Report and Recommendations of the British Columbia Teacher's Federation's (BCTF) Task Force on First Nations Education to the Annual General Meeting (January 1999). (Revised Annotated Version).

In 1998, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) appointed an eight-member task force to investigate the effectiveness of the education system for First Nations students. The task force report and recommendations are intended to serve several groups of Aboriginal students: First Nations students, with or without status under Canada's Indian Act, who live on or off reserves in rural and urban areas, as well as Metis students. Many Aboriginal students are not achieving success in the public schools, for reasons related to the history of Canada's treatment of Aboriginal peoples, to poverty, and to the failure of public schools to value indigenous cultures. The task force recognizes that each child has a gift that must be looked for and nurtured. To contribute to the success of Aboriginal students, the task force proposed numerous recommendations to the BCTF. Each is accompanied by a supporting statement and the outcome in the 1999 BCTF annual general meeting. Recommendations are in six categories: those specific to BCTF goals and programs, development of teacher awareness and commitment, school support for Aboriginal students, culturally relevant curriculum and materials, elimination of racism in schools, and funding and governance (involvement of Aboriginal parents and communities). An appendix, "Summary Report of Selected First Nations Education Documents" (Deborah Jeffrey), reviews seven reports on Aboriginal education in Canada, published 1967-98. (SV)