Sioux Lookout District First Nations education: Factors influencing secondary school succes

This study examines factors which influence educational success among First Nation secondary students from the Sioux Lookout District of Northwestern Ontario, who attend school in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. First Nation people view education as important for increasing the number of professionals in their communities in order to advance First Nation's self-government, and regain self-determination and self-sufficiency. Although more First Nation students from the Sioux Lookout District First Nations are graduating at the secondary level than in the past, they face incredible challenges.;This thesis utilizes a case study approach to examine the educational experiences of Sioux Lookout District secondary students coming from similar backgrounds but attending two significantly different programs administered by the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council in Sioux Lookout, Ontario---the Pelican Falls Centre/First Nation High School and the In-town Boarding Home program for students attending Queen Elizabeth District High School. A detailed description of both programs, particularly through the students' perspectives is provided to gain an understanding of their secondary educational experience. Data was collected through student and administrator interviews, with data from other sources serving as a triangulation function. Fifty-one formal interviews with students engaged in their secondary education and administration took place during the 1998--99 academic year.;The major influences on secondary student success revealed in this study are academic preparation, cognitive dissonance, utility of education, support, personal background, urban experience, alcohol and drug abuse, and cultural discontinuity. Many of these factors interact to influence success, although this study suggests that academic preparedness is the "Hercules" factor upholding all the other factors.