Smarten up, Christy! BC Libs Show Tech Ed Illiteracy

[maryjane48]

B.C. has failed on its goal of dramatically increasing low First Nations students high school graduation rates from 49 per cent to 85 per cent in the past 10 years, getting to just 62 per cent.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/01/26/S ... lliteracy/

[vegas1500]

Maybe it's at 62% because they just don't give a about school. society today is about blaming others for our own short comings.....

[Urbane]

I just Googled "BC First Nation graduation rates" and a whole bunch of articles popped up. Almost all of them talked about the improvement and the record numbers of FN students who were graduating. Then there was a Tyee article about how the improvement hadn't been good enough. Of course not! Meanwhile, even if graduation rates go down under the NDP it will all be wonderful!

[Queen K]

MJ, how is it the BC Liberal's fault?

Seriously now. How? How is it that government "failed" First Nations to the extent that graduation rates are lower than they should be?

To me, it's the responsibility of parents to instill into their children the will to learn. And early in life. Of course school is a major part of that striving to learn and our society starts it early. It's every parents job to do that, and if parents aren't doing it hopefully some good teachers will catch the kids in the classroom and instill it there. But they can't be expected to do it all by themselves. It's a parent/teacher effort and once the child gets older, the child's effort too.

How is the government in on every aspect, much less the BC Liberals? I don't buy that at all. When the graduation rates don't improve if it's an at home problem, are you going to blame the NDP/G?

[Queen K]

I just Googled "BC First Nation graduation rates" and a whole bunch of articles popped up. Almost all of them talked about the improvement and the record numbers of FN students who were graduating. Then there was a Tyee article about how the improvement hadn't been good enough. Of course not! Meanwhile, even if graduation rates go down under the NDP it will all be wonderful!

I'm going to say that Reconciliation and a determination from autonomous adults and teens has made a difference in letting go of "woe is me" to "it's a real World out there and I'm going to be part of it."

[GordonH]

B.C. has failed on its goal of dramatically increasing low First Nations students high school graduation rates from 49 per cent to 85 per cent in the past 10 years, getting to just 62 per cent.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/01/26/S ... lliteracy/

If a person (whomever) really wants to improve the direction of their life. All it takes is applying themselves & some hard work, nothing good ever comes easy.

For that 62% to happen, there had to be large amount in the 80% or higher.

[Walking Wounded]

MJ, how is it the BC Liberal's fault?

Seriously now. How? How is it that government "failed" First Nations to the extent that graduation rates are lower than they should be?

To me, it's the responsibility of parents to instill into their children the will to learn. And early in life. Of course school is a major part of that striving to learn and our society starts it early. It's every parents job to do that, and if parents aren't doing it hopefully some good teachers will catch the kids in the classroom and instill it there. But they can't be expected to do it all by themselves. It's a parent/teacher effort and once the child gets older, the child's effort too.

How is the government in on every aspect, much less the BC Liberals? I don't buy that at all. When the graduation rates don't improve if it's an at home problem, are you going to blame the NDP/G?

Now you know that in MJ's world everything bad that has ever happened to FN's is the BC libs fault. It seems to her that there is no such thing as personnel responsability.

[The Green Barbarian]

Good job BC Libs for getting the graduation rates up for FA. Let's hope when the current disgusting bunch of dopes are finally tossed out on their unelected arses, the BC Libs can continue their good work with the FA and continue to increase their graduation rates.

[Queen K]

Only it won't be contingent on any government party in power. That's the problem, blaming any government power for failings or successes. FN's need to look within and decide. Decide to succeed.

[hobbyguy]

I think MJ totally got ahold of the wrong end of the stick on this one, as instead of actually looking into the issues, chose to believe the NDP shtick put forward by the head propagandist Tieleman without giving it any critical thought. Tieleman is being very disingenuous.

Some further research indicates the government of BC under the Liberals, while falling short of their goals, has helped to make a very positive difference, while admitting that there is more work to be done.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/low-graduation-rates-at-reserve-schools-put-aboriginals-in-jeopardy-report/article28427544/

SNIP

"The research singles out British Columbia as leading the country for high-school certification on reserves, coming in at nearly 60 per cent — handily topping the national average of 42 per cent.

