While the province has committed to improving the aboriginal high school graduation rate to 50% by 2020, one First Nation school has managed to improve it to 90% in one year.
The success story comes from the Nakoda Oyade school on the Carry the Kettle First Nation, about 70 kilometers northeast of Regina.
English teacher Chad O’Watch, says only about 20% of students were graduating under the semester system. He says it was clear changes needed to be made so they opted to try something completely different. It is called block teaching, where one subject is taught for five a hours a day, every day, for about five weeks until the course is complete.
“It was a steep learning curve for us, you have to keep them busy for five hours a day doing something, but we figured it out.” He said.
The school looked at a number of other First Nation schools in the province that adopted the block teaching system. O’Watch says the change engaged the students, got them more interested in the classes, homework was being done and ultimately all but two of the 22 students that entered grade 12 graduated this year. That is more than twice the provincial graduation rate for aboriginal students. O’Watch says the results were gratifying.
“We all want our kids to successful and this is what it is all about for teachers.” He said.
The latest numbers from the provincial government put the aboriginal high school graduation rate at about 40%, a slight improvement over the past two years.
The non-aboriginal high school graduation rate is about 83%. The provincial average involving both aboriginal and non-aboriginal students is about 75%.