Langley School District to sign Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement
September 30, 2015
For immediate release September 29, 2015
Langley School District to sign Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement
Langley, BC – The Langley School District’s current Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement has expired after five years and a new Agreement is set to be signed Thursday, October 8, 2015.
An Enhancement Agreement is a working agreement between a school district, all local Aboriginal communities and the Ministry of Education designed to enhance the educational achievement of Aboriginal students. The Enhancement Agreement establishes a collaborative partnership and shared responsibility between Aboriginal communities and the school district that involves shared decision-making and specific goal setting to meet the educational needs of Aboriginal students.
Over the last five years, tremendous strides have been made addressing the emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual needs of the District’s Aboriginal students. The new Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement is the culmination of a year of consultation and collaboration. District staff in collaboration with ya:ỷəstəľ, the District’s Aboriginal Advisory Council, began developing the Agreement in December of 2014. A strategy was developed that would provide the opportunity for all stakeholders to inform the District how to best serve students of Aboriginal ancestry and educate all students and staff about Aboriginal ways of knowing, history and culture. In January 2015 a cross-section of the community came together at the Kwantlen Cultural Centre to hear stories, celebrate successes, to listen, to learn and to begin to inform the content of the fourth Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement.
“We have received a tremendous amount of wisdom and guidance from our Aboriginal community”, said Michael Morgan, District Principal of Aboriginal Education, “a great many people have put a part of themselves into the creation of this important agreement. Next we must turn those beautiful words into meaningful actions for our students”.
Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Hoffman commented, “The School District and Board of Education look forward to working with the entire community to make the goals in the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement a reality”.
The Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement will be signed October 8, 2015 at the Kwantlen Cultural Centre and will be in effect for the next five years.
Contact: Ken Hoff, Communications Manager, School District No. 35: 604-534-7891