The Legacy of School for Aboriginal People: Education, Oppression, and Emancipation

Christine Hughes is manager, Policy Coordination, Developmental Services
Branch, Ontario Ministry of Community, Family and Children’s Services.

This book would be a welcome contribution to a university course on
Aboriginal education in Canada. Each of the six chapters concludes with
questions for critical thought and annotated suggestions for further
reading. In the first two chapters, important terms are introduced in
boldface type. The book contains a useful annotated list of relevant
websites, a comprehensive bibliography, and an index. Graphs and tables
are used where appropriate to effectively present quantitative
demographic data. The book emerged from a study of Indian and Métis
student-life experience in Saskatchewan schools conducted for
Saskatchewan Education as part of an initiative through the Aboriginal
Education Research Network. Two appendixes provide further information
on the authors’ research protocol and interview guide.

The purpose of this book is to explore Aboriginal education within a
political, socioeconomic, cultural, and personal context and to provide
a launching point for further exploration and study. The authors begin
by presenting the aspirations and experiences of Aboriginal students and
introducing some of the factors that have contributed to the promise and
failure of education to meet the needs of Aboriginal students. In the
next chapter, they review some of the predominant theoretical approaches
or frameworks that have been used to understand Aboriginal educational
trends and practices. Another chapter explores the legacy of the
residential school system and its lasting impact on survivors. In
another, they assess educational practices, expectations, and
aspirations through interviews with Aboriginal students in four unique
Saskatchewan schools. They also examine factors that suggest hope for
educational improvement in Aboriginal communities, as well as concern
for the inability of education to sustain the desired changes. The book
concludes with a focus on the future and a look at the social context
and policy perspectives required to promote viable educational
alternatives for Aboriginal youth. The authors also offer a number of
recommendations based on their study.

Schissel and Wotherspoon are professors in the Sociology Department at
the University of Saskatchewan. Both have taught and worked with
Aboriginal students and community members.