By Margaret Caron-Vuotari, Research Assistant, Centre for the North, and Carole Stonebridge, Senior Research Associate, Conference Board of Canada

Education is a strong determinant of many positive socio-economic outcomes: prosperity and opportunities; individual and community health, decreased criminal activity, greater economic benefits and general well-being. Although Canada is often considered a world leader in education, Northern students are not always benefitting. Their educational outcomes frequently fall behind those of their southern counterparts, especially for Aboriginal Northerners. Why is there this divide and how can the positive educational outcomes of Northerners best be supported?

Northerners are approaching the challenges of developing and delivering relevant educational curriculum and programming in their communities in innovative and effective ways. These new trends are reflective of local cultural interests and are successfully engaging students in learning and establishing pathways to future economic success.

Positive education outcomes are dependent on programs with relevant northern content that is responsive to the needs of Northern students.  This includes a learner-centred approach that incorporates technology, such as e-learning, to deliver curriculum. Sheshatshiu Innu School in Labrador, for example, combines traditional cultural activities along with technologically-enhanced learning methods. This program reports great success with improved Aboriginal student retention and graduation rates.

Equally important, education in the North must benefit from sustained development and training of local teachers. Students need to be able to identify with teachers, who also act as role models to encourage youth to pursue further pathways of education.

Schools in northern communities also act as hubs for many services. For example, programs like the Northern Community & School Recreation Coordinator Program in Saskatchewan allow schools to be open and accessible to everyone, while providing sport, culture and recreation programs for the wider community. On-site daycares in Arviat, Nunavut help young parents complete their high school, while nutrition programs in many Northern regions provide students with healthy food they may not receive otherwise.

Partnerships between institutions in the North and in the South also help ensure that some programs previously unavailable to Northerners can be delivered in remote communities. A Masters of Education, for example, is offered at Nunavut Arctic College in collaboration with the University of Prince Edward Island, allowing students to remain in their home communities to complete their degree.

Even though Northerners still face challenges in bridging the education gap between themselves and Southern students, it is clear that emerging programs such as these are doing much to address them. The challenge is to ensure that successful models are shared and, when appropriate, implemented more broadly. Continued investments and support by governments and communities will only serve to increase positive outcomes for all students, regardless of their geographic location or background, and encourage them to follow further pathways to post-secondary success.

Lessons Learned: Achieving Positive Educational Outcomes in Northern Communities features many more examples of successful and innovative educational programs from across Northern Canada. It will be available for download from the Conference Board of Canada's e-Library on January 31st, 2012.