In 1867, Canada’s federal government became responsible for the education of Indigenous peoples: Status Indians and some Métis would attend schools on reserves; non-Status Indians and some Métis would attend provincial schools. The system set the stage for decades of broken promises and misguided experiments that are only now being rectified in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. Knowing the Past, Facing the Future traces the arc of Indigenous education since Confederation and draws a road map of the obstacles that need to be removed before the challenge of reconciliation can be met. This insightful volume is organized in three parts. The opening chapters examine colonial promises and practices, including the treaty right to education and the establishment of day, residential, and industrial schools. The second part focuses on the legacy of racism, trauma, and dislocation, and the third part explores contemporary issues in curriculum development, assessment, leadership, and governance. This diverse collection reveals the possibilities and problems associated with incorporating Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous teaching and healing practices into school courses and programs.

Organized by region, this edited collection provides a comprehensive look at how teacher education has evolved regionally and nationally in Canada. Offering an in-depth look at specific provinces and territories, this volume contextualizes the landscape of Canadian public education and the place of teacher education within it. Shedding light on the ways Canadian teacher education was shaped by and in turn influenced its environment, contributors evaluate the current state of education and consider themes, tensions, and historical developments, presenting a view of teacher education that encompasses both its future and its past. A significant contribution to the field of curriculum history, this book offers a benchmark for conversations about the purposes, means, and ends of teacher education in Canada.

For Canadian teachers and school administrators.

Post-secondary education, often referred to as "the new buffalo," is a contentious but critically important issue for First Nations and the future of Canadian society. While First Nations maintain that access to and funding for higher education is an Aboriginal and Treaty right, the Canadian government insists that post-secondary education is a social program for which they have limited responsibility. In "The New Buffalo, "Blair Stonechild traces the history of Aboriginal post-secondary education policy from its earliest beginnings as a government tool for assimilation and cultural suppression to its development as means of Aboriginal self-determination and self-government. With first-hand knowledge and personal experience of the Aboriginal education system, Stonechild goes beyond merely analyzing statistics and policy doctrine to reveal the shocking disparity between Aboriginal and Canadian access to education, the continued dominance of non-Aboriginals over program development, and the ongoing struggle for recognition of First Nations run institutions.