B.C. Education Minister Mike Bernier was quoted late last year as celebrating a nine-percentage-point jump in the aboriginal graduation rate in the province over the past six years, both on and off reserves.

In comparison, the graduation level in Manitoba was pegged at 30 per cent, about half that of British Columbia's."

"Richards attributed B.C.'s relative success to several factors, including the presence of a provincewide aboriginal education group that acts as a pseudo-school board, as well as collaboration between B.C.'s First Nations Education Steering Committee, the province and the federal government."


Within that we see the seeds of change, real positive change, in giving FNs a voice in education. Similar to the FNHA it is relatively new, but showing movement in the right direction. Surely giving FNs a voice in the education system for their people is a good move.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/graduation-rates-bc-1.4268275

"The number of Aboriginal students finishing high school in B.C. continues to rise past record levels, even while graduation rates for the general student population stay the same.

Over the past eight years, the number of aboriginal students earning their high school diplomas has increased by about 10 per cent — hitting 64.4 per cent in 2016."

So the graduation rate continued to rise from when Tieleman wrote his disingenuous and misleading political diatribe. Not only that, but the 64.4% is an all time record graduation rate.

Tyrone McNeil, president of the First Nations Education Steering Committee, said the system needs to be remodeled.

"The system allows teachers to give up on our kids. The system allows the teachers to have no expectations for our kids," he told CBC News in June.

"It's about modifying and reshaping that system so it's more inclusive of First Nations, but it is done in a way that educates all those involved about who we are as First Nations people."

Tyrone takes a shot at teachers there, and a shot at the system. Can both improve? Yes.

I wonder though if Tyrone has a suggestion regarding how the system is supposed to deal with children that are all but abandoned to the system by their parents in the urban setting where schools can not be everything to everyone.

At any rate, it is valuable to have someone advocating for FN students within the system.

So while FN graduation rates in BC improved dramatically and hit record levels, there is still work to be done. The BC Liberals actually did fairly well in inducing better graduation rates. From another article this comment from Liberal minister Bernier:

"B.C.'s Education Minister Mike Bernier was unavailable for comment, but said in a statement that he's encouraged to see so many aboriginal students graduating at the same time.

"There is still work to do so every aboriginal student has the skills they need to succeed in a changing world," said an additional statement from the ministry."

So the BC Liberals acknowledged then, a year previous, that more needed to be done.

In point of fact, while less than ideal, FN graduation rates improved dramatically from the situation the BC Liberals inherited from the NDP: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/BCAboriginalSchoolReportReprint.pdf

Could and should they have done more? Possibly. However, given the schmozola that the BCTF has made of our education system over the years, I can cut the Liberals a bit of slack.

In the end, Tieleman's so called article in the Tyee (NDP propaganda garbage) is entirely misleading and disingenuously ignores the abysmal record of the of the NDP on this file, and ignores the real progress made.

[alfred2]

B.C. has failed on its goal of dramatically increasing low First Nations students high school graduation rates from 49 per cent to 85 per cent in the past 10 years, getting to just 62 per cent.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/01/26/S ... lliteracy/

Please explain how a govt. is able to force natives to go to school. Parents are the ones, if they are bad parents what do you think the kids will be like?

[hobbyguy]

I notice MJ was sooo far off the mark that she changed the OP.

Give it up MJ, dragging up phony baloney stuff from Tieleman and all will not make your fave NDP anything better than they are - a bunch of thieves after money for themselves out of the public purse.

How can you possibly keep trying to support an NDP party that can't manage its own finances, had to sell their headquarters to Chinese investors, and lied about campaign finance reform, using it to grab $millions to pay off their debts? The NDP are the most corrupt bunch of thugs!

[maryjane48]

I never changed the title. A castanet mod did. I write what i mean .i still stand by the story

[The Green Barbarian]

I never changed the title. A castanet mod did. I write what i mean .i still stand by the story

Of course you do. Anything to spread the false narrative.

[the truth]

I never changed the title. A castanet mod did. I write what i mean .i still stand by the story

try blaming the parents for not sending there kids to school, that's how it works in the real world