Fostering Aboriginal Leadership: Increasing Enrollment and Completion Rates in Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. 1750 Finch Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M2J 2X5, Canada. Tel: 416-491-5050; Fax: 905-479-4561; Web site: http://www.collegequarterly.ca

Y

16

Indigenous Populations; Canada Natives; Holistic Approach; Leadership; Enrollment; Higher Education; Academic Achievement; Foreign Countries; Postsecondary Education; Ethnic Groups; College Students; Cultural Differences

1195-4353

Aboriginal people have philosophies with a holistic approach to learning that are imperative to Aboriginal leadership development. The Aboriginal worldview is needed in any long-term education strategies of Aboriginal students to increase the awareness of higher education and to address cultural, financial, and academic barriers. This article focuses on ways to build Aboriginal leadership in the education sector and ways to increase the enrollment of Aboriginal people in post-secondary institutions and Aboriginal completion rates in these institutions. The author incorporates some theories surrounding Aboriginal education and leadership, provides the basic differences between traditional Aboriginal leadership and western leadership, and gives a statistical snapshot of current academic achievement rates. She also provides evidence on the government's role in legislation affecting Aboriginal education, and then shares some thoughts about contemporary academic issues.

ERIC

15

2008

EJ813771