The role of cultural supports for Indigenous students: spaces for and impediments to decolonizing education

Abstract

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) final report documents the history of residential schools while outlining responsibilities for schools to advance reconciliation. Schools have undertaken initiatives to affirm Indigenous perspectives and support Indigenous students, however progress toward decolonization remains limited. To support such initiatives, research has revealed the significance of having self-identified Indigenous peoples working at schools. Informed by critical sociology of education analysis and critical theories of settler colonialism and decolonization, we examine perspectives of 201 students, parents, and teachers working with self-identified Indigenous school staff members in Alberta, Canada, to explore spaces for as well as impediments to decolonization in school reforms and practices. Our findings reinforce research demonstrating the positive impact that interactions with self-identified Indigenous school staff can have for students, teachers, and parents. We also observe contradictions imposed by institutional practices that hinder progress towards reconciliation and decolonization.