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http://www.ccl-cca.ca/aboriginallearning/whatsnew/default.asp

Canadian Council on Learning establishes Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre

Ottawa, April 5, 2006 – The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) has selected two organizations, the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium and the Aboriginal Education Research Centre, to co-lead its Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre.

“The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will profile and advance the most current knowledge and exemplary practices in First Nations, Métis and Inuit learning,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, CCL’s President and CEO. “Today, as governments acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal learning systems developed in partnership with Aboriginal Peoples, this knowledge centre will help to set priorities for research, propose ways to measure progress and create networks to share practices that can strengthen learning outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.”

The new knowledge centre is based in the region encompassing the Prairie provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is composed of a consortium with more than 50 members from across the country. The centre will have access to up to $1.5 million per year to develop a collaborative and comprehensive network of shared knowledge and expertise to make a difference in Aboriginal learning. A full list of the consortium members is available on CCL’s website, www.ccl-cca.ca.

“The knowledge centre will work collaboratively to recognize and build on the unique personal, social, cultural and historical contexts for Aboriginal learning, and share knowledge about promising practices across Canada,” said Dr. Vivian Ayoungman, Executive Director of the Calgary-based First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium.

Dr. Marie Battiste, Academic Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, stated: “The knowledge centre will directly involve Aboriginal Peoples in developing solutions to the many learning challenges they face. It will play a key role in analyzing existing research and promoting further research to provide the reliable information required to improve learning opportunities and outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples.”

The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre is one of five knowledge centres created by CCL. Each centre will contribute to better outcomes in various stages of learning from early childhood to the workplace and beyond. The other centres are: Adult Learning (Atlantic Canada), Early Childhood Learning (Quebec), Health and Learning (British Columbia and Yukon), and Work and Learning (Ontario).

The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decision making about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond.

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/aboriginallearning/home/default.asp
 
Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre
The Canadian Council on Learning has established the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, which is made up of a consortium of more than 80 members from across the country working together to create a path for the improvement of Aboriginal learning in Canada.

Much of the research about Aboriginal learners has focussed on ‘incapacity,’ not on their potential for influencing positive change in their communities and in Canadian society generally.

The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre plays a critical role in identifying research priorities for CCL, as well as creating networks to best make use of the knowledge generated by this research.

MEMBERS OF THE ABORIGINAL LEARNING KNOWLEDGE CENTRE CONSORTIUM
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS

• First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium
• Aboriginal Education Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

• Aboriginal Education Unit, Strategic Partnerships and Aboriginal Education Saskatchewan Learning
• Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada
• Aboriginal Institutes’ Consortium
• Aboriginal Liaison, University Services Branch, Saskatchewan Learning
• Acadia University
• Asinîy Métis Studies Foundation Inc.
• Athabasca University
• Aurora College
• Blue Quills First Nations College
• Board of Governors of Red River College
• Bow Valley College
• Brock University
• Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network
• Central Urban Métis Federation Inc.
• College of Education, University of Saskatchewan
• Dalhousie University
• Department of Canadian Heritage
• Excalibur Learning Resource Centre Canada Corp.
• Faculty of Education, Brock University
• Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba
• Faculty of Education, University of Regina
• First Nations Education Steering Committee
• First Nations Technical Institute
• Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning
• Gabriel Dumont Institute
• Galileo Educational Network
• Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP)
• Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre
• Invert Media Inc.
• Keewatin Career Development Corporation
• Kainai Board of Education
• Kwantlen University College
• Lakeland College
• Laurentian University
• Mi'kmaq College Institute
• Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey
• National Association of Indigenous Institutes of Higher Learning
• Native Access Program to Nursing/Medicine
• Native Law Centre of Canada
• Neuropsychiatry Research, University of Saskatchewan
• North West Regional College
• Northern Lights School Division #113
• Northlands College
• Office of the Treaty Commissioner
• Old Sun Community College
• Oldman River Cultural Centre
• Prince Albert Grand Council
• Queen's University
• Red Crow Community College
• Saskatchewan Communications Network Corporation
• Saskatchewan Department of First Nations and Métis
• Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology
• Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board
• Saskatchewan Learning
• Saskatchewan Teachers Federation
• Saskatoon Catholic Schools
• SciQ: Science Revealed
• Siksika Board of Education
• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
• The Alberta Library
• The Genesis Group
• The Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association
• Transpolar Technology Corporation
• Treaty 7 First Nations Education Association
• University College of the North
• University of Alberta
• University of Calgary
• University of Lethbridge
• University of Manitoba
• University of New Brunswick
• University of Regina
• University of Toronto
• University of Victoria
• University of Winnipeg
• Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a Society
• Yellowhead Tribal College
• Yellowquill College
• York University
• Yukon College

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Wednesday, April 5th/2006

U of S Researchers to Co-Lead National Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre

The University of Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal Education Research Centre (AERC) has been selected by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) to co-lead a new national network for gathering and sharing information on effective approaches to Aboriginal learning.

AERC will work with the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC) in Calgary to lead the new Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, a consortium of more than 50 members drawn from the region encompassing the Prairie provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The new national centre will have access to up to $1.5 million per year to develop a network of shared knowledge and expertise that is expected to contribute to greater academic success for Aboriginal students. The CCL notes that nearly twice as many working-age Aboriginals do not have their high-school diploma (39 per cent), compared to non-Aboriginal Canadians (22 per cent).

“Today, as governments acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal learning systems developed in partnership with Aboriginal Peoples, this knowledge centre will help to set priorities for research, propose ways to measure progress, and create networks to share practices that can strengthen learning outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples of Canada,” said Paul Cappon, CCL President and CEO.

“The Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre will profile and advance the most current knowledge and exemplary practices in First Nations, Métis and Inuit learning.”

AERC Academic Director Marie Battiste says the knowledge centre will directly involve Aboriginal Peoples in developing solutions to the many learning challenges they face.

“It will play a key role in analyzing existing research and promoting further research to provide the reliable information required to improve learning opportunities and outcomes among Aboriginal Peoples,” she said. 

AERC, housed in the U of S College of Education, is a collaborative teaching and research centre operated in partnership with diverse First Nations, Métis and Northern groups to identify and address their specific needs and priorities.

 “The knowledge centre will work collaboratively to recognize and build on the unique personal, social, cultural and historical contexts for Aboriginal learning, and share knowledge about promising practices across Canada,” said Vivian Ayoungman, Executive Director of the Calgary-based FNAHEC which is made up of 10 First Nation colleges and adult training centres in Western Canada.

The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada.  Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decision making throughout all stages of learning, from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond.

The new centre is one of five knowledge centres created by the Council. Each will contribute to better outcomes in various stages of learning, from early childhood to the workplace and beyond.  The other centres are:  Adult Learning (Atlantic Canada), Early Childhood Learning (Quebec), Health and Learning (British Columbia and Yukon), and Work and Learning (Ontario).

A full list of the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre consortium members is available on CCL’s website: www.ccl-cca.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Kathryn Warden
Director, Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
www.usask.ca/research

Elizabeth Everson
Director, Communications
Canadian Council on Learning  
(613) 786-3230 ext. 207
Cell: (613) 222-2879 
beverson@ccl-cca.ca 
www.ccl-cca.ca

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RESEARCH NEWS
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