June 21, 2010
Langley Agreement Marks National Aboriginal Day

LANGLEY - Representatives from the Langley school district, Ministry of Education and local Aboriginal communities signed the district's second Aboriginal education enhancement agreement today, National Aboriginal Day, announced Langley MLA Mary Polak and Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman.

"Support for Aboriginal student learning, achievement and opportunity is essential," said Polak. "This agreement shows Langley's commitment to all students in the district."

This new agreement has four main goals:

• To nurture, guide, strengthen and enhance a sense of belonging and strong cultural pride for Aboriginal children - our future leaders.
• To strengthen the spiritual connection for our Aboriginal children.
• To improve the physical well-being of Aboriginal children and to empower them to make healthy choices.
• To improve the success of our Aboriginal children by building their self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence.

"This agreement establishes clear objectives and strategies to support Aboriginal student achievement in the Langley school district," said Coleman. "By encouraging a stronger presence for Aboriginal culture in our schools, we are enriching education for all students."

Langley's first Aboriginal education enhancement agreement was signed in 2003. Aboriginal students in the district have shown a significant improvement in a number of courses between 2004-05 and 2008-09:

• Social Studies 11 - the student pass rate has increased 13 per cent.
• English 10 (C+/better) - up 33 per cent.
• Principles of Math (C+/better) - up 11 per cent.

As well, there has been a stronger emphasis on Aboriginal culture through the Aboriginal Cultural Program which facilitates a number of classroom presentations.

"We are proud to be signing this second enhancement agreement and appreciative of the strong community participation in drafting this document," said Langley board of education chair Joan Bech. "This new agreement promotes an even greater emphasis on strengthening all of our students' connection with the proud traditions, heritage and culture of Aboriginal peoples in B.C."

School districts that have signed Aboriginal education enhancement agreements have seen impressive results for Aboriginal students. Kamloops/Thompson school district signed its second education enhancement agreement in 2006. Their six-year completion rate for Aboriginal students in the district increased from 46 per cent in 2004-05 to 57 per cent in 2008-09. Vancouver Island North school district signed its education enhancement agreement in 2005. The district's pass rate for Aboriginal students in Principles of Math 10 went from 60 per cent in 2004-05 to 81 per cent in 2008-09.

"It is important to the Aboriginal community to see that our culture and language are seen as a valuable addition to young people's education," said education coordinator for the Kwantlen First Nation, Cheryl Gabriel. "Initiatives such as the EAGLE (Enhancing Aboriginal Gains in Literacy Education) afternoon kindergarten confirm that work is being done to support Aboriginal student achievement."

"I have felt respected and appreciated by the school board, administrators, teachers and support staff through the Aboriginal Cultural Program," said Philip Gladue, Métis elder. "I have had the opportunity to share my culture and language with students in Langley and have been honoured to bring my story and experience into this community."

To date, 50 school districts have signed Aboriginal education enhancement agreements. A number of districts have signed their second agreement, and Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows has signed their third Aboriginal education enhancement agreement.

"These agreements are important because they ensure Aboriginal communities have a strong voice in the education of their students," said Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. "Today's agreement will clearly set out how the district and Aboriginal communities will continue to work together to support Aboriginal students."

Aboriginal education enhancement agreements are just one component of the collaborative process that the Province is undertaking to improve Aboriginal student achievement. Others include the B.C. First Nation Education Agreement and developing Aboriginal content for the K-12 curriculum.

Provincial funding for Aboriginal education in the B.C. public K-12 school system is increasing from $52.6 million to $61.5 million for the 2010-11 school year. The funds are used to support Aboriginal language and cultural programs, Aboriginal support service programs, and other localized Aboriginal education programs.

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