Aboriginal Education in Canada: A Study in Decolonization

John Steckley teaches in the Human Studies Program at Humber College in
Toronto. He is the author of Beyond Their Years: Five Native Women's
Stories.

The 12 chapters of this book are drawn from the experience and analyses
of a fairly balanced mix of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education
professionals from across Canada. In applying the developing theoretical
framework of decolonization to the context of Aboriginal education, the
authors ably demonstrate that having Aboriginal children (and adults)
taught in Native-run schools is not the panacea it was once thought to
be. There are still major changes in federal and provincial policies and
practices that need to be made.

The book’s focus on policy, as opposed to practice, reduces its
usefulness for teachers actively engaged in Aboriginal education at the
elementary and secondary levels. That said, it contains the highly
instructive “Teaching Native Language Programs: Survival
Strategies,” by Kenneth Paupanekis and David Westfall. While
Aboriginal Education in Canada is intended for “students pursuing
studies in Aboriginal education at the undergraduate and graduate
levels,” it should also be read by policymakers concerned with
Aboriginal education.