Supporting Success for Indigenous Students
Source: OECD – Directorate for Education and Skills
Summary: Indigenous Peoples around the world are diverse, within and across nations. At the same time, Indigenous children have not generally had access to the same quality of education that other children in their country enjoy. This situation arises, in part, because school leaders and teachers have not always been effectively prepared to teach Indigenous students, nor are they necessarily provided with resources to help them develop their capabilities and confidence.
Some teachers and schools are successfully supporting Indigenous students. Indigenous students report feeling supported when the people at their schools: Care about them and who they are as Indigenous People; Expect them to succeed in education; and, Help them to learn about their cultures, histories and languages.
OECD research indicates several ways that teachers can make a big difference in supporting success for Indigenous students: Extra support for students: Finding ways to change the experiences of individual students goes a long way. Engaging families: Mutually respectful relationships between schools and parents can have significant benefits for students. Monitoring and reporting: Tracking progress with data helps educators and families understand where progress is being made.
Principals and other school leaders can make all the difference in supporting teachers and promoting success for Indigenous students. In addition, school systems can strengthen the efforts of teachers and principals by focusing on early learning: High quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for Indigenous children sets them on an early pathway for success.