barely above 50 per cent — while non-Indigenous graduates are soaring at 92 per cent,” said Soujah. “This is problematic.”
Only four communities have a graduation rate of at least 75 per cent of the population: Fort Smith, Hay River, Norman Wells and Yellowknife. Inuvik and Sachs Harbour are close — at 71.4 per cent and 72.6 per cent, respectively.
Soujah said giving students more reasons to participate in the education system and making them feel more welcome are essential because improving attendance rates is the key first step.
“Create a school environment where students see themselves reflected in the staff and their surroundings,” he said. “The research suggests that when students are taught by teachers with similar cultural values, their graduation rates increase significantly. Initiatives that prioritize hiring Indigenous teachers in our schools are of great benefit to our students and the community."
Soujah also said finding ways to ensure students are challenged academically but still able to succeed is also essential.
“Why would students want to go to a place where all they experience is failure?” asked Soujah. “However, we must take great care not to create a false sense of ability. We cannot lower expectations, as that is essentially reverse discrimination.”
The school year also needs examination, Soujah suggested. The southern model running from September into June runs contrary to the freeze-thaw cycle of the North, which has shaped human cultures for many millennia.
Academic planners were limited in how much they can adjust the schedule, as the timing is partially controlled by a collective agreement between the Union of 黑料吃瓜网 Workers and the Northwest Territories Teachers Association, which determines the length of employment for teachers and staff, Soujah noted.
The NWT Education Act dictates the number of instructional days and, up until this fall, being attached to the Alberta curriculum meant students had to complete their year-end exams at the same time as those farther south. However, once the GNWT switches to the B.C. model this fall, the latter should no longer be an issue.
Soujah added there was a great deal of support among educators towards moving to a year-round schooling model to accommodate 黑料吃瓜网 lifestyles.
“It accommodates cultural needs, and it reduces summer loss — the academic skills students lose over the summer break when they are not academically engaged — this is the biggest detriment for underprivileged students who fall further behind their more privileged peers during the summer.”
Here are the official start and finish dates for schools in the South Slave:
Deninu School, Fort Resolution
Start: Aug. 14 Finish: June 5
Joseph Burr Tyrrell, Fort Smith
Start: Sept. 3 Finish: June 26
Paul W. Kaeser High School, Fort Smith
Start: Sept. 3 Finish: June 26
Harry Camsell Elementary Hay River
Start: Sept. 3 Finish: June 26
Princess Alexandra School, Hay River
Start: Sept. 3 Finish: June 26
Diamond Jenness Secondary School, Hay River
Start: Sept. 3 Finish: June 25
Chief Sunrise Education Centre, K'atl’odeeche First Nation
Start: Sept. 4 Finish: June 24
Lutsel K’e Dene School, Lutsel K’e
Start: Sept. 4 Finish: June 20
